notes Heather 1797

	Research Notes Map Group HEATHER 1797

Heather 1797
	Chart of Spithead, showing the coasts of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, scale about 2 nautical miles to 1 inch, by William Heather, engraved by J Stephenson, published by Heather and Williams, the Navigation Warehouse, 157 Leadenhall Street, London, 1797.
	These notes are made from an uncoloured engraved Chart in the Map Collection of Hampshire CC Museums Service, item HMCMS:FA1999.59. It shows the coast of Hampshire from Christchurch to beyond Selsea Bill in Sussex.
	The sheet size is wxh = 80x65cm, map wxh = 766x622mm
	Published also in the East India Pilot, volume 1.
	MAP FEATURES
	ITEMS in the Collection

MAP FEATURES
	The map maker uses -or in color and harbor. This usage is NOT a strong indication of americanism. The -or spelling of color is accepted by the Oxford English Dictionary, and there are some helpful hints about the problem in the OED under '-or'.
title dedication map maker engraver publisher	At the upper right of the sheet is a combined title and dedication:- To / The Right Honorable / Master, Wardens & Elder Brethren / of the Trinity House, / THIS CHART OF SPITHEAD, / Is most Respectfully Dedicated by their obedient / Servant, / William Heather. The title is a riot of lettering, below which, very tiny, is:- Engraved by J. Stephenson. At the bottom is printed:- Published as the Act directs, Decr. 1st. 1797, by, HEATHER and WILLIAMS at the Navigation Warehouse, No.157, Leadenhall Street, London.
orientation compass rose rhumb lines magnetic variation	A primary compass rose is drawn lower centre in the sea south of the Isle of Wight. This rose has a star of pointers for the cardinal and half cardinal points, extended by bearing lines over the whole sea area - missing the land but continued in the Solent etc. There are dotted lines from the rose for the false points, and continuous lines for the by points; similarly extended. North is indicated by a fleur de lys, and is labelled:- MAGNETIC NORTH / or North by the Compass The compass rose is oriented for magnetic, compass, north. True north is shown by a line marked with half a fleur de lys, labelled:- True North The arc of the angle between true and compass north is labelled:- Varn. 2 1/4 Pts. W. The variation is 2.25x(360/32)=25.3125 degrees A 'point' is a by point, an 1/32nd of a circle. There are secondary compass roses drawn in the sea east and west of the Isle of Wight. These just haave lines; bold for cardinal and half cardinal directions, dotted for false points, light for by points; all extended over the sea areas. On each, magnetic north is marked by a fleur de lys, and labelled:- North by Compass True north is shown as before, and labelled:- North of the World The magnetic variation is labelled as before.
scale line	There is a scale line of 9 miles or 3 leagues, chequered at 1 mile then 3 mile intervals. 9 miles = 130.4mm gives a scale of 1 to 127965 assuming a nautical mile 6082.93 ft at this latitude. Ie a scale about:- 1 to 128000 1.75 nmiles to 1 inch 2 land miles to 1 inch.
lat and long scales	Latitude and longitude are shown by neither grid nor scales on the chart.
table of symbols	The chart has a table of symbols:- NOTICE. The Color of the Buoys is described thus ... [buoy symbol, unshaded] White [buoy symbol, shaded] Red [buoy symbol shaded] Black Rocks under Water ... [group of symbols like plus signs] Rocks above Water ... [rocks shaded to the east] Sand Banks ... [hachure and dots] Towns ... [street plan] Direction of the Stream of Flood ... [arrow] Leading Marks ... [double line] Safe Anchoring Places ... [anchor symbols] Times of High Water ... XI The Figures shew the depth of Water in fathoms at Low water.
sea area sea plain sandbanks buoys wrecks depth soundings anchorages	The sea area is plain, but littered with useful navigational information. Some sea areas, channels, etc are named, eg:- Christ Church Bay SPITHEAD Langstone Channel Sandbanks are clearly shown by dotted areas, the density of dotting suggesting the different depths of the hazard. The presence of rocks below or above water (at low water?) is shown by rock symbols. Many of the hazards are named, eg:- HORSE DEAN Bramble Christ Church Ledge and some have helpful descriptions, eg:- Mud Dry at Low Water Shifting Ground Breakers Dry at Ebb There are symbols for buoys, labelled with its colour; red, white, or black. Many of these mark sandbanks, for example the Bramble has a red buoy at its west end, a white at the east. A buoy might have a name, eg:- Outer Buoy on the Horse Sands, and:- Spit in Spithead. A buoy might mark a wreck, which is named, eg:- R. George Edgar for wrecks off Spithead. HMS Edgar, 3rd rate ship of the line, 70 guns, blew up and sank, 12 October 1711. HMS Royal George, flagship of Admiral Kempenfelt, sank while her hull was being repaired, 1782. Off the coast near the Bramble is:- overfalls Depths of water in fathoms at low water are given over the whole sea area, out to about 20 fathoms. Deeper parts are just given in fathoms; shallower soundings are given more accurately, to the half fathom. Soundings continue into harbours and up rivers to 1 fathom. There is no attempt to show depth contours. Anchorages are indicated by an anchor symbol; the flukes facing left, down, or right. (What does this mean?) There might be added information, eg:- good anchoring in Christchurch Bay These symbols do not appear in estuaries and harbours, where anchorage is taken for granted?
