The
Jacobite Rebellion of 1745 made the authorities
aware of the need for accurate maps if they were to
control the Highlands. In 1747 a survey of the
whole country was started under the direction of William
Roy.
The resulting maps at a scale of 1 inch to 1000 yards
provide a wealth of
information about Scotland at that time, including
roads.
This section gives
the background to the survey and provides an overview
of the road network in the south of Scotland in the
1750's, just prior to the turnpikes.
For roads in the Highlands, see the roysroads
website where the military survey roads have been
overlaid onto modern maps. The site also contains much
useful information about Roy and the Military Survey.
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Half-inch
maps
In these sections, the roads and tracks
from Roy’s sheets have been copied onto old OS maps
thus allowing a clearer idea of the routes they
followed and how they relate to still existing road
and tracks. Some maps are accompanied by short notes
on each of the roads. Regional overviews are also provided.
Missing Roads
A list is given of sections of road that
do not appear to have been mapped.
The Military Survey and General
Roy
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Memorial to General Roy at site
of his birthplace near Carluke. The plaque reads
"Here stood Miltonhead the birthplace of Major-General
William Roy 1726-1790 from whose Military Map of
Scotland made in 1747-1755 grew the Ordnance Survey
of Great Britain." |
The
Jacobite rebellion of 1745 made the authorities acutely
aware of the need for detailed maps if they were to
control the Highlands. The Duke of Cumberland, in his
campaign that led ultimately to Culloden, had been seriously
hampered by the lack of adequate maps. In 1746, he ordered
a full survey of Scotland and this was placed under
the direction of William
Roy, an assistant in the office of the deputy quartermaster-general
for North Britain.
The
survey started in 1747 and was completed in 1755. It
was carried out at a scale of 1:36,000 or 1000 yards
to a mile and given the surveying techniques of the
time, surprisingly accurate. The maps
provide a valuable picture of Scotland at the time showing
hills, rivers, settlements and roads and tracks. It
should be noted however that the islands were not included
in the survey and mapping of some areas may be incomplete
(see NLS
for more details).
After
service in the 7 Years War, Roy continued his career
in surveying, holding important army posts and eventually
becoming a major-general in 1781. His work at this time
led to the formation of the Ordnance Survey.
He
was also an antiquarian and carefully recorded Roman
sites and roads during his survey of Scotland. His study
The
Military Antiquities of the Romans in Scotland (NLS)
was published after his death.
Perhaps
surprisingly the maps were never published and for a
while lay forgotten in the King’s Library. They were
rediscovered and used by Arrowsmith who had been commissioned
in 1805 to extend his survey of England to include Scotland.
Later they were superseded by the maps of the Ordnance
Survey. The maps are in the British Library along with
a reduced scale map produced by Paul
Sandby later to become an accomplished artist.
Copies of the maps can usually
be found in large public libraries but SCRAN
provide online access to all the maps at full scale.
Free access may be available at some libraries. Subscription
rates in 2007 for individuals are £30 pa and £20 for
6 months. The maps have recently been added to the National
Library of Scotland website (2007) where they can
be viewed free of charge. The maps are supported with
detailed information on the Military Survey.
Regional
Overviews
Based on quarter-inch
1935 and 1922 OS map. © Crown copyright.
Click images for larger maps
1.
Part of S-W Scotland |
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2.
Stranraer Area |
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3.
Newton Stewart Area |
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Detailed
notes on the Ayrshire
roads |
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Low resolution
map (85K) |
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Low resolution
map (90K) |
4.
Dumfries Area
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5.
Gretna Area |
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6.
Edinburgh Area |
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Low resolution
map (90K) |
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Low resolution
map (90K) |
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Low resolution
map (103K) |
8.
Greenock Area |
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7.
Glasgow Area |
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8.
Borders |
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Low resolution
map (114K) |
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Low resolution
map (90K) |
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Low resolution
map
(134K) |
One-inch
Maps
Overviews
Jedburgh Area |
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Hawick
& Eskdale Area |
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Reproduced
from Jedburgh, Sheet 17, published 1905.
With thanks to Ordnance Survey
Notes
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Reproduced
from Hawick & Eskdale, Sheet 85, Popular
Edition, published 1945. With thanks to
Ordnance Survey
Notes
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Half-inch
Maps
Ayrshire (southern
part) |
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Moffat and
Dumfries |
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Reproduced
from Sheet 30 (half-inch series), published 1914.
With thanks to Ordnance Survey
High
definition (1.88mb); Medium
(684k); Low
(120k)
High definition approx 1"to mile; medium
1/2" to mile;
low 1/4" to mile. There are no Military Survey
maps
for Arran - see NLS
for later maps.
Notes
on the Ayrshire roads
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Reproduced
from Sheet 31 (half-inch series), published
1914. With thanks to Ordnance Survey.
Medium
(700k ), Low
(110k )
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Edinburgh
and Lanark
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North
Berwick, Berwick upon Tweed and Selkirk |
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Reproduced from
Sheet 27 (half-inch series), published 1913. With
thanks to Ordnance Survey. High
definition (1.5mb), Medium
(814k ), Low
(212k )
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Reproduced from
Sheet 28 (half-inch series), published
1914. With thanks to Ordnance Survey.
Medium
(780k ), Low
(110k )
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Top
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