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NOTES from WALDSEEMULLER'S MAP of the BRITISH ISLES, 1513
Notes from the woodblock map of the British Isles by Martin Waldseemuller, Strasbourg, Germany, 1513. The map studied is in the Map Room, British Library, call number BL:Maps c.1.d.9.
The map size is: wxh, sheet = 63x45.5cm; wxh, map = about 511x358mm. The map is a double page in its atlas, a leather bound volume 33.5x46.5cm labelled on the spine:-
CLAUDII PTOLOMEI GEOGRAPHI
A header page begins:-
Claudii Ptolemei viri Alexandrini Mathematice discipline Philosophi doctissimi
Geographie opus novissima traductione e Greco rum archetypis castigatissime pressum: ceteris ante lucubratorum multo prestantius
Pro Prima parte continens ...
Rodney Shirley suggests that the sources of the British Isles map are italian portolani charts which were not always the latest and best. The shape of the island derives from charts of the mid 15th century, not as good as available charts of 1500, for instance. Martin Waldseemuller also compiled a Ptolemy atlas, 1513
NB remember that these notes are strongly biased towards a local interest; there is nothing of much interest for Westmorland, Cumberland etc.
MAP FEATURES

title Printed at the top:-
TABULA NOVA HIBERNIE ANGLIE ET SCOTIE
New Map of Ireland, England and Scotland
The map includes England and Wales, Scotland, Ireland, parts of France, Germany and Denmark.

orientation
up is N
The map is printed with North at the top of the page.

scale line
scale
Printed in the lower right border is a:-
Scala Miliario[ ] Italia
graduated in 10s and 100s labelled in 100 miles. The 700 miles = 120 mm giving a scale:-
148 italian miles to 1 inch

latitude scale
scale
Printed in the left and right, west and east, borders of the map are scales of latitude; graduated and labelled in degrees. The map includes from 46d to 59d N.
Measuring a scale 12d latitude = 313.6 mm gives a map scale 1 to 4259630; map scale about:-
1 to 4200000
67 miles to 1 inch

sea area
sea shaded
Sea areas are partly shaded, and there is a label:-
OCEANUS GERMANICUS
for the sea north of Scotland.

rivers Some larger rivers are drawn by a double line. The european rivers are boundaries between countries. The Thames is shown passing through London.

country Country boundaries are assumed to be rivers or hills. Between England and Scotland is a range of hills tinted green, with a river to the sea each end. In Europe the rivers
Sequana
Rhenus
Albis
divide
Britanie Pars
Gallie Pars
Magne Germanie Pars
Datia
in order. In the British Isles the countries are labelled:-
ANGLIA
SCOTIA
HIBERNIA

settlements A few settlements are marked by a circle, for example:-
Londra
Otherwise they are just labelled. The places noticed are along the coasts, evidence of the genesis of this map in charts.


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