From London to Berwick 339 Miles, thus reckoned. To Waltham 12, to Ware 9, to Royston 16, to Huntington 19, to Stilton 12, to Stamford 13, to Grantham 21, to Newark 14, to Tuxford 12, to Doncaster 24, to Wentbridge 10, to Tadcaster 17, to York 9, to Topcliff 23, to Norlhallerton? 13, to Darlington 14, to Durham 19, to Newcastle 14, to Morpeth 14, to Alnwick 19, to Belford 13, to Berwick 15, a Town in Northumberland, but 'tis not so eminent for Antiquity, as for being a Place of great Strength, having the Sea on the E. and S.E. and the River Tweed on the S.W. encompassed with a Wall, and fortified with a strong Castle; 'tis large, populous, and well built, on the N. side of the River Tweed, towards Scotland.
The London to Berwick (pronounced Berrick) road is approximately what is now known as the A1 and was The Great North Road. See http://www.biffvernon.freeserve.c… for more information. It passes well to the west of Cambridge. The road Pepys took to Hinchinbroke and Cambridge is: "From London to Lynn 98 Miles, thus reckoned. To Enfield Wash 10, to Hoddesdon 7, to Ware 4, to Puckeridge 6, to Barkway 8, to Fowlmere 7, to Cambridge 9, ...(chop)... to Lynn 5, an antient, large and well built Town in Norfolk, containing 3 Parish Churches; encompassed with a Wall and deep Trench; and otherwise called Lyn Regis, also Bishops Lyn, and Llyn by the Welsh, signifying a Lake, seated near the Mouth of Owse River. " From http://www.londonancestor.com/sto… Lynn is now known as Kings Lynn (Lyn Regis translated) and is a seaside resort.
John Speed 1552?-1629, English historian and cartographer. He abandoned his trade as a tailor to engage in mapmaking. Many of his maps of parts of England and Wales were published in The Theatre of the Empire of Great Britain (1611). His major work, The History of Great Britain, and his Genealogies Recorded in Sacred Scripture were published c.1611.
The programmers there have figured out how to overlay a street map on aerial views of various places in the world, including (of course) London, Brampton, etc.
Go to the site above, and click the appropriate map to zoom in on it. Once you get to a certain scale (1:200,000 or below), you can click the Aerial link at the top of the map. This will give you the aerial view with the street-map overlay. Pretty neat-o, eh?
Per Paul Miller: maps of John Speed 1552?-1629 English historian and cartographer. He abandoned his trade as a tailor to engage in mapmaking. Many of his maps of parts of England and Wales were published in The Theatre of the Empire of Great Britain (1611). His major work, The History of Great Britain, and his Genealogies Recorded in Sacred Scripture were published c.1611. A link that works. http://faculty.oxy.edu/horowitz/h…
Robert Hooke's work led to the creation of a 'waywiser' - probably invented and first constructed by Hooke. This device resulted in the production of the most accurate maps of England during the period. The ones we use today basically use the same ideas.
Map making and surveying were important and rare skills in the 17th century.
The world’s first road atlas, 'The Britannia' was a sumptuous collection of English and Welsh road maps, created by an ageing Scottish former-dancing-master-turned-secret agent, was published in 1675.
John Ogilby was cosmographer to Charles II, and 'The Britannia' featured a series of maps of routes depicted in a distinctive vertical scroll format by engraver Wenceslaus Hollar.
Ogilby made use of a standardized scale* to increase the usefulness of his maps. He also eliminated all but key details of the routes depicted, including, for example, bridges, rivers, ‘A Great Mountaine’, ferries, heath, ‘arrable’ and the most prominent buildings in a vicinity, among them churches and the seats of local gentry.
Pepys and annotators have told us of many people getting lost in what should have been quite well-travelled locations, so Ogilby's maps were much needed.
I have heard of soldiers in the Civil Wars using leather strips with highlights written/embossed on them as maps. Couriers must have needed something easy to hold and read as they took correspondence around on hoseback -- frequently in the rain, so paper and ink would be useless -- even if the armies involved had scouts and locals to guide them.
For a picture of Ogilby's maps, and a general history of map making, with lots of references to John Stow, see https://www.countrylife.co.uk/lux…
* He had to make Parliament decide how long a mile was for starters.
Why did Charles II want to know about roads in Wales in 1675? For that story -- well worth your time! -- see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C…
Extra tidbit: David Attenborough used Capt. Cook's maps of the coast of New South Wales while he was documenting the Great Barrier Reef.
