The maps of John Ogilby - 1675
John Ogilby
In the early 1670's John Ogilby was the Cosmographer to King Charles II - in other words his geographer and map maker. Born in 1601, Ogilby had a colourful career as a dancer, soldier, impressario, poet, gentleman and publisher. He started publishing maps after his poetry publishing business was destroyed in the great Fire Of London in 1666.
He first came to the attention of Charles II when he was commissioned to produce the Coronation Pageant when the monarchy was restored in 1661. This was to be a huge parade through the streets of London, passing through seven large decorated arches where pageants with classical themes were performed.
In the early 1670s Ogilby was tasked by the King to find a way to improve the knowledge about his Kingdom. At this point, no-one knew the exact distances between towns and cities, and maps were non-existent. If you were travelling at this time, you would have had an itinerary - a list of towns through which you needed to pass. At each town you would get directions or help in reaching the next town on the list.
Ogilby set out to map the 100 most strategic routes in the country and published them in a book called Britannia in 1675.
The route from Oxford to Bristol was route No. 79.
The Way-Wiser
Ogilby dispatched teams of men to travel across the country recording the details of each route in the form of a strip map, the 17th century version of a today's sat-nav.
Each team consisted of three men; one on horseback recording distances and details of the route, and the other two pushing a cart with a large wheel called a Way-Wiser. This measured distances exactly and for the first time ever, it was possible to know how far apart places were. Until then, depending where you were in the country, the length of a mile could vary from 1,689 yards to 3,208 yards.
The measurement Ogilby decided to use was the Statute Mile of 1,760 yards, comprising of 8 furlongs each measuring 660 feet. This standard measurement for the mile is still used today.
The detail recorded on the maps is extraordinary.
- The mile distances are accurately represented on the map, with a double dot marking each mile and a single dot for each quarter of a mile.
- Features such as bridges were marked as being either a wood bridge or a stone bridge.
- Directions to nearby villages and towns are marked at road junctions.
- Where there is a significant property adjacent to the road, Ogilby's teams would record details of who owned the property.
- The picture to the left shows the road as it passes through Geersden (or Garsdon as it is known today). Garsdon Park was owned by Lady Washington, a distance relative of George Washington the American President, and the property was 'enclosed with stone', as it still is today.
The completed maps were works of art in their own right as well as being valuable guides to how to efficiently arrange transport and commerce across the country.
Looking at them today, they give us a detailed understanding of how the transport network looked in the mid to late 17th century and many of the routes mapped then are still in use to this day as A roads and B roads.
The Oxford to Bristol route was map No.79 but map No.1 was London to Oxford. This gives us a clue to the strategic importance of Oxford in 1675. It was only 30 years after the Cilvil War when Charles I based himself in Oxford having lost London to the Parliamentary forces.
John Ogilby passed away in September 1676, a year after the publication of Britannia.