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Research Notes
Map Group ADAMS 1677
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Adams 1677
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NOTES from ADAMS'S MAP of ENGLAND, 1677
These notes are made from the map of England with Reputed
Distances, Angliae Totius Tabula cum Distantiis Notioribus in
Itinerantium Usum Accommodata, by John Adams, London, 1677. The
item studied is in the British Library, Map Room, item K.Top.V.82
(2 Tab End) This example of the map is in a later state, with the
imprint of Phillip Lea, and dedicated to William III.
The map size is: wxh, sheet = 201x189.5cm; wxh, map =
1771x1772mm excluding the outer decorative border. The map is 12
pieces, 3 across x 4 up, mounted together. Any measurements from
the map, given below, will have errors from this mounting.
Remember that these notes are made for Hampshire, and are
heavily biased towards interest in that county.
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CONCEPTION |
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MAP FEATURES |
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PLACES in Hampshire |
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ROADS |
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REFERENCES |
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CONCEPTION |
The idea of this thematic map was conceived when John Adams
was working with a Mr Lloyd of Shropshire, who was planning a
fishery on the welsh coast. John Adams said:-
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I endeavoured to compute what sale he might probably make in the
neighbouring markets, by Projecting a Specimen, wherein making
Aberdovey, a village on the Coast of Merionethshire, the first
Landing place, I set down all the Markets within a hundred miles
and entered the distance between them in Figures: and shortly
after, coming to London, I made a Draught of all England and
Wales in like manner, which being seen and approved by several
knowing and judicious persons, I engraved upon Copper Plates, and
finished a large Map of England, in Trinity Term, 1677, with
computed and measured miles entered in Figures.
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MAP FEATURES |
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title
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Printed at the top is:-
ANGLIAE TOTIUS TABULA CUM DISTANTIIS
NOTIORIBUS IN ITINERANTIUM USUM ACCOMMODATA
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map maker
engraver
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Printed lower right:-
Iohannes Adams INTERIORIS TEMPLI IUNIOR
SOCIUS descripsit
Printed lower, right of centre:-
Thomas Burnford lineas Ellipses &
Circulos sculpsit
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coat of arms
dedication
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Printed upper right is the royal coat of arms of William III,
the Stuart coat of arms plus an inescutcheon with the arms of
Nassau, and a dedication:-
SERENISSIMO AC POTENTISSIMO PRINCIPI
DNo. GULIELMO III. DEI GRATIA MAGNA BRITANNIAE, FRANKIAE ET
HIBERNIAE REGI, FIDEI DEFENSORI, ETC. HANC TABULAM REGIARUM
VIARUM INDICEM HUMILIME CONSECRA PHILLIPUS LEA
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table of symbols
foliage cartouche
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Printed in a foliage cartouche, right, below centre:-
THE DESIGN OF This Map is to give an
Account of Roads, and Distances without Scale or
Compass.
ROADS are represented by strait
parallel lines.
COMPUTED DISTANCES are included in
small Circles, as From CANTERBURY to Feversham Eight
Miles
ELLIPSES with figures therein express
both Computation and Measure as From SHREWSBURY to Welchpole
Twelve Miles by Computation and Nineteen Miles by Measure: From
Shrewsbury to Wenlock Eight Miles by Computation and Thirteen
Miles two Furlongs by Measure
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The POST ROADS of England are
distinguished from Other Roads by a prickt line in the midle, and
the Computation of the Post Office is entred therein and the
vulgar omitted if differing from the Post Account
...
...
Printed left below centre is:-
THIS MAP IS A Projection of ENGLAND and
WALES, and of the Cities, Market Towns, and the most considerable
Villages therein.
CITIES are contained in Oblong Squares with a double line
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MARKET TOWNS either Oblong Squares with
a single line ... Or in Ellipses with a double line
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VILLAGES in Ellipses with a single line
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The several Starrs denote the Center of
the place mentioned ...
(Looking at the map it is clear that the 'stars' are used as
centres to draw the straight line joins.)
Parallels of Latitude are drawn at
every Five minutes East and West.
The North and South line passing
through London is made the Prime Meridian: And Longitude is
computed Easterly and Westerly from thence in Minutes of
Longitude and Difference of Time ...
...
You may find the several Places named
in the description by the intersection of the Lines of Latitude
and Longitude which you may see in the Compartment Corresponding
with this, on the East side of the Map.
The places are named in a companion work, an Index
Villaris.
