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NOTES from WALDSEEMULLER'S MAP of the BRITISH ISLES,
1513
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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.
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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:-
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CLAUDII PTOLOMEI GEOGRAPHI
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A header page begins:-
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Claudii Ptolemei viri Alexandrini Mathematice discipline
Philosophi doctissimi
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Geographie opus novissima traductione e Greco rum archetypis
castigatissime pressum: ceteris ante lucubratorum multo
prestantius
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Pro Prima parte continens ...
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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
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NB remember that these notes are strongly biased towards a
local interest; there is nothing of much interest for
Westmorland, Cumberland etc.
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MAP FEATURES
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title
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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.
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orientation
up is N
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The map is printed with North at the top of the page.
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scale line
scale
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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
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latitude scale
scale
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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
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sea area
sea shaded
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Sea areas are partly shaded, and there is a label:-
OCEANUS GERMANICUS
for the sea north of Scotland.
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rivers
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Some larger rivers are drawn by a double line. The
european rivers are boundaries between countries. The Thames
is shown passing through London.
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country
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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
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settlements
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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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