notes Bellin 1762

	Research Notes Map Group BELLIN 1762

Bellin 1762
	Chart, Carte Reduite de l'Isle de Wight et Costes Voisines, Isle of Wight and adjacent coasts, including Hampshire's, scale about 2 nautical miles to 1 inch, by Jacques Bellin, Depot de la Marine, the french hydrographic office, Paris, France, 1762.
	BELLIN'S CHART OF THE SOLENT, 1762, includes the coast from Peveral Point, Dorset to beyond Selsey Bill, Sussex. Although this is a chart it shows inland topography. The chart studied is in the Map Collection of Hampshire CC Museums Service, item HMCMS:FA2002.513. It is in French. The chart size is: wxh, sheet = 92.5x61cm; wxh, plate = 912x593mm approximately; wxh, map = 860x557mm. These notes are made for Hampshire interest, detail outwith the county might be ignored.
	MAP FEATURES
	HAMPSHIRE TOWNS
	ITEMS in the Collection

MAP FEATURES
scroll cartouche title cartouche coat of arms map maker publisher engraver	Printed lower left in a scroll cartouche:- CARTE REDUITE DE L'ISLE DE WIGHT ET COSTES VOISINES Depuis Selsey jusqu'a la Pointe Peverel Avec les Portes Rades et Mouillages et le Detail de l'interieur du Pais Dressee au Depost des Cartes Plans et Journaux de la Marine POUR LE SERVICE DES VAISSEAUX DU ROY. Par ordre de M. LE DUC DE CHOISEUIL Ministre de la Guerre et de la Marine. that is, freely translated:- Reduced Chart of the Isle of Wight and the Adjacent Coasts from Selsey Bill to Peverel Point, with harbours, roads, and anchorages, and the topography of the country. Par le Sr. Bellin Ingr. de la Marine et du Depost des Plans, Censeur Royal de l'Academie de Marine, et de la Societe Royale de Londres. 1762. The scroll cartouche is decorated with flowers and foliage. There is the coat of arms of royal France, three fleur de lys, with a crown above. Printed lower right is a badge in a circle of rope, with three fleur de lys around a fisherman's anchor:- DEPOT DE LA MARINE the french equivalent of our Hydrographic Office. printed bottom left, very faint:- R[aineau] s. The engraver.
table of symbols	Printed lower right in a foliage cartouche is:- REMARQUE J'ay dresse cette Carte sur plusiers Plans et memoires Anglois, tant imprimes que manuscrits; et en particulier sur la Carte de l'Isle de Wight, et Costes voisines, Levee par ordre du Gouvernement et dediee aux Lords de l'Admiraute par Jos. Avery, publiee a Londres en 1721. Le tout concilie avec les Observations Astronomiques et les remarques des plus habiles Navigateurs. Les Chiffres marques dans la mer, et sur les basses, indiquent la quantite de brasses, nommees Fathoms en Anglois, qui y restent de Basse Mer Le Fathom vaut 6 pieds Anglois, au lieu que la Brasse Francoise ne vaut que 5 pieds de Roy. Le pied Anglois est plus petit que le pied Francois d'environ une seizieme partie. roughly translated:- The numbers marked in the sea and shallows indicate the 'arms of water' called fathoms in English. The fathom has 6 english feet, instead of the french fathom which has only 5 royal feet. The english foot is smaller than the french foot by about a sixth part. Compare:- see:- Avery 1721
orientation north point up is N magnetic variation rhumb lines	The chart has three centres from which rhumb lines are drawn across land and sea areas; solid bold for cardinal and half cardinal directions, dotted for false points, solid light for by points. The centres are the lower three of what would be a circle of 16 centres. Printed lower centre, at the middle of the three centres, is a north point; North marked by a fleur de lys. The map is printed with North at the top of the sheet. At this centre there is a magnetic north line, marked by a fleur de lys, west of true North, the angle labelled:- Variation 15d. NO ie Nord Ouest.