Printed lower right, in the corresponding panel:-
Hanc Tabulam tibi offero, Amice Lector,
& ut Proiectionis Ratio tibi melius innotescat; Scias quod
Supporo Meridianum, Tabulam bisecantem, Segmentum Solstitialis
Coluri representare & Distantiam inter Parallelos 52 grad 30 min
& 53 grad 30 min aequare Pedem apud Anglo usitatum & sic ad
Calculum reduxi quod Tabula est Segmentum Planisphaerii cuius
Radius aequat 91,741 Pedes, Perimeter vero 576,426 Pedes, Et in
Constructione Paralleli Quinquaginta & trium Graduum verum eius
Flexuram secundum Regulas Stereographicas Proiecti, omnesq; alios
Parallelos etiam aequidistantes Designavi ut Scale aequalium
Partium melius admittatur; Et ad eandem rationem Meridiani
secantunum eundemq; Parallelum ad aequales distantias,
Septentrionem vero versus aproximare Designantur secundum veram
inqiolibet Gradu & Parallelo Proporsionem. Addo, quod in hac
tabula Quinque Minuta Latitudinis aequantunum Anglicum Digitum, &
duodecem Digiti unum Pedem, quorum 5280 Anglicum Miliare
constituunt.
This description of the projection and the projection were
studied by Ravenhill, 1978, who concluded that the it is a
conical modification to an equatorial stereographic projection
... which would have taken a lot of time in calculations.
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lat and long scales
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The map has scales of latitude and longitude; chequered in one
minute intervals, labelled in 10 minute intervals.
To give some idea of the shape of the projection, without
complicated analysis, the following were measured (beware errors
of pasting):-
at 56d N, 1d longitude = 170.5 mm
at 50d N, 4d longitude = 194.9 mm
1d latitude = 302.2 mm
At the latitude of Hampshire, round about 51d N:-
ratio longitudes at 51d and 50d = 1.02
ratio latitude/longitude = 1.58
both figures just what they 'should' be.
The map includes from 2d 40m E to 6d 50m W, 50d 5m to 55d 45m
N; England and Wales, part of Scotland and the edge of
Ireland.
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sea area
sea plain
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The sea is plain; some sea areas are labelled, eg:-
THE BRITISH OCEAN OR
CHANNEL
Spithead
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coast line
coast shaded
headlands
harbours
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The coast lne is shaded.
A few headlands are noticed, eg:-
Christchurch head
and a very few harbours, eg:-
Bewley H.
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coastal defence
castles
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Some of the Hampshire coastal defence castles are
labelled:-
Hurst Castle
Calshot Castle
S Sea C
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rivers
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The map in its first state showed little but settlements and
routes. Rivers were added later, wiggly lines, with form lines
where wider. Most of Hampshire's river systems are represented;
some are named, eg:-
Itchin flu.
Test fl.
Some bridges are drawn.
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forests
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In Hampshire there are a few tree symbols labelled:-
New F
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county
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County boundaries are dotted lines. On the map studied the
boundary was tinted on the inner side for each county. The county
areas are labelled, eg:-
HAMPSHIRE
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PLACES |
in Hampshire |
settlements
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Settlements are labelled in cartouches, circular or
elliptical, double or single lines, as explained in a panel on
the map. The positions of the settlements are marked by a star in
each cartouche, and these were used when the straight line joins
were drawn.
All 21 of the usual list of Hampshire towns are shown:-
Alton
Andover
Basingstoke
Bishops Waltham
Christchurch
Farnham
Fordingbridg
Gosport
Havant
Kingsclere
Lemington
Alresford
Odiham
Petersfield
Portsmouth
Ringwood
Rumsey
Southampton
Stockbridge
Whitchurch
Winchester
as well as some smaller places, important to routes.
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ROADS |
The joins from settlement to settlement show distances from
place to place; on each join there is a cartouche with the crow
flight distance between the places in computed miles or measured
miles and furlongs. Joins are not made just for close neighbours,
which might represent routes, but also show direct joins between
places further apart. The resulting confusion of lines and
distance figures has to be seen to be fully appreciated: this is
not a road map. However: at a local level the map is quite
readable; and it is not difficult to follow a track and to add
distances. The map works, but the reader must stay aware that
road distances are always longer than direct distances.
The post roads are specially picked out by a dotted line
between the double line. The Hampshire routes, with computed and
measured distances, are:-
The London to Lands End road:-
from London; through Bagshot, Surrey; 8
/ 9'1 to Hartley Rowe, 9 / 10'0 to Basingstoke, 11 / 11'4 to
Whitchurch, 7 / 6'7 to Andover, 6 / 6'4 to Midle Wallop,
Hampshire; 10 / 10/7 to Salisbury, Wiltshire, and on to the west.
The London to Southampton road, branching off this:-
Hartley Rowe 5 to Odiham, 5 to Alton,
10 / 9'6 to Alresford, 8 / 7'4 to Winchester, 12 / 12'2 to
Southampton, Hampshire.
and a less usual London to Portsmouth route branching from
this:-
Alton, 2 / 2'7 to Farindon street, 8 /
9'6 to Petersfield, 6 / 7'3 to Harnden, 4 / 5'7 to Cosham. 4 / 5
to Portsmouth, Hampshire.
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REFERENCES |
Shirley, Rodney W: 1988: Printed
Maps of the British Isles 1650-1750: Map Collector Publications &
British Library:: ISBN 0 7123 01492 9
Ravenhill, William: 1978: John
Adams, His Map of England, its Projection and his Index Villaris:
Geographical Journal: vol.144: pp.424-437
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All Old Hampshire Mapped Resources |