NLS adds maps from OS, estates, and commercial mapmakers

The following updates have been made to the National Library of Scotland's online maps collections:

Ordnance Survey, Scotland, 25 inch to the mile, 1855-1882 (supplementary "Parish edition" sheets)

We have added a further 1,657 Ordnance Survey 25 inch Parish edition maps of Scotland online. These new maps are "Parish edition" sheets for areas which we also have a later reprinted "Combined edition" sheet for. Until now, for these areas, only the "Combined edition" sheet has been available online. Although based on the same survey, there are subtle differences of symbols, styles and the depiction of features between these two states of First Edition mapping. The 25 inch to the mile series (1855-1882), is the earliest detailed OS mapping for all the inhabited regions of Scotland. All towns, villages and cultivated rural areas were mapped, comprising over a third of the total land area of Scotland. With this addition, we now have comprehensively put online all of these 25 inch First Edition sheets covering Scotland.


Estate maps of Scotland, 1760s-1950s

We have added a further 224 estate maps online, excellent for showing detail of the rural landscape. These maps were made to support estate management by particular landed estates, including those of the Lockharts of Lee (1770s-1950s), primarily in Lanarkshire, and those of the Fletchers of Saltoun (1750s-1870s) in East Lothian. We are also grateful to the Dumfries Archival Mapping Project for scanning maps relating to Dalswinton Estate (1768) in Dumfries-shire and Earlstoun Estate (1769-1830) in Kirkcudbrightshire.


Commercial mapmaker series maps of Scotland, 1870s-1930s

We have added online 214 series maps by Bartholomew, Gall & Inglis and W. & A.K. Johnston to our website. Most of these medium-scale maps, primarily at the half-inch or quarter-inch to the mile scales, are useful for giving a regional overview of the landscape, and showing the latest travel routes by road, rail and steamer. These Edinburgh-based commercial cartographers used Ordnance Survey maps for their primary content, but usually redrew the maps at smaller scales, adding colour and related content to create different, distinctive styles of mapping. These maps are folded and have only recently been possible to scan.

For further details and links to the respective collections, visit https://maps.nls.uk/additions.html

Chris

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