scale line scale	Printed at the sides the scale of latitude is accompanied by a second scale labelled:- Echelle de Lieus Marine de France et d'Angleterre de 20 au Degre a scale of nautical leagues. The scale is marked in quarter leagues, which get out of step with the chequered latitude divisions; 1 league = 3 minutes, 1/4 league = 3/4 minute. From the scale line 11.5 leagues = 496.8 mm giving a scale 1 to 128693. The chart scale is about:- 1 to 130000
lat and long scales	Printed in the chart borders are scales of latitude and longitude for a rectangular projection; chequered and labelled in minutes. The bottom and top scales of longitude are labelled:- Longitude Occidentale du Meridien de Paris The bottom scale has a second scale of marks and labels in minutes, labelled:- Longitude Occidentale du Meridien de Londres From the scales, London is 2d 25m W of Paris. Southsea Castle from the scales is 3d 33m W of Paris, 1d 8m W of London. The longitude of the castle from Greenwich is 1d 05.1m W; thus the chart's London prime meridian is about 3m W of Greenwich (St Paul's Cathedral is 5m W of Greenwich). The chart includes from 0d 40m to 2d 10m W of London, 50d 24m to 51d 0m N. The chart shows the whole of the Isle of Wight with coast from Durlston Head and Poole Harbour, Dorset; the coast of Hampshire including The Solent and Southampton Water; the coast east to Selsey Bill, Selsey Harbour and Pagham, West Sussex.
sea area sea plain depth soundings sandbanks tides anchorages buoys wrecks	Sea areas are plain, and might be labelled, eg:- Baye Stokes Spit Head Baye Haling The sea area is marked with depth soundings in fathoms and quarters or halves, as noted in the Remarks. The soundings extend into harbours as at Lymington, Portsmouth, etc. Shallows, sandbanks etc, are indicated by a dotted line, which does not seem to be a depth contour, or by dotted areas. These might be labelled, eg:- Christ Church Ledge Singles Banc [Shingles] Brambles Midle or described, eg:- Bas fond toujours couvert d'eau [Horse and Dean Sand] Buoys are drawn, a conical shape, or just labelled, marking some shallows. For example:- Spit Bouee [on unlabelled Spit Sand] Le Cheval Bouee [SW corner of Horse and Dean Sand] Dean Bouee [ - ditto - ] There are a few indicators of tide times, eg:- IX h 1/2 in the Solent at the entrance to Southampton Water, and:- IX h 1/2 Heure de la Pleine Mer in the eastern approaches, east of Bembridge and St Helens. A few anchorages are indicated by a fisherman's anchor symbol, for example in Sandown Bay, and at:- Rade de Sainte Hellene off the east of the Isle of Wight; but none in the Solent. A wreck is indicated by a buoy name:- Edger Bouee at Spit Head in the Solent; the wreck of HMS Edgar which blew up and sank 1711.
coast line coast appearance foreshore harbours	The bold line of the coast has either hachures, like shading to landward, to suggest a low slope, or is drawn with rows of little jagged cliffs. At Stubbington these are labelled:- Colines de Stubbington The foreshore is dotted, like sandbanks, with creeks and channels clearly shown. These might be labelled, eg:- Lac Oxsey Crique Limington The coasts north east of Portsey Island and south of Bedhampton and Farlington are labelled:- Marais ie marsh; Farlington Marshes etc. The harbours of Portsmouth and Langston, Southampton Water, and smaller harbours are charted with sandbanks, foreshore areas and channels, which might be labelled, eg:- Chenal de Langston In the sea at the:- Entree du Havre de Chichester is the harbour bar:- Barre Near Keyhaven on the foreshore is labelled:- Camber for a small dockyard.
coastal defence castles fortifications	The coastal defences of Hampshire are noted:- Chateau de Hurts [Hurst Castle, circle, tower, flag] Chateau de Calshot [Calshot Castles, circle, flag] Nolty Chateau [Netley Castle, square fortification, flag] Vieux Chateau [St Andrew's Castle ruins, square fortification, flag] Chateau [Portchester Castle, square fortification] Fort [fortifications north of Portsey Creek] Arcenal du Roy [King's Dockyard, Portsmouth, fortifications] Portsmouth [fortifications] Chateau de la Mer du Sud [Southsea Castle, square fortification, flag] as well as defences on the Isle of Wight.
