England Maps for Genealogists (National Institute)

Maps for Genealogists
Your ancestor needed to know which parish he was settled in and the boundaries of the one he lived in for so many facets of his daily life, but he wasn’t too much bothered by county boundaries. On the other hand you will need to know which counties the parishes were in and the old and new jurisdictions in order to be able to find the records. You will also need to consider the movement of families and individuals and a knowledge of the local topography and the contemporary communication routes are essential for successful research.

A modern road atlas is NOT appropriate for family history. You need to find a map that shows the area as your ancestors would have known it: pre-motorways (1960s), perhaps pre-railways (mid-19th century), and including all the geographical features that influenced their lives, such as rivers, canals, mountains, churches and parish boundaries. There are plenty of 19th century maps available.

The following charts provide a rough guide to the many different scales, editions, series and dates available. The researcher should investigate all the maps available for his research area. Two major series of appropriate maps are The Ordnance Survey (OS), and Bartholomew’s (Bart’s), which come in various scales. At least one smaller scale and one more detailed (larger scale) map of each ancestral area should be consulted; on the latter you can pinpoint the actual house with the aid of censuses and directories.

When looking at any particular map it is smart to find out why it was made as that will help ascertain why certain features were included and others were not. In other words, absence of evidence from one map does not indicate evidence of absence. Maps range from mere sketches up to fully triangulated, cadastral surveys, that is those showing the extent, value and ownership of land, for taxation and other purposes.

Wallis has produced a most useful reference book for pre-1900 maps, with essays on the history and purposes of the different kinds, and details of repositories in the UK. Popular articles include those by Norman Hurst (Maps for the Family Historian. Family Tree Magazine Vol 11 #1, page 11-12) and Tom Wood (Maps for Beginners. Family Tree Magazine Vol 13. Part I in #6, page 51-52. Part II in #7, page 51-52). Chart: Small Scale Maps Available

Chart: Large Scale Maps Available Those particularly recommended for genealogy are in bold.

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Information in this Wiki page is excerpted from the online course English: Land and Property Records including Manorial Documents and Maps offered by The National Institute for Genealogical Studies. To learn more about this course or other courses available from the Institute, see our website. We can be contacted at [mailto:wiki@genealogicalstudies.com wiki@genealogicalstudies.com]

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