Research Notes


Map Group BERTIUS 1616
Bertius 1616
These notes about Hampshire are taken from BERTIUS'S MAP of SE ENGLAND, reduced from Mercator's map, 1595, published by Petrus Bertius, 1616.
The map studied is in the Map Collection of Hampshire CC Museums Service, item HMCMS:FA2000.7.
The map size is: wxh, sheet = 19.5x11.5cm; wxh, plate = 137x96mm; wxh, map = 135x94mm and includes the NW corner of France.
MAP FEATURES
PUBLISHING HISTORY
ITEMS in the Collection
  top of page
MAP FEATURES
title    
title cartouche    
strapwork cartouche    
Printed at the top is:-
TAB. VI. ENGLIAE, IN QUA WARWICUM &c.
Map 6, England, in which Warwickshire etc.
Printed right centre is a strapwork cartouche:-
image snip from map
Warwicum / Northa~pton / Hunting. etc.
orientation    
up is N    
labelled borders    
image snip from map
The map is printed with north at the top. The map borders are labelled:-
SEPT
ORIENS
MERI.
OCCIDENS
for septentriones - north, east, meridies - south, and west.

lat and long scales    
image snip from map
Latitude and longitude scales for a rectangular projection are printed in the borders of the map; divided at 6 degree intervals ie tenths of a degree, marked at degrees. The Latitude runs from 50d 36m N to 53d 6m N. The lngitude scale runs from 18d 3m E to 24d 6m E with London at 20d 42m E. The prime meridian for longitude is about 20d 47m W of Greenwich. (This does not seem to be either the Canaries or Cape Verde Islands?)

scale line    
scale    
Printed lower right is a scale of:-
image snip from map
Miliaria Anglica
in a strapwork cartouche. This has 30 miles chequered in 2 mile intervals, labelled in 10 mile groups. The 30 miles = 17.1 mm giving a scale 1 to 2823410 on the bad assumption that the mile is a modern statute mile. The map scale is about:-
1 to 2800000
45 miles to 1 inch

coast line    
coast shaded    
image snip from map
The sea is engraved in a moire effect pattern; the sea area south of Hampshire is labelled:-
Oceanus Britannicus
coast line    
coast shaded    
The coast line is shaded for emphasis.

rivers    
image snip from map
Rivers are shown by wiggly lines tapering inland. Hampshire has:-
River Stour
River Avon
River Bourne
River Test
River Itchen
River Hamble
River Wey [northern]
Blackwater River
River Loddon
River Enborne
as well as can be judged. Not all are drawn in correct relationship to the county boundary.

relief    
hillocks    
image snip from map
Hillocks are used to suggest relief. On this small scale the relief is somewhat notional. Perhaps it is reasonable to recognise parts of the:-
South Downs
North Hampshire Downs

woods    
forests    
image snip from map
Overlarge tree symbols suggest woodland, again difficult to judge what is eaningful. Perhaps it is possible to recognise:-
Chute Forest.

county    
image snip from map
County boundaries are drawn by dotted lines. Counties are labelled; in the Hampshire area:-
Wiltonia
Berceria
Surria
Sout sexia
and
Southamtonia
settlements    
Settlements are positioned by a dot and circle, with a tower. All use the same symbol; all are labelled in italic lowercase text.
A very careful study might show that a limited number of stamps were used when engraving to mark places, and perhaps other features.
Places in Hampshire are:-
image snip from map
Aulton
Basyngstoke
Havant
Kingesclere
Lemrington
Petersfeldt
Southa~ton
Winchester
  top of page
PUBLISHING HISTORY
Map, Warwicum Northa~pton Hunting etc, including Hampshire, scale about 45 miles to 1 inch, also map, Cornub. Devonia Somerset ..., including a corner of Hampshire, engraved by Jodocus Hondius the younger, 1616, reduced from a Mercator-Hondius atlas of 1595; published by Pieter Bert or Petrus Bertius, 1616.

Published in an enlarged edition of Petrus Bertius's miniature world atlas, 'Petri Bertii Tabularum geographicarum contractarum libri septem.' 1616 (Netherlands?)

Published in an edition of Camden's Britannia abridged by Vitellius: 'Guili. Camdeni Viri Clarissimi Britannia, sive florentiss. Regnorum Angliae, Scotiae, Hiberniae Insularumq. adiacentium ex intima antiquitate descriptio. In epitomem contracta a Regnero Vitellio Zirizaeo, & tabulis Chorographicis illustrata. Amsterdami, Apud Guilielmum Blaeu, MDCXXXIX' 1639.
  top of page
ITEMS  in HMCMS Map Collection   (scanned item in bold)
button HMCMS:FA2000.7 -- map
  top of page
   All Old Hampshire Mapped Resources