notes Sheringham 1840s-50s

	Research Notes Map Group SHERINGHAM 1840s-50s

Sheringham 1840s-50s
	Chart, England South Coast, Dunnose to The Needles, and the Owers to Dunnose including Spithead, etc, scale roughly 1 inch to 1 mile, surveyed by Captain Sheringham, published by the Hydrographic Office, Admiralty, 1848.
	The chart studied is in the Map Collection of Hampshire CC Museums Service, item HMCMS:FA1992.1.1.
	The chart is a hand coloured engraving. The chart size is: wxh, sheet = 96.5x65cm, trimmed at bottom; wxh, map = 947x640mm? Note that these notes will be biased towards a Hampshire interest; parts of Sussex and the Isle of Wight might be ignored.

	MAP FEATURES - basics, sea and coastal features, rivers, salterns
	MAP FEATURES - inland features
	ADMIRALTY SURVEYING INSTRUCTIONS, 1851
	REFERENCES
	ITEMS in the Collection

	CAPTAIN SHERINGHAM
	Willaim Louis Sheringham joined the Royal Navy as a Midshipman, 13 June 1808. Whilst he was on the books of the Royal George, Ocean and Howe, flagships at the Nore, 1830-36, he assisted Captain Francis Beaufort, Hydrogapher at the Admiralty, in the compilation of sailing directions and the re-organistaion of the hydrography department.
	From 1837 he was in charge of the survey of coasts of Wales. In 1839 the survey turned to Cornwall, but in 1841 jumped to the Portsmouth area at which point Lieutenant Sheringham was made Commander. 9 October 1847 he was made Post Captain, continuing to be surveyor in charge on the south coast of England. In the period following the Owers to Christchurch chart was made.
	Captain Sheringham continued in hydrographic surveying to 1853. After this date he was a captain on the Fisgard at Woolwich.
	Dawson, L S, Commander: 1885: Memoirs of Hydrography: Keay, Henry W (Imperial Library, Eastbourne, Sussex): part 2
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MAP FEATURES	- basics, sea and coastal features
title map maker publisher	Printed upper right is the insignia of the Hydrographic Office of the Admiralty; a foul anchor in an oval with the legend:- HYDROGRAPHIC OFFICE surrounded by a wreath of oak leaves. Below which:- Price Half a crown and the title of the chart:- ENGLAND SOUTH COAST OWERS TO DUNNOSE INCLUDING SPITHEAD SURVEYED BY CAPTN. SHERINGHAM R.N. F.G.&A.S. 1848
table of symbols tides	Below the title is an explanation of some of the symbols, and other data. Portsmouth Observatory 50 [degrees] 48 [minutes] 0 [seconds] N. 1. 6. 12. W. [dotted line, plus pecked shading and blue tint] 1 [dot dot space line, plus pecked shading and blue tint] 2 Fathoms lines [3 dots space line, plus pecked shading and blue tint] 3 [5 dots space line, plus pecked shading and blue tint] 5 High Water at Portsmouth Dk. Yd. XIh. 40m. Spring Tides rise 14 feet, Neap 6 1/2. and tide data for Cowes, Bembridge Point, and Selsea Bill. There is a list of abbreviations:- B. Bay, C. Cape, C.G. Coast Guard, Hd. Head, Hr. Harbour, I. Island, P. Port, Pt. Point, R. River, Rk. Rock. cl. clay, crl. coral, gr. gravel, m. mud, r. rock, s. sand, sh. shells, st. stones. Figures underlined shew the depth at H.W. in Feet. Figures on the land shew the height in feet above H. Water. Bearings to the Marks and Views are Magnetic. SOUNDINGS IN FATHOMS
orientation compass rose up is N magnetic variation	Printed lower left of centre and lower right are compass roses showing magnetic directions; no circle, bold lines for cardinal and half cardinal directions, lines for false points, dotted lines for by points, magnetic North marked by a half fleur de lys. The meridian through the rose is marked with a star, and the angle between the meridian and magnetic north labelled:- Varn. 22 [degrees] 55 [minutes] W. at 1d 5m W, and:- Varn. 22 [degrees] 40 [minutes] W. at 0d 40m W. The chart is printed with [geographical] North at the top of the sheet. The centre of the rose, the fleur de lys, and the star are tinted orange.
