1675 OGlLBY, John and MORGAN, William
1. General map showing roads -- A New Map of the Kingdom of England & Dominion of Wales
2. Strip Road maps - Britannia
3. Road Book - Itinerarium Angliæ and Mr Ogilby´s Table of the …. Roads
The title of Francis Bennett´s work is “Road Books”, and for many today, the term immediately conjures up the strip form map introduced in 1675 by John Ogilby. From 1672, when John Ogilby was already seventy-two years old, he was regularly in contact with members of the recently founded Royal Society. Through the recommendation of Christopher Wren, a professor of astronomy at that time, Ogilby made acquaintance with the "Natural philosophers” or "Virtuoso”, a group of learned people with wide-ranging interests. John Ogilby infected them all with his enthusiasm for a new atlas of the world: Wren, Robert Hooke, Jonathan Goddard, John Aubrey and John Hoskins, and the interest shown by these scholars was another piece of good fortune for his forthcoming project, as they were attempting to develop completely new methods of mapmaking. They met in one of the coffee shops near the Royal Exchange in order to compare the best surveying techniques, set up criteria for observations made when working in the field and discuss cartographic projections. The plans became more and more involved, and the enterprise took ever increasing dimensions as the scientific importance of Ogilby's project became clear.
Ogilby´s contact with van Meurs, in Holland, could provide material for other continents (Africa, America and Asia were all published 1670, 1670/1 and 1673) but how was Ogilby going to obtain original material for his volume on Great Britain? Together this small group developed a questionnaire in which there was something for everyone: Hoskins' geological observations, Aubrey's historical interests, Wren also included his medical side and Ogilby with folk lore and the history of languages. They wanted nothing less than a complete description of the country; and everything was of interest and worth knowing: soil conditions, the state of the population's health, Roman and Celtic remains, important market towns, political and religious forms of administration and much more besides. There was an immense thirst for knowledge, the ideas inexhaustible – and they rightly saw themselves as pioneers of science!
At his printer's works, Ogilby had printed a letter of recommendation from the King, addressed to all his subjects and which Ogilby then passed on to his agents - signed, witnessed and with seal – to take with them on their travels. So equipped, they journeyed through the country, made drawings, calculated distances, made enquiries and pushed their surveyor's wheel, similar to a wheelbarrow, along the streets. The result was one of the most innovative and groundbreaking of volumes. Together with 100 strip maps of roads there was a detailed map of England and Wales. Britannia was Ogilby´s greatest success after a long and chequered career.
A New Map of the Kingdom of England & Dominion of Wales. Whereon are Projected all ye Principal Roads Actually Measured & Delineated by John Ogilby Esq. His Majsties Cosmographer.
Signed: James Moxon S (below Devon and Cornwall). London. John Ogilby. 1675. (BL). Size: 375 x 500 mm.
A New Map of the Kingdom of England & Dominion of Wales – state 1 – Dominic Winter
Main roads are shown by double lines: cross roads by pricked double lines. This was the general map in the Britannia. Four editions are known.
There are four known states of the map of England and Wales:
1. 1675 has circles to denote towns (lacks spire and tower symbols), no ships in sea (BL)
2. 1676 ships are added, including two in the Irish Sea (BL)
3. 1676+ spires and towers are now added, another ship in Irish Sea (BL)
4. 1689 has a new title A New Map of England With a Table readily to find the Towns
William Morgan, who was the successor to John Ogilby’s business, had the original plate completely re-engraved in about 1689 for inclusion in the Ogilby-Morgan pocket-size travel books, Mr Ogilby and Mr Morgan´s Pocket Book of the Roads. These were issued in multiple editions until about 1745, each with the general map and tables listing more than 500 towns. Because the pocket-size books were intended for travel, the map was typically folded multiple times and, due to opening & closing as well as utilitarian wear, is seldom in good condition.
The Arms and cartouche are replaced by a stepped panel with towns and their graticule references (Printed for and published by Abel Swall and Robert Morden). (BL. NLW).
A New Map of England With a Table readily to find the Towns – state 4 – Illustration courtesy of Map Mogul
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