Maps for a Small Country

An exhibition of historical maps and atlases of Scotland,
held in Glasgow University Library

19th Century

Detail of map showing soil types in part of Invernesshire.
Click on image to enlarge.

Ainslie was arguably the outstanding Scots cartographer of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, with a large number of maps of the finest quality to his name. He trained in England under Thomas Jefferys, Geographer to George III but returned to Scotland in 1771. Town plans, county and estate surveys, including the remarkable volumes of plans for the Eglinton estate, and maps of Scotland followed - all displaying his versatility and attention to detail. In 1802, he published The Gentleman and Farmer's Pocket Companion and Assistant as a manual for surveyors. Its favourable reception encouraged this comprehensive guide to all the aspects of land surveying, in both theory and practice, covering private properties and county surveys, the use of various instruments, delineating and reducing plans and the use of colours in adorning maps. His experience, practical advice and observation is imparted to the novice throughout the work. This plate shows the farm of Harestanes surveyed by plain table, with the field book on the opposite page.

Bibliography: R.S.G.S. op cit pp120-1, 125-6.

Forrest produced this map, originally issued in eight sheets, from a survey of 1813 and it is, undoubtedly, the most detailed and accurate coverage of the county prior to the work of the Ordnance Survey. The quality of draughtsmanship reflects the high standard of precision in distance and orientation reached by Scottish surveyors at this time. John Thomson, himself an important map publisher, describes Forrest's surveys as ''of the first rate".

Settlement is well depicted (e.g. in Libberton parish, 76 locations are marked, in Old Monkland 160) and the growing industrialisation of the county is seen in the mapping of the Monkland canal and several coal mines.

It is most likely that Forrest followed the contemporary pattern of basing the map on estate surveys - certainly a beautiful plan of the estates of Drumpellier and Coats, drawn by him, is held In Airdrie District Library - and it must have met with some success, for a second issue appeared in 1818. From a pasted catalogue slip, it appears that David Murray purchased this map for the very reasonable price of 10/6d - another glimpse of the perceived value of a map.

MACCULLOCH, John. Arran, with Lamlash and Pladda. In A Description of the Western Islands of Scotland. Vol.3. London, 1819. Opposite p83.
Engraved by Josiah Cross.
235 x 175mm. Scale 1'':2.13 mls.
Mu11-a.1-3

Born in Guernsey in 1773, MacCulloch studied medicine at Edinburgh where he attended the Natural History class. During his time as Chemist to the Ordnance, a post held from 1806, he also acted as Geologist to the Trigonometrical Survey - in fact, the "earliest government-sponsored geological surveyor in Britain". This afforded him great opportunities for study and many of his reports appeared in the Transactions of the Geological Society of London. His Description of the Western Islands is regarded as a classic work and is illustrated by his own maps. The outline of the island bears a close resemblance to that on William Smith's map of 1815 but textual comments suggest that MacCulloch was dissatisfied with both the accuracy and scale of existing map coverage. The atlas was the product of eight summers' field work and the maps were the first to illustrate Scottish geological features by means of strike lines and dip arrows, more lithologically and structurally detailed than their precursors.

Bibliography: BOUD R.C. ''The early geological maps of the isle of Arran, 1807-1858'' Canadian cartographer vol. 12 1975, pp179-193. CUMMING, D.A. 'Geological maps in preparation: John MacCulloch on western islands'' Archives of Natural History vol. 10, 1981 , pp255-271.

Thomson worked in Edinburgh for over twenty years as an atlas publisher but the cost of production of this Atlas of Scotland ruined him, despite an initial subscription list exceeding 1200. In April, 1830, he applied for sequestration as a bankrupt and the volume was delayed in publication until 1832, Thomson being aided by financial support from his friends. The production of the sheets was spread over the period 1820 to 1830 and the loose sheets were sold as they became available. In about 1838, the plates were acquired by W.&A.K. Johnston who re-issued the maps separately under their name.

Without doubt this is a most ambitious work and recalls the artistry of Blaeu's cartography. For most counties, existing county surveys were used as a base, new maps being drawn from them and revised by surveyors and local authorities. Engravers in both Edinburgh and London were employed. This map of Stirlingshire is based on the four-sheet survey of John Grassom of 1817, redrawn by William Johnson an Edinburgh land surveyor and attested by, among others, Grassom himself. As with the other county sheets, a plan of the county town is also included.

Bibliography: R.S.G.S. op cit pp129-131.

Cunningham was a geologist of precocious talent whose careful mapping techniques were possibly learnt from Robert Jameson, Professor of Natural History at the University of Edinburgh. His reputation was established by his work on the geology of the Lothians but, tragically, his career lasted for less than ten years.

During the early decades of the nineteenth century, the development of geological mapping in Scotland was supported by several scientific societies and, more notably, by the Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland. From 1837 onwards a number of county and district surveys were published as a direct result of its premium for the production of such maps, in the interest of agriculture. Cunningham gained a price of fifty sovereigns for this account - one of four price competitions he won. His map which first appeared in 1839 to accompany his paper, On the Geognosy of Sutherlandshire was based on the county map of 1833 by Burnett and Scott.

Bibliography: WATERSTON, C.D. ''Robert James Hay Cunningham (1815-1842)'' Transactions of the Edinburgh Geological Society, vol.17, 1957-59, pp260-272.

The development of thematic mapping of such major social issues as health and crime was particularly notable in the towns and cities of Victorian Britain. Maps were often used to illustrate medical reports, the techniques becoming more sophisticated through time. Perry was Senior Physician to Glasgow Royal Infirmary and, in this map, he traces the course of an influenza or relapsing fever epidemic which affected the city in 1843. Using reports collected from the local surgeons he ''laid down and numbered the different districts upon a map of the city...marking with a darker shade those parts where the epidemic was most particularly prevalent, which shows that those places most densely inhabited, by the poorest of the people, have suffered most severely". Both the report and map served another humane purpose; they were published by the Royal Asylum for Lunatics at Gartnavel and an accompanying note reads: "in order to aid the laudable design of Dr. Hutchison in exercising the mental and bodily faculties of the inmates of the Lunatic Asylum, the Printing of this Paper, the Colouring the Maps, &c, is wholly the work of the inmates”.

Blackwood was responsible for printing the Statistical Account of the parishes of Scotland, begun in 1834. The county volumes contained engraved maps which were collected into an atlas published in 1838 or separately issued "in a neat case for the pocket. price ls. each". W.H.Lizars updated these, particularly in the depiction of the road network, in 1839 and the maps re-appeared in the issued set of the New Statistical Account (NSA) in 1845. A second edition of the atlas came out in 1853, with railways indicated. This copy would appear to date from this later period.

Being related to the NSA, the map identifies each parish and, although the scale prevents much place-name detail, there is a clear preference for locating parish churches. The road pattern has been improved with many more routes indicated than in 1845.

Detail of map showing part of the coast of
Aberdeen Shire.
Click on image to enlarge.

Detail of map showing Treasure Island.
Click on image to enlarge.