Ogilby's Hampshire 1675

Notes by
Martin and Jean Norgate: 1998

These notes are made from the tables of roads by John Ogilby, published in an early edition of Britannia, London, 1675. The pages have been studied from photocopies of items in a private collection.

Table of Roads
One of the early editions of Britannia has tables of roads. These are attempts to lay out branching itineraries in tabular form instead of a diagram or map. For example the south west roads from London are in a table 7 columns wide. The centre column, read from bottom to top is a list of places from London to Senan ie Lands End, with the computed distance from one place to the next on the left, and the measured distance on the right. A fifth of the way up is Bagshot, and here a line is drawn to the column second on the left, where there is a brace, reading upwards from which are places along the branch route to Southampton, and then to Salisbury. On this route is Rumsey, from where a line connects to the next column leftwards where there is a route reading downwards to Winchester and Alresford, and a route reading upwards to Pool, and from there to Lemington. And so on; filling the seven columns on the page.
John Ogilby gives some explanation:-
The TABLE Explain'd
THe midle Colume is the great Road, those on each side are Branches, or Cross-Roads; the Computed Distance, by Miles before, the Measure, by Miles and Furlongs after the Towns; Cities are in CAPITALS, Market-towns in Italique, and Post-towns mark'd thus [star] For Example, from Hodsdon to [star] Ware, a Market and Post-town, it is Computed 3 Miles, by Measure 3 Mile 2 furlongs; there is no Figure at [A l], because it is not a Mile from thence to Ware. ...
Further Directions.
THe Black Lines with a Brace, guide to the Branches: As, from London you are directed to Mile-end, for the Yarmouth Road: At Puckeridg, you have Issuing out the Roads to King's-Lyn and Norwich: The Numbers at the Town that begin each Branch, is the Distance from the Place that Road Issues: As, From York to Tadcaster is Computed 8 Mile, by Measure 9 Mile 6 Furl. Where Branches begin or end at small Towns, they are either a nearer or different Way: As, from Ferribridg to Boroughbridg by Fareborn, is nearer by 7 Miles than by York: You may come from Stilton to London by Aukinbury: And so of the Rest.
JOHN OGILBY.
The whole arrangement looks messy! but is quite readable and informative.
An example (from the poor photocopy):-



Ogilby's Hampshire 1675
General index
Old Hampshire Mapped