| Compass roses
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Compass roses are used on each scroll, or part of a scroll,
of Ogilby's route maps in Hampshire. They indicate the
general bearing of the stretch of road. The bends in the
road are meant to show the direction of sections more
precisely, though we suspect that they are laterally compressed.
10. The several Inclinations of the Road to the one or
th' other Hand, are naturally express'd accordingly,
and the Points of Bearing are Collected from the peculiar
Compass of each Scroll, the Flower-de-Luce shewing the
North; and when a Compass is repeated in the self same
Scroll, a straight transverse Line expresses to what
Part of the Scroll either of the said Compasses belong.
In the Illustrations or Historical Part, respecting the General
and Particular History, the first thing occuring is the Point of
Bearing from the Initial to the terminating Town of the Road;
wherein We have advisedly vary'd from the Positions of former
Maps; The Original of which Compil'd by Mr. Saxton about an
Hundred years a-go, were Projected according to the Meridian of
the Magnetick Needle (in England) which then vary'd 12 Degrees
from North to East; since which, it has gradually inclin'd to the
true Meridian, which in England it respected Anno 1658. but in
France Anno 1666. and now varies with Us about 3 Degrees 15
Minutes to the West.
There are more than a dozen variations of design in the whole
of Ogilby's road book; different numbers of points, different
decoration, different designs of fleur de lys for north,
occasionally a cross for east, etc. There does not seem to be
any system to the use of more or less fancy work in the
designs. Some examples:-
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