Research Notes


Map Group VISSCHER 1690s
Vissher 1690s
These notes are made from Visscher's Map of England and Wales, 1690, seen in a map shop, Hay on Wye, 19.8.2000. The map dealer was kind enough to make a photocopy of the Hampshire portion. The map is about 30x40ins
 
MAP FEATURES
HAMPSHIRE PLACES
MAP FEATURES
title    
map maker    
publisher    
The map title is:-
A NEW MAPP / OF THE KINGDOME of / ENGLAND, / ... / with the / ROADS from TOWN to TOWN, / And the NUMBER of reputed MILES between / them, are given by Inspection without / Scale or Compass. ...
This is an english edition of a dutch map:-
Printed and given out / at AMSTELDAM by / NICOLAS VSSCHER, / ... / at LONDON by / IOHN OVERTON, / at the White Horse without / Newgate. / ...

index grid    
The map has a rectangular index grid; labelled A.. across the bottom, a.. down the sides. (The scales in the borders are numbered as well, for what?)

coast line    
coast shaded    
The coast line is shaded by horizontal lines for emphasis.

coastal defence    
castles    
Coastal defence castles are labelled:-
Hurst C.
Calshot C.

rivers    
Rivers are drawn by a wiggly line tapering a little inland. There are no river names (?). The following rivers can be recognised in Hampshire:-
Stour, River
Avon, River
Beaulieu River
Test, River
Itchen, River
Hamble, River
Meon, River
Rother, River
Blackwater
Loddon, River
Enborn, River
All with tributaries that might be recognised.

county    
County boundaries are a dotted line, tinted on this copy of the map. Counties are labelled in upright block caps, though at a slant across the sheet to suit the county. Eg:-
HAMPSHIRE

settlements    
Settlements are positioned by a circle.
city     circle, plus a cluster of buildings; labelled in upright lowercase, eg:-
Winchester

town     Towns, and any other place, are marked only by the circle; labelled in italic lowercase.
roads    
journeys    
road distances    
Routes of journeys are drawn by straight lines between settlements. The routes are graded, explained in a table of symbols:-
Verkalringe
...
Dese dubbelde linien [double line] Postwege
Dese dubbelde stippen [double dotted line] groote wegen
Dese enkelde linien [single line] kleene wegen
The only post road in Hampshire is the route from Staines, Middlesex; entering Hampshire by Blackwater, then Basingstoke, Whitchurch, Andover; then off through Salisbury, Wiltshire.
Road distances, town to town, are given on each straight line segment, eg:-
Basingstoke - Stockbridge 27
Alresford - Winchester 6
It would be interesting to build a table of distances from the data.

table of data    
There is a table of data listing:-
Market Town / County / Market Day / dfL [distance from London] / let [letters on the index grid]

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HAMPSHIRE PLACES

Winchester
Alresford [New Alresford]
Alton
Andover
Basingstoke
Christchurch
Fareham
Fordingbridg
Havent
Kingsclere
Lemington
Odiham
Petersfield
Portsmouth
Ringwood
Rumsey
Southampton
Stockbridg
Waltham [Bishops Waltham]
Whitchurch

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