Early Victorian Ordnance Survey Map
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Early Victorian Ordnance Survey Map
Barwicker No. 113
March 2014
The Barwick-in-Elmet Historical Society has a map which consists of
several maps joined together covering both agricultural and industrial
parts of Yorkshire. The maps were published at a scale of six inches to
the mile by the Ordnance Survey Map Office in Southampton on 31st
May 1852. The map survey was carried out by Captain Tucker R.E.
(Royal Engineers) in 1846 - 47.
The map we have covers an area stretching from NW to NE - Huby to
Wetherby and from SW to SE - Armley, Leeds to Lotherton. This
particular map has an unknown origin. An owner, probably the original
owner, had all the estates owned by the "Landed Gentry" tinted blue.
This seems to signify an interest in estate ownership. The whereabouts
of this map during its first 120 years or so are not known. In about
1975 it was rescued from a barn floor in a poor condition. The rescuer,
who lived in the Barwick-in-Elmet parish, found it in a filthy condition
and had to cut away the bottom section of the map which had rotted.
For 30 or so years it was kept flat on the rear of a pair of wardrobes
which protected it from much further damage. When its safe location
was due for alteration, the rescuer offered it to the Historical Society.
After ten years with the Society, during which time its condition made
it difficult to use, we made a bid (in September 2012) for funding from
the Barwick and Scholes Community Fund, which has been set up by
the organisers of the Leeds Festival for the benefit of residents. This
paid for the map to be cleaned and re-backed by the West Yorkshire
Archives Service's conservation section. We now have the map
carefully stored in our Resource Centre.
The fund also paid for the map to be photographed in its entirety.
However, the image is too large to show the, level of detail which is
needed for future use. The society has since arranged for the map to be
photographed in eight sections for detailed Inspection. It is hoped that
these images, now on this disc, will save the map from being accessed
regularly. When examining the photographs of the map you will note
the occasional hole and tear in the map. torn edges along the southern
side and some irremovable stains. All these testify to the age of the
map and its years of neglect in a barn.
We now have a very valuable source of information on the parish in
the 1840's. The original purpose of Ordnance Survey maps was for
military use. Their value to the general public was recognised in the
mid-nineteenth century and the map we now have on a CD is the first
made for use by the general public. The production was in the hands of
military cartographers in the Royal Engineers and occasionally
references of general interest to the military are entered on the map.
This map shows references such as "General Wade encamped on
Clifford Moor in 1745" and a reference on Camp Hill says "Bullets
found here". Modern O.S. maps do not show this type of detail other
than the sites of past battles.
The main purpose of the map originally would have been to plan a
journey or find particular places. However, with the passing of time,
the map's value has increasingly become one of showing what the land
was used for at a particular period. As such it is of value to both
historians and geographers in seeking explanations as to why the
conditions are what they are. The middle of the 19th century was a
period of rapid change brought about by the industrial, agricultural,
demographic developments of the period. In addition, the map records
the boundaries of parishes and boroughs dating from mediaeval times
before the rationalisations and revisions in local government areas at
the end of the 19th century. Thus there are cases shown in the map of
parts of parishes being enclaves in other parishes. It shows features
now lost and forgotten such as quarries and footpaths.
By using a computer to examine the map you can do things which you
cannot do with a printed map. It is possible to traverse a map which is
too large to cover a table top and you can zoom in to see minute detail.
Within minutes of examining our local villages we found things which
were long forgotten and which we didn't know. The information in the
map is too valuable for the Society to keep to itself and we have
decided that it should be made available to a wider public. Its reception
from members of the society demonstrated that it would appeal to
many interests - railway enthusiasts, farmers, historians, geographers
and people wanting to see what the land was like before their current
or past houses existed. We have distributed the CD to schools within
the larger former parish of Barwick-in-Elmet. It could also be of use to
all schools covered by the map.
HAROLD SMITH
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