The Gough Map. North lies to the left of the map.

The Gough Map or Bodleian Map^[1] is a map of the island of Great Britain, dating between 1355 and 1366, and is the oldest surviving road map of Great Britain. A map is a visual representation of an area—a symbolic depiction highlighting relationships between elements of that space such as objects, Regions, and Themes See also Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain (Breatainn Mhòr Prydain Fawr Breten Veur Graet Breetain is the larger of the two main islands ^[2] Its precise date of production and authorship are unknown. It is named after Richard Gough, who donated the map to the Bodleian Library in 1809. Richard Gough ( October 21, 1735 &ndash February 20, 1809) was an English Antiquarian, born in London. The Bodleian Library ( the main Research library of the University of Oxford, is one of the oldest libraries in Europe, and in England Year 1809 ( MDCCCIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year He is believed to have acquired the map from the collection of the late antiquarian "Honest Tom" Martin in 1774. Thomas Martin ( 8 March 1696/7 – 7 March 1771), known as " Honest Tom Martin of Palgrave" Year 1774 ( MDCCLXXIV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a ^[2] Numerous copies of it have been made, with an interactive online version created at Queen's University, Belfast. Queen's University Belfast is a university in Belfast, Northern Ireland. ^[3]

Dating of the map has been undertaken based on historical changes of place names and sizes. ^[1] Gough believed the map to date from the reign of Edward III, but 19th-century scholarship suggested that it dated from c. Edward III (13 November 1312 &ndash 21 June 1377 was one of the most successful English monarchs of the Middle Ages. 1300, during the reign of Edward I. Edward I (17 June 1239 – 7 July 1307 popularly known as Longshanks, was a King of England who achieved historical fame by conquering large parts of Wales and almost ^[4] The map is now generally believed to have been made within an eleven-year window, due to the ability to date some of its features. The earliest given date is deduced by the depiction of a city wall around Coventry, which was first constructed in 1355. See also List of cities with defensive walls A defensive wall is a Fortification used to defend a city or settlement from potential aggressors Coventry ( is a city and Metropolitan borough in the County of West Midlands in England. ^[4] The latter date is usually given as 1366, the year in which the town marked on the map as Sheppey was renamed Queenborough. Queenborough is a small town on the Isle of Sheppey in the Swale borough of Kent in South East England. ^[1] Lexicographic evidence also suggests that it dates from the latter half of the 14th century. ^[1] It is, however, believed that the map is based on an earlier version, made around 1280. ^[2]

The map's authorship is also unknown. It is thought that much of the information about the map was gained from either one or more men who travelled around Great Britain as part of Edward I's military expeditions into Wales and Scotland. Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. The areas of the map's fringe with the most accurate detail often correspond with those areas in which Edward's troops were present. ^[4] The accuracy of the map in the South Yorkshire and Lincolnshire areas suggest that the author could be from this region. Divisions and environs South Yorkshire is divided into four local government districts they are the City of Sheffield, the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs) is a county in the east of England. ^[5] However, it is also possible that the map was constructed based upon the collation of various people's local knowledge. For example, the cartographic accuracy in Oxfordshire could be explained by the fact that William Rede, Fellow of Merton College, had successfully calculated the geographic coordinates for Oxford in 1340. History See also History of Oxfordshire The county of Oxfordshire was formed in the early years of the 10th century and is broadly situated in the ^[2]

The Gough Map is important due to its break with previous theologically-based mapping. ^[5] It was the first to show the road network of England, though there are some notable and confusing omissions,^[2] such as large sections of Watling Street. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Watling Street is the name given to an Ancient trackway in England and Wales that was first used by the Celts mainly between the modern ^[4] The use of numerals to indicate road distances in leagues is unique in comparison to all other pre-17th century maps of Britain. A league is a unit of Length or Area long common in Europe and Latin America, although no longer an official unit in any nation It was also the first map to depict a recognizably accurate picture of Britain's coast, although the accuracy is much greater in England than in Scotland, at the time part of another kingdom. The Kingdom of Scotland ( Gaelic: Rìoghachd na h-Alba, Scots: Kinrick o Scotland) was a State in northwest Europe ^[2] Towns are shown in some detail, with London and York written in gold lettering and other principal settlements illustrated in detail. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. York ( is an historic Walled city sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. ^[1] Despite its accuracy, the map does contain a number of other errors. Notably, islands and lakes such as Anglesey and Windermere are oversized, whilst the strategic importance of rivers is shown by their emphasis. An island (ˈaɪlənd or isle (/ˈaɪl/ is any piece of land that is completely surrounded by water in two dimensions above high tide and isolated from other significant A lake (from Latin lacus) is a Terrain feature (or Physical feature) a body of Liquid on the surface of a world that is localized to the History There are numerous Megalithic monuments and Menhirs present on Anglesey testifying to the presence of mankind in prehistory Windermere is the largest natural Lake in England. It has been one of the country’s most popular places for holidays and summer homes since 1847 when the Kendal Well known but geographically small features such as the Peninsula in Durham are also overly-prominent. The Bailey, or The Peninsula, is an historic area in the centre of Durham, England. Durham (ˈdʌrəm in RP, locally ˈdʏrəm is a small city and main settlement of the City of Durham district of County Durham, England ^[2] The map contains numerous references to mythology as if they were geographical fact, as illustrated by comments about Brutus' mythical landings in Devon. Marcus Junius Brutus (85&ndash42 BC or Quintus Servilius Caepio Brutus was a Roman senator of the late Roman Republic. Devon is a large county in the South West of England. The county is also referred to as Devonshire, but that is an entirely unofficial name ^[2] Nevertheless, it remains the most accurate map of Britain prior to the 16th century. ^[4]

Footnotes

References

• Millea, Nick. The Gough Map: The Earliest Road Map of Great Britain. Bodleian Library, University of Oxford, 2007.

External links

• Interactive Gough Map at GEOID website
• The Gough Map of Great Britain from the Bodleian Library Map Room website