Another article about John Ogilby says he was born in 1600 in Scotland, and had many professions including a dancer, teacher, translator, publisher and map maker.
With William Morgan, John Ogilby created a detailed map of London which was published n 1676, although it was probably surveyed before 1666). You can see it at https://www.layersoflondon.org/ma…
Ogilby is probably best known for his atlas, called 'Britannia', of all the major routes in England, which he published in 1675. Routes were shown in a strip map format, and several strips were used to follow a route from source to destination. Along the route, towns and villages were listed, as were geographic features, roads leading off the main route, with their destinations listed, landmarks along the route, distances etc. Each route had a header on each page, with the first map having the title of the overall route, total distances, major towns and cities along the route, with individual distances between them.
If you were planning to go from London to Lands End, Ogilby's route map started with the summary header, stating the route was 303 miles and 3 furlongs, and started at the Standard in Cornhill: https://alondoninheritance.com/lo… The Standard in Cornhill was the starting point for many of the maps with routes starting in London. The first page of the journey to Cornwall runs from London to just before Winchester. Note: when leaving Knightsbridge you still crossed a bridge.
In the 17th century, counties still had "shire" at the end of the names. So from Hampshire you went through Wiltshire, Dorsetshire, Somersetshire, and into Devonshire, passing through Exeter before heading into Cornwall, before finally reaching Lands End, which faces onto "The Western Sea".
Where and what was The Standard, Cornhill? The Standard sounds as if it was one of the large coaching inns serving London. But no, it was an ancient well / water pump / conduit, and was located at the key crossroads in the City where Cornhill, Leadenhall Street, Bishopsgate and Gracechurch Street meet. Today there is a City of London plaque to mark the site.
Gracechurch Street heads south to London Bridge, which was the only bridge across the Thames, and therefore the main route to the south. Leadenhall Street heads to the east, Bishopsgate heads to the north and Cornhill heads to the west, so from this junction, one could travel the major routes, and was why maps such as Obilby's used the Standard as their City of London starting point.
London Past and Present (Henry Wheatley, 1891) provides some background detail about the Standard: "A water-standard with 4 spouts made (1582) by Peter Morris, a German, and supplied with water conveyed from the Thames by pipes of lead. it stood at the east end of Cornhill, at its junction with Gracechurch Street, Bishopsgate Street and Leadenhall Street, and with the waste water from its four spouts cleansed the channels of the 4 streets. "The water ceased to run between 1598 and 1603; but the Standard itself remained for a long time after. It was long in use as a point of measurement for distances from the City, and several of our suburban milestones were, but a very few years ago, and some perhaps are still, inscribed with so many miles 'from the Standard in Cornhill'. There was a Standard in Cornhill as early as Henry V."
The plaque says the Standard was removed around 1674, and London Past and Present states that it remained long after water ceased to flow in 1603. Despite the loss of the Standard in the later part of the 17th century, it continued to be used as a point for measuring distances or many years to come.
The Standard, Cornhill was often mentioned on milestones when giving a distance to London. A 1921 article in the Sussex Express mentions the preservation of a milestone in Lewis: "The milestone let in the upper front of 144/5 High Street, which the Council are to preserve when the building is demobilised, bears the interesting inscription, which probably many Lewes residents have not read; 'Fifty miles from the Standard in Cornhill, 49 miles to Westminster Bridge, 8 miles to Brightelmstone."
The Standard, Cornhill is one of the locations that have been used as a point from where distances to and from London have been measured. The most common location seems to be the statue of Charles I to the south of Trafalgar Square, where the Eleanor Cross once stood, so possibly the location of the final cross as part of a 13th century journey to London, still marks where distances are measured from.
Copies of the facsimile of Ogilby's 'Britannia' can be found on the Abebooks website, and if you are interested in John Ogilby, the 'Nine Lives of John Ogilby' by Alan Ereira is a really good account.
10 Annotations
First Reading
michael f vincent • Link
Maps by thomas gardner 1719
London, Waltham, Hoddesdon, Ware, Royston, Huntingdon
http://www.antiquemaps.com/uk/roa…
see the milestones to follow:
http://www.milestonesonline.co.uk…
see london to cambridge markers
for more info how miles were measured see john olilby at
http://www.biffvernon.freeserve.c…
how far was it london to huntinton 56 miles
from this url i got milage http://www.londonancestor.com/sto…
From London to Berwick 339 Miles, thus reckoned.