scale	The chart has no scale line. The scale may be estimated from the scale of latitude; 15 mins = 529.5 mm gives a scale 1 to 52558. The chart scale is about:- 1 to 53000 1.2 statute miles to 1 inch
lat and long scales lat and long grid	Printed in the chart borders are scales of latitude and longitude for a rectangular projection; chequered at 1 minute intervals, tinted red and yellow, labelled at 5 minute intervals. The bottom scale is labelled:- West from Greenwich A graticule is printed across the chart at 5 minute intervals. The map includes from 0d 38m to 1d 20m W, from 50d 33m to 50d 51m N: part of the coast of West Sussex, from Bognor to the Hants border, showing The Owers; part of the coast of Hampshire from Sussex to Southampton Water, including Spithead; the east half of the Isle of Wight from Cowes round to St Catherine Point.
sea tinted depth soundings depth contours sandbanks buoys anchorages	The sea area is layer coloured in pale blue tints. There are depth contours, as explained in the table of symbols. The system of tints for each interval of depth is confusing to the eye; its understanding not helped by colours being rubbed and/or faded, and not completely evenly applied in the first place. Paleness is not proportional to depth. Calling the tints, all are pale, 'blue', 'pale blue', 'palest blue', then:- 0 to 1 fathom is blue 1 to 2 fathoms is pale blue 2 to 3 fathoms is palest blue 3 to 5 fathoms is pale blue 5 to 10 fathoms is palest blue deeper than 10 fathoms is pale blue The depth contour is dotted to correspond to the depth, eg:- The five fathom contour has groups of 5 dots. The deep contour is a dot dash line. Depth soundings cover the whole sea area and are continued into harbour channels and river estuaries. Depths are in fathoms and, above 5 fathoms, are given to a 1/4 fathom. Soundings are made on a rectangular grid orientated NE-SW by NW-SE, at roughly quart mile intervals. How do you position a ship accurately in the sea to do this, in 1848? The depth of water changing with the tide, position dependant on tidal flow ... The nature of the bottom might be given by a small letter, eg:- g.sh. for gravel and shells. Some sea areas are labelled, eg:- SPITHEAD Stoke Bay Hayling Bay SOUTHAMPTON WATER Many sandbanks and shallows are labelled, eg:- Bramble HORSE SAND Horse tail LANGSTON BAR Hayling Knob Buoys are drawn as a ?conical buoy, point down (not e modern conical buoy). Many are named, and labelled with a letter for ?colour. For example, along the Horse and Dean Sands, from seaward, are:- Dean Tail B Dean Elbow B Dean B Horse Elbow B Horse B to be kept to starboard when entering harbour. The wreck of HMS Boyne which caught fire, blew up and sank is marked by a buoy:- Boyne W A small ship:- Spit B Refuge Is shown at the end of Spit Sand. The buoy NE of the Bramble is drawn chequered, and labelled:- N.E. Bramble Cheq One anchorage is marked by an anchor symbol in St Helens Road.