sea area tides	The chart has information on tidal streams and the times of high water. Arrows show the direction of flow of the stream on the flood, ie an incomimg tide. In the Solent there is added:- Velocity 3 Spring Tides 2 Neap These are presumably in knots. (There is nothing to suggest double tide effects in the Solent/Spithead.) Times of high water are given at various places by roman number, for hours, perhaps with arabic figures for parts of an hour, eg:- IX [Christchurch Bay] VIIIh.56' [SW of The Needles] XI 3/4 [Southampton Water] The chart does not say what reference place is taken for the time of high water to which these times are comparitive. The likely interpretation for a map of this period was given by Cmdr John Page, tidal branch of the Hydrographic Office, Taunton. The times given are the 'high water lunitidal interval'. The time of high water is given as the time in hours and minutes after the transit of the moon at the Greenwich meridian.
sea area leading lines sea marks	Prominent features on land are used as sea marks by which leading lines are drawn across sea areas by a double line. The land features are labelled, and there might be other useful information. For example two forts:- Kicker Moncton Fort define a leading line labelled:- The Kicker and Moncton Fort in one ie sighted in line. Or, an unnamed windmill NW of Hamble, and a building:- Hook Summer House define a leading line labelled:- Clears the Bramble Leading lines enable the mariner to gauge his position relative to visible features on the coast avoiding hidden dangers below. All this if there is visibility.
coast line headlands foreshore islands sea marks lighthouses	The coast is drawn by a bold line feathered to landward, with indications of the sort of beach, or cliffs, or rocks, ... Coast features are labelled, for example:- Hengistbury Head Stans Ore Pt. Cliffs Soley hard Dotted areas show foreshore along the coast. Islands are cleared charted, using the same coast line as the main land, and might be labelled, eg:- Binster Is. Horsey Pewit I. A ?lighthouse is drawn near Hurst Castle, a tower labelled:- Light Jack in the Basket A ?beacon on the sandbank off shore of the Lymington River eastuary and channel is drawn as a ?cresset, a fire basket, on a post, labelled:-
rivers harbours docks bridges	Rivers and harbours are drawn in detail with the same features as sea areas; banks, sandbanks, islands, depths, tidal streams, etc etc. The detail continues up to what I presume is judged to be a limit of navigation; ending at a bridge or narrows or shallow water? Above this the river is either ignored or drawn as the usual wiggly line. The river may be named, eg:- Bowley River Titchfield Creek The dockyard at Portsmouth is labelled:- Dock Bridges are shown across rivers where they mark an end to navigation. They might be named, eg:- Boulder Bridge
settlements streets	Settlements along the coast and up estuaries are shown only if the map maker felt them to be relevant, either as places or as sea marks. Settlements are drawn by square blocks or groups of blocks along streets. The labelling indicates importance:- town - block caps italic, eg:- GOSPORT town/village - lowercase upright, eg:- Lymington village - lowercase italic, eg:- Havant But this is may not be well controlled. Within the settlement a church is drawn as a building with a tower; it's a visible navigation point. Similarly individual houses might be drawn as a building, windmills by a post mill symbol, etc. Some of these are named. On Portsdown there is:- Clerk Jervoises Folly
salterns	The salterns along the coast by Lymington are shown by a row of windmills and buildings, labelled:- Salt Houses
coastal defence castles fortifications	The old coastal castles are drawn at Hurst Castle Calshot Castle Netly Castle Old Castle [ie St Andrew's] South Sea Castle and forts:- Moncton Fort Blockhouse Fort Mud Forts [Southsea shore] Cumberland Fort Fortifications are drawn round Gosport and Portsmouth.
relief hill hachuring	Some land relief is shown, presumably where this will help the mariner. The hill might be labelled, eg:- Portsdown Hill
shipyards	Just up the Beaulieu river from Exbury is a creek on the west labelled:- Building Place presumably ship building. The position is where Buckler's Hard is today.
hospitals	Haslar, the navy's hospital is drawn and labelled:- Hospital
	top of page

ITEMS	in HMCMS Map Collection (scanned item in bold)
	HMCMS:FA1999.59 -- chart
	top of page

	All Old Hampshire Mapped Resources