A General Map of Scotland and Islands thereto belonging: Dorret's Landmark Wall Map of Scotland From new Surveys, the Shires properly Divided & Subdivided, the Forts lately Erected & Roads of Communication or Military Ways carried on by His Majesty's command, the Times or Military ways, the Danish Camps & Forts
by DORRET, J[ames]
- Used
- Condition
- See description
- Seller
-
London, United Kingdom
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
London,, April the 1750.. 1780 by 1370mm. (70 by 54 inches).. Large engraved wall map on eight double-page sheets and 4 half sheets, joined, inset plan of the Shetland Islands upper right, list of "the Most Remarkable Places in Scotland" lower left, with fine contemporary hand-colour in full. James Dorret's map of Scotland "was a landmark map which was used directly or indirectly for nearly all Scottish maps for the next 40 years" (National Library of Scotland). Dorrett was an Englishman serving as a valet to the Duke of Argyll, who was given the task of mapping first Argyll and then all of Scotland with the Duke's financial backing. He carried out his own survey for this, his first monumental map of Scotland, supplementing it with information from William Roy's on-going Military Survey of Scotland, completed between 1747 and 1755, and with the latest estate and maritime surveys. His authorship of the Argyll estate survey has been established by the correspondence of John Ainslie, a cartographer who would later publish an important nine sheet map of Scotland which would supersede Dorret's work. Ainslie wrote dismissively that Dorret was "first a Barber and got into the Argyll family as one of the Duke's valet de chambre, and did take an actual survey of the County or Shire of Argyll... [he] took angles through all Scotland and compiled a map of the Kingdom which may be called a Survey by some people". Ainslie, of course, had every interest in discrediting Dorret's work in favour of his own. The map was "an immense improvement on anything that preceded it" (Inglis et al.), let down only by the delineation of the Great Glen, Skye and Islay. The Great Glen has a bend in it, despite Dorret having access to sources which would have shown him otherwise. The islands of Skye and Lewis, although not perfect, are drawn with greater accuracy than Dorret's predecessors. The island of Lewis no longer has the flat top given to it since Blaeu's maps of the area, drawing on the maritime charts of Murdoch Mackenzie. Dorret also corrects the shortening of northern Scotland. NLS EMS.s.640; Inglis, H. G., J. Mathieson, and C. B. B. Watson, The Early Maps of Scotland with an account of the Ordnance Survey, Edinburgh: Royal Scottish Geographical Society, 1934; Tooley, R. V., Maps and map-makers, London: Batsford, 1978.
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Details
- Bookseller
- Daniel Crouch Rare Books Ltd (GB)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 11732
- Title
- A General Map of Scotland and Islands thereto belonging
- Author
- DORRET, J[ames]
- Book Condition
- Used
- Place of Publication
- London,
- Date Published
- April the 1750.
- Keywords
- Dorret, wall map, large-scale map, Scotland, William Roy, argyll, jacobite
- Product_type
- Maps
- Size
- 1780 by 1370mm. (70 by 54 inches).
Terms of Sale
Daniel Crouch Rare Books Ltd
Any item may be returned if you are not happy with it providing we are notified within 7 days of your receiving it. This does not affect any statutory rights you may have under UK or EU law for returning the item outside this period. All we ask is that you return the item(s) by the same or similar method to that in which they were sent to you. Your postage costs and any payment already received will be refunded immediately on our receipt of the items in the same condition as you received them.
About the Seller
Daniel Crouch Rare Books Ltd
Biblio member since 2018
London
About Daniel Crouch Rare Books Ltd
Daniel Crouch Rare Books is specialist dealer in antique atlases, maps, plans, sea charts and voyages dating from the fifteenth to the nineteenth centuries. Our carefully selected stock also includes a number of fine prints and globes, and a selection of cartographic reference books.Our particular passions include rare atlases, wall maps, and separately published maps and charts. We strive to acquire unusual and quirky maps that are in fine condition. We are members of the following trade associations: The Antiquarian Bookseller's Association (ABA); The British Antique Dealers' Association (BADA); Confédération Internationale des Négociantes en Oeuvres d'Art (CINOA); The International League of Antiquarian Booksellers (ILAB); The Society of London Art Dealers (SLAD); and The European Fine Art Foundation (TEFAF). Daniel and Nick are also both members of The Company of Art Scholars, Dealers, and Collectors.
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