Maps and Photographs for local, property and family historians
Maps
The earliest maps of Britain were drawn by Ptolemy in Alexandria around AD.150 and these
were copied right through the Middle Ages.
The first map made by a Britain was that by Mathew Paris around 1250, he was a monk from
St. Albans, Cornwall was labelled as Cornubia.
Richard Gough is widely regarded as the most important map maker in medieval Britain, as his
map from the late 13th century shows roads and distances.
http://143.117.30.60/website/GoughMap/viewer.htm
Christopher Saxton is recognised as Britain’s first great map maker, producing county maps for
the Government at the time of Elizabeth I.
Saxton’s Map of Cornwall.
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John Norden was the first to combine maps and geographical data, his Cornwall was not
printed until 1728, well after his death. A copy of his bound volume can be seen at the Cornwall
Record Office, Ref No: PD/293
John Speed made county maps from around 1614 - 23, and made no excuse for using both
Saxton and Norden’s maps as a basis for his own. His map of Cornwall at a scale of four
inches to one mile can be seen at the Cornwall Record Office, Ref No: X438/5
Thomas Martyn’s map of Cornwall, dating from around the mid 18th Century can also be found
in the Cornwall Record Office, Ref No: AD153/3
The first county surveyed by the Ordinance Survey was Kent in 1801, produced because of
fears of an invasion by Napoleon. Below follows a list of Cornish maps held at the Cornwall
Centre in Redruth:
19th CENTURY MAPS
Ordnance Survey 1813 1stEdition 1:63360 (1")
Ordnance Survey 1870's reprinted 1969 1:63360(1")
Ordnance Survey 1860's-1870's 1st Edition 1:2500 (25") Microfilm
Ordnance Survey 1870's 1:500 (10.5") Microfilm
Ordnance Survey 1892 1st Edition 1:10560 (6") Microfilm
Admiralty Charts 1850's and later Various Scales
Geological Survey 1809-13 1:63360(1")
20th CENTURY MAPS
Ordnance Survey 1960's 1:63360 (1")
Ordnance Survey 1970's 1:50000 (1" metric)
Ordnance Survey 1960's 1:25000 (2.5")
Ordnance Survey c1905-1909 1:10560(6")
Ordnance Survey 1963 (overmarked with footpaths) 1:10560(6")
Ordnance Survey 1981 - 1988 (incomplete) 1:10000(6" metric)
Ordnance Survey c1905-1909 1:2500 (25") Microfilm
Ordnance Survey c1914 & 1930 (a few sheets only) 1:2500 (25")
Ordnance Survey 1964-1966 (Camborne & Redruth) 1:1250 (50")
Ordnance Survey 1988 (Penzance & Truro) 1:1250 (50")
Geological Survey c1908 2nd edition 1:10560(6")
Geological Survey 1960's 1:63360 (1")
Geological Survey 1970's 1:50000(1" metric)
Agricultural Land Classification 1974
Land Utilisation Survey 1930's (incomplete) 1:63360(1")
2nd Land Utilisation Survey 1970's and in progress - purchased as published 1:25000 (2.5")
Admiralty Charts 1970's various scales
Soil Survey 1970's and in progress - purchased as published 1:125000(0.5")
Shopping Centre Plans 1970's 1:1046 (60")
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A wide range of other local maps are available at:
The Cornwall Record Office:
http://www.cornwall.gov.uk/default.aspx?page=1729
Your local library:
http://db.cornwall.gov.uk/librarydb/default.asp
The Courtney Library at the Royal Cornwall Museum:
http://www.royalcornwallmuseum.org.uk/courtney-library/
There are over a million old maps in the Ordnance Survey archives:
http://leisure.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/products/historical-maps/historical-maps-historical-1-inchto-1-mile
Old OS maps of most of the country can also be found at:
http://www.british-history.ac.uk/map.aspx
Common Map Scales:
1” to 1 mile
2½ “to 1 mile
6” to 1 mile
25” to 1 mile
50” to 1 mile
60” to 1 mile
1:50000
1:25000
1:10560
1:2500
1:1250
1:1046
Photographs:
Photography became commercially viable from the 1840s, and it soon became the most
popular medium to record all aspects of nineteenth century life. Photographs can thus yield
much information about a subject and can add to the development of the research topic. But do
not take photographs at face value, as with all primary source material they must be evaluated:
Identify
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Who took the photograph, professional, friend, family?
Why was the photograph taken? Historical record, propaganda, etc.?
For what audience was the photograph taken? Family, friends, general public?
When and where was the photograph taken?
Examine
□ Describe the action or the subject of the photograph.
□ What is the vantage point of the photographer? Looking up or down at the subject?
Same level?
□ Divide the photograph into parts-background, individuals or groups of people, or
objects. How do the parts relate to the main subject of the photograph?
□ Look at the details of the photograph. What is the time of the day/season of the
year, location, event, culture, occupation? What objects are being used?
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How are they being used?
□ If the photograph is not dated, what items in the photograph might indicate its age?
□ Has the photograph been changed or enhanced by computer or other means?
Evaluate
□ Is the photograph a valid historical representation? Do the objects, people, and
background all fit?
□ What other sources, visual or written, will confirm the accuracy of the information
that you have discovered in the photograph? (It is important not to draw general
conclusions based on a single source.)
Determine its usefulness
□ What does the information from the photograph add to the development or
analysis of your research topic? How can a staged photograph or a propaganda
piece be useful?
□ What other questions or lines of inquiry about your research topic does the
photograph suggest?
□ Is the photograph a good illustration for a media presentation or exhibit?
Photographs like maps are available from a wide range of sources now:
http://www.oldaerialphotos.com/?AffId=112
has over a million old photos in its archive, and allows you to search by postcode to find your
nearest aerial photo. By far the most complete set of old photographs on-line and searchable
by location can be found at:
http://www.francisfrith.com/listings/
The Cornwall Centre has a vast collection of old photographs of the county:
http://www.cornwall.gov.uk/default.aspx?page=3743
As does the Courtney Library at the Cornwall Museum:
http://www.royalcornwallmuseum.org.uk/courtney-library/
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