To Waltham 12, to Ware 9, to Royston 16, to Huntington 19, to Stilton 12, to Stamford 13, to Grantham 21, to Newark 14, to Tuxford 12, to Doncaster 24, to Wentbridge 10, to Tadcaster 17, to York 9, to Topcliff 23, to Norlhallerton? 13, to Darlington 14, to Durham 19, to Newcastle 14, to Morpeth 14, to Alnwick 19, to Belford 13, to Berwick 15, a Town in Northumberland, but 'tis not so eminent for Antiquity, as for being a Place of great Strength, having the Sea on the E. and S.E. and the River Tweed on the S.W. encompassed with a Wall, and fortified with a strong Castle; 'tis large, populous, and well built, on the N. side of the River Tweed, towards Scotland.
Grahamt • Link
The London to Berwick (pronounced Berrick) road is approximately what is now known as the A1 and was The Great North Road. See http://www.biffvernon.freeserve.c… for more information. It passes well to the west of Cambridge.
The road Pepys took to Hinchinbroke and Cambridge is:
"From London to Lynn 98 Miles, thus reckoned.
To Enfield Wash 10, to Hoddesdon 7, to Ware 4, to Puckeridge 6, to Barkway 8, to Fowlmere 7, to Cambridge 9, ...(chop)... to Lynn 5, an antient, large and well built Town in Norfolk, containing 3 Parish Churches; encompassed with a Wall and deep Trench; and otherwise called Lyn Regis, also Bishops Lyn, and Llyn by the Welsh, signifying a Lake, seated near the Mouth of Owse River. "
From http://www.londonancestor.com/sto…
Lynn is now known as Kings Lynn (Lyn Regis translated) and is a seaside resort.
Paul Miller • Link
John Speed
1552?-1629, English historian and cartographer. He abandoned his trade as a tailor to engage in mapmaking. Many of his maps of parts of England and Wales were published in The Theatre of the Empire of Great Britain (1611). His major work, The History of Great Britain, and his Genealogies Recorded in Sacred Scripture were published c.1611.
These links provide good pictures of Speed
Todd Bernhardt • Link
Cool site combines aerial photos and street maps!
Not all of us are lucky enough to be able to visit Sam's sites; I've found that this resource helps me visualize things a little better:
http://www.multimap.com/
The programmers there have figured out how to overlay a street map on aerial views of various places in the world, including (of course) London, Brampton, etc.
Go to the site above, and click the appropriate map to zoom in on it. Once you get to a certain scale (1:200,000 or below), you can click the Aerial link at the top of the map. This will give you the aerial view with the street-map overlay. Pretty neat-o, eh?
Terry F • Link
Per Paul Miller: maps of John Speed 1552?-1629
English historian and cartographer. He abandoned his trade as a tailor to engage in mapmaking. Many of his maps of parts of England and Wales were published in The Theatre of the Empire of Great Britain (1611). His major work, The History of Great Britain, and his Genealogies Recorded in Sacred Scripture were published c.1611. A link that works.
http://faculty.oxy.edu/horowitz/h…
Second Reading
San Diego Sarah • Link
An interesting article about Wenceslas Hollar 1607 - 1677, and 17th century map-making in general:
https://www.bl.uk/picturing-place…
San Diego Sarah • Link
Robert Hooke's work led to the creation of a 'waywiser' - probably invented and first constructed by Hooke.
This device resulted in the production of the most accurate maps of England during the period. The ones we use today basically use the same ideas.
http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.u…
Third Reading
San Diego Sarah • Link
Map making and surveying were important and rare skills in the 17th century.
The world’s first road atlas, 'The Britannia' was a sumptuous collection of English and Welsh road maps, created by an ageing Scottish former-dancing-master-turned-secret agent, was published in 1675.
John Ogilby was cosmographer to Charles II, and 'The Britannia' featured a series of maps of routes depicted in a distinctive vertical scroll format by engraver Wenceslaus Hollar.
Ogilby made use of a standardized scale* to increase the usefulness of his maps. He also eliminated all but key details of the routes depicted, including, for example, bridges, rivers, ‘A Great Mountaine’, ferries, heath, ‘arrable’ and the most prominent buildings in a vicinity, among them churches and the seats of local gentry.
Pepys and annotators have told us of many people getting lost in what should have been quite well-travelled locations, so Ogilby's maps were much needed.
I have heard of soldiers in the Civil Wars using leather strips with highlights written/embossed on them as maps. Couriers must have needed something easy to hold and read as they took correspondence around on hoseback -- frequently in the rain, so paper and ink would be useless -- even if the armies involved had scouts and locals to guide them.
