Old Hampshire Mapped

OS Old Series Hampshire, 1810-1855
Introduction
The whole map
Index sheet to Old Series, Hampshire

Introduction
 These notes are made from the first edition, Old Series one inch to one mile maps of Hampshire surveyed by the Ordnance Survey, Tower of London, London, published in the 1810s. The maps used are mostly later editions mostly from the 1840s, and are in the Map Collection of Hampshire CC Museums Service, items HMCMS:FA2003.1.8 & FA2003.1.9 & FA1998.91 & FA2003.1.11 & HMCMS:FA2003.1.12 & FA2003.1.14 & FA2003.1.15 & FA2003.1.16 & FA2003.8.

Eight sheets of the OS Old Series one inch maps involve Hampshire; 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15 and 16. Sheet numbering and sheet size in the first maps of the Old Series is a muddle. Mapping began in Kent and went round the south coast of England, the area most at risk of invasion from France. Sheet numbering began at 1 and numbers were allocated in sequence as work progressed. The early mapping was done county by county; sheet numbering and sizes were not considered as elements in systematic mapping of the country. Later it was realised that the national aspect was important, and sheet numbering and sizes were predicated on an overall plan. Although the sheets have no formal title on the sheet, they do have a title in the list on the index map to the series.

The Hampshire maps were made in the early part of the work and are numbered haphazardly, and sheets vary in size. On the west of the county the right border of a map might be parallel to the Greenwich meridian, while the left border is parallel to a meridian through Butterton Hill - the sheet will be trapezium shaped.

The sheets in the Map Collection have all been sectioned for folding, mounted on linen, and are presented folded in different ways. The master scanned images were made to include whole 'sections' as they exist, the different sectioning of different maps was accepted. Images have not been stitched back together, instead they have been stitched with the gaps in the mounting showing. To present the maps conveniently onscreen each map image is cut into 8, 4 across by 2 up, ignoring the original sectioning! It's a lot more comprehensible when you look at them onscreen.

The presentation onscreen parallels the way that sheets are presented in the reproduction published by Margary. In that publication the introductory notes by Harley and O'Donoghue are immensely helpful, and far more expert than the abbreviated notes given here.

NOTA BENE: the sheets are editions from different decades. Although they all classed by us as 'OS 1810s' the maps shown range from the 1810s to 1850s (railways are shown on editions after 1840). Dates of different pieces are as follows:-

OS sheet Margary pages date HMCMS Identity number
sheet 8 pp.13,29 1845-50? FA2003.1.8
sheet 9 pp.45,46 1813? FA2003.1.9
sheet 10 pp.7x 1810s FA1998.91
sheet 11 pp.41-44,57-60 about 1855 FA2003.1.11
sheet 12 pp.9-12,25-28 1817? FA2003.1.12
sheet 14 pp.24 about 1846 FA2003.1.14
sheet 15 pp.39,40,55,56 about 1846 FA2003.1.15
sheet 16 pp.70-72 about 1836 FA2003.1.16

references Harley, J B (intro) & O'Donoghue, Yolande (intro): 1981: Old Series Ordnance Survey Maps of England and Wales: Margary, Harry (Lympne Castle, Kent): vol.3: ISBN 0 903541 03 3

Harley, J B: 1975: Ordnance Survey Maps, a descriptive manual: Ordnance Surevy (Southampton, Hampshire)

Mudge, William & Colby, Thomas: 1811: Account of the Trigonometrical Survey, ...: (London)

Owen, Tim & Pilbeam, Elaine: 1992: Ordnance Survey, amp makers to Britain since 1791: Ordnance Survey (Southampton, Hampshire)
OS Old Series Hampshire, 1810-1855, contents
General index
Old Hampshire Mapped
Other Historic Hampshire Resources