map class Phillips 1814

	Research Notes Map Group PHILLIPS 1814

Phillips 1814
	These notes are taken from a geological map of the Hampshire or Isle of Wight Basin by W Phillips, published with an article by Thomas Webster, in Transactions of the Geological Society, vol.2, London, 1814. The map studied is in a private collection.
	The map is colour printed in pale shades of brown. Its size is: wxh, sheet = 56.5x26.5cm; wxh, map = 516x209mm. The notes made here have a strong bias to Hampshire interest.

	MAP FEATURES
	GEOLOGY
	REFERENCES
	ITEMS in the Collection

MAP FEATURES
title	Printed at the top is:- HAMPSHIRE OR ISLE OF WIGHT BASIN also:- Transactions of the Geological Society Vol.2, Plate IX. and at the bottom:- Published by W. Phillips, London, 1814.
orientation north point up is N	Printed lower left of centre is a north point; N-S line, E-W cross line, North marked by an arrowhead, a small cross line marks South. The map is printed with North at the top of the sheet.
scale line scale	Printed lower left of centre is a:- Scale of English Miles. marked and labelled at 1 mile intervals. The 10 miles = 41.2 mm gives a scale 1 to 390617, there is no reason to doubt a statute miles is meant. The map scale is about:- 1 to 390000 6 miles to 1 inch
sea area sea plain	The sea area is plain; some areas are labelled, eg:- SOLENT Southampton R. [Southampton Water] Stokes Bay
coast line foreshore headlands harbours	The coast line is plain. Foreshore shallows are indicated by dotting, and rocks by crosses (+) which might be labelled. The coast line is accurate and headlands and harbours can be recognised easily. Few are labelled, eg:- Christchurch hd. [Hengistbury Head] A number of cliffs are labelled, eg:- Hordwell cliff Barton cliff
coastal defence castles fortifications	Little of the coastal defences is noticed, old castles or more recent fortifications. In Hampshire:- Hurst Cast. South sea Cas. Cumberland Ft.
rivers	Rivers are drawn by a wiggly line tapering inland, perhaps labelled, eg:- Avon R. Lymington R. R. Exe or Beaulieu All the main rivers of Hampshire are shown, with braiding and tributaries.
relief hill hachuring	Hill hachuring i used to indicate relief. The:- SOUTH DOWNS are shown and labelled, and the general rise of the land in Hampshire north of Hambledon - Bishops Waltham - Otterburn - Romsey etc, is clear. River valleys are clearly marked. While hachuring is a qualitative rather than a quantitative method of showing relief, its use on this map does manage to suggest high ground in the right places.
woods forests	Woodland is not indicated by symbols, though, in Hampshire, there are labelled:- New Forest Bere Forest [East Bere Forest]
county	County boundaries are not noticed. The inclusion of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight is noted in the map title.
settlements	Settlements are positioned by a circle. They are differentiated a little by style of lettering, perhaps by size. Smaller places are labelled in italic lowercase text; larger places in bold upright lowercase text. In Hampshire, Portsmouth and Southampton, are large; all other places, including Winchester, are small. Places are included to orientate the map reader, not to show places. The map includes the south coast of England from Portland Bill to Beachy Head, as far north as Salisbury and Winchester, Horsham, etc. Parts of Dorset, Wiltshire, Hampshire, West Sussex, Surrey, and the Isle of Wight. Thus the south of Hampshire is covered, towns:- Bishops Waltham, Christchurch, Fareham, Fordingbridge, Gosport, Havant, Lymington, Petersfield, Portsmouth, Ringwood, Romsey, Southampton, Winchester. Another map, the London Basin, published with the geological article, includes the north part of Hampshire, towns:- Alton, Andover, Basingstoke, Kingsclere, Aylresford (sic), Odiham, Stockbridge, Whitchurch, Winchester. The two maps together cover ?all Hampshire.
	top of page

GEOLOGY
geology table of strata	The map is drawn to demonstrate the geology of the region, showing the extent of three geological units explained in a table of strata printed lower right:- Chalk [white area] Strata above the Chalk [pale brown area] Strata below the Chalk [grey area] For the whole geological commentary you must go read the article by Thomas Webster! The description of the plate is:- Plate 9. Map of the Basin of the Isle of Wight, shewing the hollow occasioned by a depression in the chalk within which some of the more recent strata appear to have been deposited; and also a part of the district in which the chalk is found wanting, where the strata below the chalk are exposed, p.168 and 170. The detached figure below represents on a larger scale the west end of the Isle of Wight, where the section of Pl.11 is taken. The associated plate is described:- Plate 10. Map of a similar Basin in the vicinity of London, p.171, 172. Page 168-170 has:- The chalk of the middle hills of the Isle of Wight dipping to the north, and that of the South Downs dipping to the south, it was an obvious inference that it might pass under the channel called the Solent, thus forming a basin. The idea was rendered still more probable on finding that the bottom of this channel consisted mostly of the London clay, which stratum is found under Portsmouth, whence it may be traced eastward, forming the lowermost bed next the sea all along the shore of Sussex to Pagham and Bognor, and westwards to Stubbington cliff, and along the coast of Hampshire to Hordwell and High cliffs. In all its characters and fossils, this bed was found to agree with the blue clay which lies over the chalk, in the counties of Kent, Surrey, Middlesex, Essex, &c. and with the most northerly of the vertical beds of Alum bay ... It appears, therefore, that between the vertical chalk-hills of the Isle of Wight and the South Downs there is a basin or hollow, occasioned by the disturbance of the whole mass of strata from below the chalk to the London clay, inclusive: and also that this disturbance took place at a period subsequent to the deposition of the last-mentioned stratum, since it is amongst those which have suffered a change of position. From this it will be readily admitted, that all the beds situated within this basin lie above the London clay, and are posterior to it. Of this description are the horizontal beds of the most northerly part of the Isle of Wight; and since they come almost into contact with the vertical beds without suffering any considerable change in their dip, it should seem that they have been deposited on the sides of this basin subsequently to the disturbance of the strata already spoken of. ...
	top of page

REFERENCES
	Webster, Thomas: 1814: On the Freshwater Formations in the Isle of Wight, with some observations on the Strata over the Chalk in the South-east part of England: Transactions of the Geological Society (London): vol.2: pp.161-254, plates 9-11, and description of the plates.

	Phillips, W (?): 1814: : Transactions of the Geological Society (London)

ITEMS	in HMCMS Map Collection (scanned item in bold)
	private collection (51) -- geological map
	top of page

	All Old Hampshire Mapped Resources