For a picture of Ogilby's maps, and a general history of map making, with lots of references to John Stow, see
https://www.countrylife.co.uk/lux…
* He had to make Parliament decide how long a mile was for starters.
Why did Charles II want to know about roads in Wales in 1675? For that story -- well worth your time! -- see:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C…
Extra tidbit: David Attenborough used Capt. Cook's maps of the coast of New South Wales while he was documenting the Great Barrier Reef.
San Diego Sarah • Link
Another article about John Ogilby says he was born in 1600 in Scotland, and had many professions including a dancer, teacher, translator, publisher and map maker.
With William Morgan, John Ogilby created a detailed map of London which was published n 1676, although it was probably surveyed before 1666). You can see it at https://www.layersoflondon.org/ma…
Ogilby is probably best known for his atlas, called 'Britannia', of all the major routes in England, which he published in 1675. Routes were shown in a strip map format, and several strips were used to follow a route from source to destination. Along the route, towns and villages were listed, as were geographic features, roads leading off the main route, with their destinations listed, landmarks along the route, distances etc. Each route had a header on each page, with the first map having the title of the overall route, total distances, major towns and cities along the route, with individual distances between them.
If you were planning to go from London to Lands End, Ogilby's route map started with the summary header, stating the route was 303 miles and 3 furlongs, and started at the Standard in Cornhill:
https://alondoninheritance.com/lo…
The Standard in Cornhill was the starting point for many of the maps with routes starting in London.
The first page of the journey to Cornwall runs from London to just before Winchester. Note: when leaving Knightsbridge you still crossed a bridge.
In the 17th century, counties still had "shire" at the end of the names.
So from Hampshire you went through Wiltshire, Dorsetshire, Somersetshire, and into Devonshire, passing through Exeter before heading into Cornwall, before finally reaching Lands End, which faces onto "The Western Sea".
Where and what was The Standard, Cornhill?
The Standard sounds as if it was one of the large coaching inns serving London. But no, it was an ancient well / water pump / conduit, and was located at the key crossroads in the City where Cornhill, Leadenhall Street, Bishopsgate and Gracechurch Street meet.
Today there is a City of London plaque to mark the site.
Gracechurch Street heads south to London Bridge, which was the only bridge across the Thames, and therefore the main route to the south. Leadenhall Street heads to the east, Bishopsgate heads to the north and Cornhill heads to the west, so from this junction, one could travel the major routes, and was why maps such as Obilby's used the Standard as their City of London starting point.
San Diego Sarah • Link
CONCLUSION:
London Past and Present (Henry Wheatley, 1891) provides some background detail about the Standard:
"A water-standard with 4 spouts made (1582) by Peter Morris, a German, and supplied with water conveyed from the Thames by pipes of lead. it stood at the east end of Cornhill, at its junction with Gracechurch Street, Bishopsgate Street and Leadenhall Street, and with the waste water from its four spouts cleansed the channels of the 4 streets.
"The water ceased to run between 1598 and 1603; but the Standard itself remained for a long time after. It was long in use as a point of measurement for distances from the City, and several of our suburban milestones were, but a very few years ago, and some perhaps are still, inscribed with so many miles 'from the Standard in Cornhill'. There was a Standard in Cornhill as early as Henry V."
The plaque says the Standard was removed around 1674, and London Past and Present states that it remained long after water ceased to flow in 1603.
Despite the loss of the Standard in the later part of the 17th century, it continued to be used as a point for measuring distances or many years to come.
The Standard, Cornhill was often mentioned on milestones when giving a distance to London.
A 1921 article in the Sussex Express mentions the preservation of a milestone in Lewis:
"The milestone let in the upper front of 144/5 High Street, which the Council are to preserve when the building is demobilised, bears the interesting inscription, which probably many Lewes residents have not read; 'Fifty miles from the Standard in Cornhill, 49 miles to Westminster Bridge, 8 miles to Brightelmstone."
The Standard, Cornhill is one of the locations that have been used as a point from where distances to and from London have been measured.
The most common location seems to be the statue of Charles I to the south of Trafalgar Square, where the Eleanor Cross once stood, so possibly the location of the final cross as part of a 13th century journey to London, still marks where distances are measured from.
Copies of the facsimile of Ogilby's 'Britannia' can be found on the Abebooks website, and if you are interested in John Ogilby, the 'Nine Lives of John Ogilby' by Alan Ereira is a really good account.
You can see maps and pictures and the rest of the article at
https://alondoninheritance.com/lo…