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Ireland, Maps and Surveys 1558-1610

Chartography had a key role to play in the creation of the British Empire for use by the military and social engineers alike. The collection consists of 68 beautifully illustrated maps of Ireland from the late 16th and early 17th centuries. It includes browsable maps from famous cartographers Robert Lythe, Francis Jobson, Richard Bartlett and John Norden.

The Barony of Castle Rahin
Date range
1558-1610
Records
68
Images
68

About this collection

In this collection, Findmypast have digitised the early Irish maps from The National Archives series ‘State Papers Ireland’. The maps were created during the reign of Elizabeth I and James I. They assisted the English in the conquest and plantation of Ireland, a time when the English crown confiscated Irish lands and redistributed the land to English planters or settlers. Most of the land confiscated had belonged to Gaelic leaders in Munster, Ulster and elsewhere.

These beautifully decorated maps were used to inform settlers of the locations of rivers, bogs, fortifications and harbours. In some illustrations, you’ll find drawings of wildlife and even sea monsters. Around the harbours, the cartographers took the time to draw ships with cannons and sailors. Many of the maps also detail the names of Gaelic clans and the lands they owned, for example O’Hanlan in Armagh, O’Neill in Tyrone and O’Connor in Roscommon.

At this time, professional mapmaking was in its early stages, with common standards not yet established. You’ll see that North isn’t at the top in many of the maps – you can use the rotation option on the image to spin it to the correct orientation, with North at the top.

Mapmaking was a dangerous career during this period. The cartographers were exploring hostile foreign territory. One of the creators of these maps, Richard Bartlett, was beheaded in Tyrconnell, Donegal, by locals who were resisting the English plantation and did not want the English government to own maps of their lands.

Names of maps:

Sourced from:
  • The National Archives, Kew, London, UK

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