from Britannia Depicta
or
Ogilby Improved
Road Atlas of England & Wales
By Emanuel Bowen
London 1720

The following maps are a collection of the earliest road maps designed for foot and horseback travelers in England in the early 18th century. They are approximately 7X4½ inches in size, small enough to fit into backpacks & saddle bags & depicted roads, bridges, rivers, woods, fields, private lands, & landmarks & obstacles to be encountered along the way from town to town. They are decorated with shields & ornamental title cartouches & each includes a finely drawn map on the front page.

Measurements are given in inches, height first, then width.
This refers to printed image only. Margins are extra.

Glossary of Map Terms

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ERM111 - “The Road from Kendal to Cockermouth.” 7½X5. Map shows the County of Cumberland on face page, & on the reverse depicts the road running from Kendal to Stanley & from Basinthwait to Keswick in the counties of Cumberland & Westmoreland. Includes a shield & compasses & a decorative title cartouche ornamented with leaves, shells & scroll motifs.

ERM112 - “The Road from London to Barwick.” 7½X5. Map shows the County of Nottinghamshire on face page & on the reverse shows the road running from London to Enfield, Ware & Stanfield, Hodsdon & Waltham to Colliers End in the counties of Middlesex & Hertfordshire. Includes the Arms of Barwick & a decorative title cartouche ornamented with leaves, scrolls, birds & animal heads.

ERM113 - “The Road from London to Buckingham.” 7½X5. Map shows the County of Northamtonshire on face page & on reverse depicts the road running from London in Middlesex to Buckinghamshire. Locates Uxbridge, Acton, Great Missenden, Beconsfield & Chalfont St. Giles & includes the Arms of Buckingham & a decorative title cartouche ornamented with leaves, scrolls & swags. 

ERM114 - “The Road from Oxford to Salisbury.” 7½X5. Map shows the County of Berkshire on face page & on the reverse depicts the road running from Oxford to Abingdon, Great Shelford & Hungerford. Includes the Arms of Salisbury, compasses & a decorative title cartouche ornamented with leaves, scrolls & a grotesque head. 

ERM115 - “The Road from Whitby to Durham.” 7½X5. Map shows the County of Durham on face page & on the reverse depicts the roads running through the towns of Mould, Chester, Holywell, Flint, in the County of Flintshire. Includes the sea coast, compasses, & Hollhen Mountain & a decorative title cartouche ornamented with leaves, scrolls & a grotesque head.

ERM116 - “The Road From Huntingdon to Ipswich.” 7½X5. Map shows the County of Huntingdonshire on face page, & on the reverse depicts the roads going through the towns of Huntingdon. St. Ives, Erith, Ely, Sutton & Soham, in the Counties of Huntingdon, & Cambridgeshire. Includes the shield of Thomas Wentworth & a decorative title cartouche ornamented with leaves, scrolls & a grotesque head.

ERM120 - “The Road from York to Whitby & Scarboro.” 7X5½. Map shows the County of Westmoreland on face page & on the reverse depicts the road running from York to Drew Malton, Whitwell, Thornton Common & Pickering in the county of Yorkshire. Includes compasses & a decorative title cartouche ornamented with leaves, scrolls & an animal head.

ERM121 - “The Road from Hereford to Leicester.” 7X5½. Map shows the County of Leicestershire on face page & on the reverse depicts the road running from Pembridge to Clun with a demolished castle, to Knighton, Prestain, Montgomery & Bishops Castle in the counties of Hereford, Radnor, Shropshire & Montgomery. Includes compasses, the Shield & Arms of Montgomery & a decorative title cartouche ornamented with leaves, scrolls & an animal head.

ERM123 - “The Road from London to Bristol.” 7X5½. The map shows a Map of Middlesex on face page & on the reverse depicts the road running from Newton on ye Moor, to Alnwick, Belford, Atherston, Wainford, to Barwick, Haggerston & Bucton in the County of Northumberland. Includes a shield with the Arms of Morpeth, compasses & a decorative title cartouche ornamented with leaves & scrolls.

ERM124 - “The Road from Bristol to Weymouth.” 7½. The map shows the County of Berkshire on the face page & on the reverse depicts the road running from Quodgley Green to Glocester, Cheltenham, Tewkesbury, Worcester, & Woodbridge in the Counties of Glocester & Worcester. Includes a shield with the Arms of Tewkesbury , compasses & a decorative title cartouche ornamented with leaves, scrolls & a grotesque head.

JOHN OGILBY (1600-1676)

In 1675 John Ogilby published “Britannia. Volume the First or an Illustration of the Kingdom of England and Dominion of Wales. By a Geographical and Historical Description of the Principal Roads Thereof.” These Route maps were drawn in a distinctive strip form unrolling as from a scroll. It was the first work to use the statute mile of 1760 yards on a scale of one inch to the mile & to place a compass rose along the routes to indicate positions for travelers. Ogilby was an interesting character who started life as a dancer & choreographer & theater manager, progressing to the study of history & geography, after which he translated and published the Greek Classics before publishing road maps for which he became famous at the age of 70. Each map depicts cities & towns, bridges, streams, rivers & waterways, hills, forests, fields & private properties. The maps also indicate the Counties through which the traveler would pass to reach his destination.

ERM125 - J. OGILBY “The Continuation of the Road from London to Barwick Beginning at Stilton & Extending to Tuxford. Plate the 2nd Containing 62 miles. From Stilton to Stamford 13¼ to Grantham 21½ to Newark 14 to Tuxford 12¾ ” London. 1675. B/W. 12X17. The route is traced through the Counties of Northampton, Rutland, Lincoln & Nottinghamshire & includes Newark famous for horse racing & stables. Depicts toll gates, bridges, manorial estates, commons, & churches., with compass roses placed at strategic points for guidance along the way. A decorative title cartouche in top center is ornamented with scrolls & hanging bunches of fruit.

ERM126 - J. OGILBY “The Road from Carlisle com. Cumbr. to Barwick upon Tweed com. Northumbr. by John Ogilby, Esq. His Ma(ties) Cosmographer. Containing 80 miles 4. Fur. vizt to Brakenhill 9.4 to ye entrance into Scotland 9.2 to Castleton 5.6 to Ledbrough 22 to Kelso 10.6 to ye re-entrance into England 5.9 to Cornill 4.1 to Wessell 3.m 3.f. & to Barwick 10 mil. 2 furl. G. R. King Lichen Surveyor.” London 1675. B/W. 12X17. The route drawn on this map goes through the County of Cumberland, & tracks northward to Scotland & then re-enters England in the County of Northumberland. Includes a decorative title cartouche in top center with scrolls, hanging bunches of fruit & a large shield topped with a crown.

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Phone (207) 729-1329 - Fax (207) 729-0385
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Glossary of Map Terms

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