rivers bridges ferries	River estuaries are clearly drawn, with foreshore shallows and navigable channels; the Beaulieu River for example. Depth soundings might be given for a way up the estuary. Beyond the river is drawn as a double line, then a single wiggly line tapering inland. Some rivers are named, eg:- Hamble R. Titchfield Riviere [River Meon] Riviere d'Avon Riviere Beauley This last is a nice english spelling of a french word which we now reject! Bridges might just be implied by a road crossing and interrupting a stream. But looking carefully, in some places the bridge is slightly more boldly engraved, for example at Fordingbridge. And a bridge might be shown by a short section of road detached from the road network, as at Itchin north of Bitterne. Not many bridges are labelled, but see:- Pont Palmer over the River Avon, and:- Pont d'Yvi Iford Bridge, over the River Stour. In some places roads come to a river on each side, suggesting a ferry, as at Bursledon. And some ferries are labelled, eg:- Bac at Warsash, the Hamble Ferry. And Hythe Ferry:- Heith ou il y a un Bac
relief hillocks hill hachuring	The appearance of the coast line is suggested by hachuring for low slopes, or jagged rocks shapes for cliffs. These might be labelled, for example the white chalk cliffs:- Hautes Colines Blanches between the Needles and Freshwater Bay on the Isle of Wight. Stubbington Cliffs are labelled:- Colines de Stubbington Groups of craggy hillocks, shaded to the east, indicate hills. Not many are labelled, but see:- Colines north of Chichester, west of West Dean. The hill where Castle Malwood sits in a valley shows some of its form by hachures.
beacons	Only one beacon is noticed, labelled:- Selbone Fanal drawn as a tower with a flag.
woods forests trees	Wooded areas are indicated by groups of tree and bush symbols with shading for undergrowth. These might be labelled, eg:- Holt Forest [Buckholt Forest] New Forest Forest de Bere [East Bere Forest]
parks	Parks are drawn in outline by a ring of fence palings. Or rather by Bellin's interpretation of fence palings as a ring of ?standing stones. The are might be labelled, eg:- Parc Parck Parc et Maison or more helpfully, eg:- New Park [near Lyndhurst] Parc de Stainstead which contains a large house, roads, and trees labelled:- Forest de Stainstead Notice the double park at Titchfield, which is correct.
county	County boundaries and names are not noticed.
settlements street map	Settlements are shown by shaded blocks or areas, and perhaps by circle, buildings and tower, differentiated by style of lettering.
city town village	group of shaded blocks, perhaps circle, buildings and tower; labelled in upright lowercase text, eg:- Portsmouth Lymington Busselton Note that Southampton is not labelled.

village hamlet	shaded block or two, perhaps a circle, building and tower; labelled in italic lowercase text, eg:- Badsley Gosport Kirbridge
	Some names are part translated into French which would have been the style of translation of the early 18th century, eg:- Petit Funtley Grand Funtley Ouest Burrant Est Burrant
roads	A network of roads is drawn by double lines. One of these is labelled:- Chemins de Cranborn presumably to show its destination off the chart.
miscellaneous
mills water mills windmills	On some rivers there is a circle with rays, indicating a water mill, labelled eg:- Etang et Moulin mill pond and mill at Beaulieu. Moulin de Bourne on the River Ems. Note that Thorney Island is shown as an island, which it isn't. North of Bitterne is:- Moulin a Papier At Compton, West Sussex, there is a windmill, a post mill, on a hillock:- Moulin de Compton
fishing	Notice the:- Maisons de Pecheurs on Selsey Bill.
shipyards	In the Beaulieu River is:- Place pour construire des Navires which is Buckler's Hard boatyard.
brickworks	Some brickworks are labelled:- Brickiln ou Briquerie between Gosport and Rowner Briqueterie between Bursledon and Titchfield.
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HAMPSHIRE TOWNS	Of the usual 21 towns the following occur on this map:-
	Waltham [Bishops Waltham]
	Christ Church
	Farham
	Fardingbridge
	Gosport
	Havant
	Lymington
	Portsmouth
	Ringwood
	[Southampton marked, not labelled]
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ITEMS	in HMCMS Map Collection (scanned item in bold)
	HMCMS:FA2002.513 -- chart
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