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Research Notes
Map Group SHERINGHAM 1840s-50s
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Sheringham 1840s-50s
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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.
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The chart studied is in the Map Collection of Hampshire CC Museums Service,
item HMCMS:FA1992.1.1.
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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.
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MAP FEATURES - basics, sea and coastal features, rivers, salterns |
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MAP FEATURES - inland features |
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ADMIRALTY SURVEYING INSTRUCTIONS, 1851 |
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REFERENCES |
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ITEMS in the Collection |
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CAPTAIN SHERINGHAM
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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.
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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.
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Captain Sheringham continued in hydrographic surveying to
1853. After this date he was a captain on the Fisgard at
Woolwich.
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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
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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
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table of symbols
tides
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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
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orientation
compass rose
up is N
magnetic variation
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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.
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scale
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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
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lat and long scales
lat and long grid
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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.
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sea tinted
depth soundings
depth contours
sandbanks
buoys
anchorages
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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.
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coast line
coast tinted
headlands
harbours
lighthouses
sea marks
leading lines
coast view
coastguards
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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:-
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