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Cowley 1743
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NOTES from COWLEY'S MAP of HAMPSHIRE, 1743

FA1999.108  
These notes are made from a copy of a map of Hampshire by J Cowley, London, 1743. The map studied is in the Map Collection of Hampshire CC Museums Service, item HMCMS:FA1999.108
map type: HantsMap & Cowley 1743

MAP FEATURES

drape cartouche    
title cartouche    
map maker    

Printed lower left is the title on a draped hanging:-
image snip from map

An Improved MAP of HAMP-SHIRE, containing ye Borough & Market Towns, with those adjoyning; also, it's Principal Roads and Rivers, by I. Cowley Geographer to his Majesty.

table of symbols    
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Printed upper left is:-
Explanation
Cities ... [circle, buildings, asterisks]
Boroughs ... [circle, fewer buildings, asterisks]
Market Towns ... [circle, tower]
Castles ... [circle, flag]
The asterisks are not explained, but of maps in this period they usually denote the number of members sent to Parliament by a borough.

orientation    
compass rose    

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The map has a simple compass rose, a circle with cross lines for the cardinal directions, north indicated by a fleur de lys, east by a cross.
Up is a about 5 degrees east of north.

lat and long scales    
There are latitude and longitude scales in the borders, chequered at 5 minute intervals, labelled at 10 minute intervals. The scales are oblique, slanted as the compass rose. Printed bottom right is:-
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Deg. W. Long. from London.

scale line    
scale    

The map has a scale line of:-
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English Miles
chequered and labelled at 2 mile intervals. 10 miles = 18.8mm gives a scale 1 to 856034 assuming a statute mile. The map scale is about:-
1 to 860000
14 miles to 1 inch

sea area    
sea plain    

The sea is plain. A few sea areas are labelled:-
THE CHANNEL
St. Hellens Road
Hampton Water

coast line    
coast shaded    
coast form lines    
headlands    
foreshore    

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The coast is shaded, but has form lines up Southampton Water and in larger harbours.
A few headlands are labelled:-
Hengistbury Head
Ram's head
The spits at Hurst and Calshot are drawn with dotted lines, like sandbanks.
Harbours are not labelled.

coastal defence    
castles    

Some of the coastal defence castles are marked, circle and flag symbol, and labelled:-
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Hurst Cast.
Calshot Cast.
S. Andrews Cast.

rivers    
bridges    
ferries    

Wiggly lines are used to draw rivers from the coast or continue them from an estuary. The major rivers are drawn with some tributaries. Some are labelled:-
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Loddon R.
Tees R
Wallop R.
Itchin R.
Bridges are mostly not drawn, but suggested by the crossing of a road over a river.
Portsey Bridg
is labelled on one or other of two roads that cross to Portsea Island.
Three bridges are drawn, detached from any principal road. Two across the River Meon, about Titchfield, one across the Wallington River at Fareham.
A road drawn from Lymington goes through Beaulieu and ends at the coast opposite Southampton. This suggests the existence of a ferry, the Hythe Ferry.

relief    
The map shows no relief.

woods    
forests    

Generally woods and forests are not drawn on the map. But there is a small group of trees north of Ringwood, and label nearby:-
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New Forest

county    
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The county boundary is a dotted line, on the map studied this is tinted. The detached part of Hampshire in West Sussex is not inlcued on the map.
Adjacent counties are labelled, eg:-
Part of WILTSHIRE
and their boundaries shown for a short way out from the Hampshire border.

settlements    
Settlements are drawn by a small circle with elements to distinguish type of place.
city     circle, buildings, asterisks; labelled in upright block caps, eg:-
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WINCHESTER

town     boroughs by circle, fewer buildings, asterisks; market towns by circle, tower; labelled in two ways, italic block caps, just for:-
SOUTHAMPTON
upright lowercase text, eg:-
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Alton
Stokebridge
Allesford

village     circle; labelled in italic lowercase text, eg:-
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Sutton [Sutton Scotney]
Harndon
Only villages that are (necessary?) way points on a principal road are drawn.


electoral data    
The asterisks on city and boroughs are assumed to indicate the number of members returned to Parliament by the place; this map is in the era of rotten boroughs. The following places are represented:-
Andover - 2
Christchurch - 3
Lymington - 1
Petersfield - 2
Portsmouth - 2
Southampton - 2
Stockbridge - 2
Whitchurch - 2
Winchester - 2

roads    
road distances    

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The 'principal roads' in the county are drawn by a double continuous line. The routes displayed by Cowley differ from Ogilby's routes, although the important routes are still in evidence - London to Portsmouth, to Southampton, to Lands End, to Weymouth, and to Poole.
Destinations out of the county are labelled, eg:-
to London
image snip from map

to Senan
to Truro
A group of these labels, west of the county, is supported by a pointing hand symbol.
Road distances from place to place are marked beside the road. Thus Basingstoke to Alton is 8 miles, Alton to Petersfield 10, etc. The distance from Lymington to Southampton is given, 8 miles, on the road that needs a ferry at Hythe.
Distances outwith the county are not given.


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HantsMap Notes -- COWLEY1.txt
MN: 10.1.2001
last edit: 12.5.2003