past maps

The Staple

Aug 24, 2019

anniversaries, battles, law

Battles of Sandwich, Bristol, Calais, First Barons’ War, Flanders, Henry III, Hundred Years War, Ipswich, London, Louis VIII, North Sea trade, past maps, Sandwich, Wars of the Roses, wool

In early medieval times, ‘the staple’ meant England’s staple export: wool. But it was inconvenient and inefficient for the king’s men to collect the customs duties that were payable on the exported wool from every one of the hundreds of little English ports all around the country. London, Bristol, Ipswich and Sandwich were major ports…
Wander the streets of London in 1520….

Aug 10, 2019

buildings, travel

“Tudors”, Bristol, Great Fire of London, Henry VII, London, London Topographical Society, Ordnance Survey, past maps, Richard III

Finding the original town plans of London, before the Great Fire of 1666, is always intriguing, and very rewarding indeed for those of us who love all things medieval. So, in this respect, I welcome the Tudors. I already have books of London maps, published by the London Topographical Society, of our capital in the…
One of the earliest maps of Britain is now online….

Nov 12, 2018

sources

Gough Map, past maps

The Gough Map is internationally famous as one of the earliest maps of Britain. Because of some overwriting, it has been dated between 1370(ish) and the 15th century. Now it is available online, and can be searched using modern place-names. At first it looks confusing, but if you remember that it is not the conventional…
Now to zoom into old maps from all over the UK and the rest of the world….!

Oct 18, 2018

buildings

Leicestershire, past maps, Warwickshire

I’m doing well today when it comes to detailed maps – old maps, specifically .Attention has probably been drawn to this site on various occasions, but here it is again. You can zoom right in on maps that are usually/often hard to make out. I’ve chosen this 1583 Warwick/Leicester map at random. There are a…
How did the Black Prince’s funeral procession cross the River Darent….?

Oct 10, 2018

anniversaries, battles, buildings, religion

bridges, burials, Canterbury, Dartford, Edward the Black Prince, past maps, River Darent, roads, Watling Street

Does anyone out there know the answer to a puzzle that has cropped up in my research? Watling Street, the Roman road, was the main route between London and Canterbury, Dover, etc. This made it very important. Watling Street passed through Dartford, crossing over the tidal River Darent. But wait, there wasn’t a bridge there until…
Another site of maps old and new….

Sep 26, 2018

buildings, travel

Gloucester, Gloucester Cathedral, maps, past maps

I have just learned of another site that allows one to see a local area in maps past and present. Interesting, and worth bookmarking. Only West of England at the moment, as far as I can see. Let’s hope the rest of the country is eventually given the same coverage. The illustration shows the part of Gloucester…

past maps

The Staple

Wander the streets of London in 1520….

One of the earliest maps of Britain is now online….

Now to zoom into old maps from all over the UK and the rest of the world….!

How did the Black Prince’s funeral procession cross the River Darent….?

Another site of maps old and new….