coast line coast tinted headlands harbours lighthouses sea marks leading lines coast view coastguards	The coast line is drawn with some pecked shading to landward, and tinted pale brown. The land behind is tinted pale green. The foreshore is dotted and tinted, and might have letters indicating its nature, eg:- cl for clay. Some foreshore areas are labelled, eg:- Hamilton Bk. East Winner Headlands are labelled, eg:- Lee point Gilkicker Pt. Harbours are clearly drawn with channels with depth soundings, etc. Eg:- PORTSMOUTH HARBOUR Hill Head Haven The River Hamble has a series of posts marking the channel. Along the coast there are letters:- C.G. where there are coast guard stations. Topography inland is noticed only for a short way from the shore, but includes features for their usefulness as sea marks - windmills, monuments on the sky line, stark white chalk quarries, etc. Some of these are used to define leading lines which are drawn in the sea areas, eg:- Egypt Pt. just opening clears Ryde Middle Kickergill in one with the Centre of Fort Monkton N.N.W. leads up to Spithead N. 1/2 E. Nelson's Monument in one with E. end of trees on Portsmouth lines, leads E. of the Princessa and warner, & W. of the Nab. Dock Mill in one with W. end of large Chalk pit. Mark for the Buoy. View H. The last refers to a windmill, Dock Mill, east of Southsea village, drawn by a post mill symbol, and the chalk pit on Portsdown. This leading line marks the buoy 'Bembridge Ledge Black' off Bembridge Point, Isle of Wight. Coast view H is printed at the bottom centre of the chart, labelled:-

	View H. Dock Mill in one with W. end of Chalk Pit. N. by E. 1/2 E. is the mark for the Bembridge Buoy and clears Betty Ledge. The view includes Nelson's Monument on Portsdown, Southsea Castle and part of Portsmouth. Lights are noticed along the coast, for example:- Calshot Light Vessel R. every minute drawn by a small ship, a black disk atop its mast. And marked by a black disk within the castle area:- Southsea Castle Light F. 51 feet Green to the W. Red to the E. Off the coast off the Isle of Wight, north of Ryde is a hilk labelled:- Coal Depot And another labelled:- Lazaretto an isolation hospital to quaranteen seamen with infectious diseases.
coastal defence castles fortifications	Coastal defences are noticed on the chart, both old castles and newer fortifications, along with related navy features:- Calshot Castle Fort Monkton [artillery style fortifications] Haslar Hospital Block House [fortifications around Gosport] [fortifications around Priddy's Hard] Magazine [fortifications along north shore of Portsea Island] [fortification at Ports Bridge] Magazine [N of Tiphoe] Magazine [S of Tiphoe] [fortifications around RN dockyard] [fortifications around Portsmouth] Southsea Castle [artillery style fortifications] Lumps Ft. Eastney Ft. Cumberland Ft. [artillery style fortifications]
rivers bridges ferries	Rivers are only noticed as channels in the foreshore or estuaries. Some are labelled, eg:- Our Creek Titchfield River Riv. Hamble The River Hamble has a series of posts marking the channel. Ports Creek is clearly drawn, unlabelled, the bridges of road and railway both shown. The long bridge over the channel separating Hayling Island is labelled:- Hayling Bridge. On the west tip of Hayling Island is a:- Ferry
salterns	On the west bank of the River Hamble is:- Salt Pans and on the east:- Old salt House On Portsea Island there are:- Salterns by Salterns Farm on the east shore. On Hayling Island's east shore are:- East Saltern West Saltern Saltern each with a windmill, for pumping brine, and with a clear salt pan at the last.
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MAP FEATURES	- inland features
relief hill hachuring	Some hills are shown by hill hachuring, and labelled, eg:- Portsdown Hill along which visible features on the ridge are noticed - Nelson's Monument, Chalk Pit, Fir Garden, Portsdown Mill, etc.
beacons	None of the old beacon system are on this chart, but between Portsmouth and Southsea are two posts with a rectangular tops labelled:- Beacons These may not be warning beacons at all but just sea marks to aid navigation.
woods trees	A few patches of woodland are noticed for their value as sea marks. On Portsdown there is:- Fir Gardens Six Clumps the last being five groups of three fir tree symbols.
county	The county boundary Sussex/Hampshire is not noticed.
settlements	Settlements near the coast are shown. The larger places have a street plan with shading for built up areas, tinted red; smaller places are marked by groups of dots. Labelling has three styles; upright block caps:- PORTSMOUTH PORTSEA GOSPORT upright lowercase text, eg:- Cosham Havant Hamble and italic lowercase text, eg:- Hilsea Wimmering Hill Head also used for any other feature.
roads	Roads are drawn by double line, connecting settlements that are on the chart.
railways	Railways are drawn by a double line with cross lines, and labelled:- Chichester and Brighton Railway Southampton and Gosport Southampton and Brighton Railroad
canals	Vestiges of two canals can be seen. The stub of the Arundel Canal between Milton and the coast of Portsea Island is drawn by a straight double line, labelled:- Canal And the Titchfield canal is implied by the drawing of river and haven at Hill Head.
miscellaneous
mills windmills	Windmills, drawn by a drawing of a tower mill or post, are useful sea marks. Several are shown, some are labelled, for example:- Portsdown Mill 457 feet Dock Mill Mill [near Lumps Fort] Unlabelled, W of Forton Lake.
telegraphs	Some telegraphs are noticed. There is a:- Semaphore on Portsdown above Farlington. And south of the castle, on Calshot Spit is:- Old Telegraph
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ADMIRALTY	SURVEYING INSTRUCTIONS, 1851
	These notes are taken from the Surveying Instructions issued by the Admiralty about 1851.
	GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE HYDROGRAPHIC SURVEYORS OF THE ADMIRALTY.
	[footnote] Similar instructions have been issued to the officers in charge of the various Admiralty Surveys during the last twenty years; but, to save the trouble of making further copies, it has been thought expedient to print, in this general form, those which apply equally to all surveys in any part of the world, and to reserve for a separate communication such as are only locally applicable.
General Objects.	1. THE general object of a Hydrographc Survey is to produce such a chart that every part of a sea-coast may by at once recognised by a stranger, so that he may without hesitation perceive the best manner of approaching or receding - of passing or quitting it - of maintaining a fit position in the offing - or of entering its ports without the aid of a pilot; and all, under every condition of weather, wind, and tide.
Conditions of a good Chart.	2. To effect this purpose, much more must be given than a mere outline of the shore with its general soundings and its offlying dangers: a perfect chart should at one glance convey to the eye, not only the relative position of its principal points and inflexions, but its varying character - whether springing abruptly from the sea in precipitous cliffs, or rising in bold acclivities, or in gentle slopes - whether broken into scattered points of rock, or throwing itself out in salient prongs and shelving ledges - whether its bays are encumbered with foul ground, or or lined with smooth open beach - and especialy whether it is easily accessible, with regularly decreasing soundings, or fronted by intricate banks, and unconnected reefs, which, to pass through or to avoid, require a well-concerted series of sea-marks.
General Objects	3. In such a chart the extent of the shoals, with the limits of the intervening channels, should be so manifest, the set of the tides so consistently expressed, and the directions so terse and simple, that by the rapid opening or closing of the marks, and the fulness and sequence of the soundings, the mariner should be able to trace the movement of his vessel in every fresh cast of the lead, and thus to feel his way with equal decision, promptitude, and confidence.
	4. The topographic portion also of such a chart should have a corresponding degree of completeness: it should contain not only all the principal features which are conspicuous from the offing, but even the secondary objects which by their relative situations may serve to lead forward the eye to those that have been selected for sea-marks. And as it is of great importance that those marks should be instantly discernible, some slight descriptive information might be very advantageously annexed either to them or to the objects which serve to point them out; for instance, suppose a clump of trees to be the cross-mark denoting the entrance to some winding channel - will not the anxious seaman pick out this clump from the surrounding scenery with more immediate certainty if the chart tells him whether it consists of slender poplars or wide spreading oaks? - again, a series of cliffs may duly and correctly appear in the chart, yet how satisfactory to have some idea of their relative heights, or to learn that certain parts of them are red or white, or moss-grown, perpendicular or stratified, &c.
	5. In short, during the whole prgress of a survey, it should be steadily borne in mind, that with whatever skill and labour it may be executed, it is only the means to an end; and that its real merit will less depend on the science and taste which have been employed in its construction than on the practical utility of its results. Maps and charts may indeed be made to convey a very wide range of information, if properly compiled and dexterously arranged - the more necessary matters being made obvious and patent, and the others kept in due and relative subordination; but what the seaman chiefly wants is a chart exhibiting at one view all that may be necessary for the immediate conduct of his vessel; and to have that graphically and perspicuously expressed without indecision or ambiguity.
	The instructions continue in the same clear way for the guidance of the surveyor. The general remarks for the design of a chart are useful guidance for 'designers' of many sorts of 'media'.
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REFERENCES
	: 1849: Catalogue of Charts, Plans, Views, and Sailing Directions, etc: Admiralty & HMSO

ITEMS	in HMCMS Map Collection (scanned item in bold)
	HMCMS:FA1992.1.1 -- chart
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