Map of a Nation: A Biography of the Ordnance Survey

by Rachel Hewitt

Map of a Nation tells the story of the creation of the Ordnance Survey map - the first complete, accurate, affordable map of the British Isles. The Ordnance Survey is a much beloved British institution, and Map of a Nation is, amazingly, the first popular history to tell the story of the map and the men who dreamt and delivered it. The Ordnance Survey's history is one of political revolutions, rebellions and regional unions that altered the shape and identity of the United Kingdom over the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. It's also a deliciously readable account of one of the great untold British adventure stories, featuring intrepid individuals lugging brass theodolites up mountains to make the country visible to itself for the first time.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Maps, Geography, Science, Travel, Cartography

670 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 1, 2010

Reviews

[Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know the exact moment I fell in love with this book. It came on page fifteen of the prologue, wherein Rachel Hewitt describes the debacle of a manhunt that followed the Jacobite rebellion of 1745. For want of a decent map of Scotland, England's fearsome army was led a merry chase across the Highlands by a half-lame septuagenarian and managed to lose "Bonnie" Prince Charles altogether. Charles's defeat came at the Battle of Culloden, famous for being the last pitched battle fought on the British Isles, and infamous for the bloodthirsty zeal of the English troops during and following the battle.

The English army annihilated the two thousand or so Scotsmen in around forty five minutes, and for anyone not quite sure how long forty five minutes is, Rachel Hewitt explains that it's "the time it takes to enjoy a soak in the bath". Upon reading this unlikely comparison between a scene of unimaginable bloodshed and a Cadbury's Flake advert, my eyebrows and jaw raced away from one another. Once I'd dragged down the former and pulled up the latter, I let out a sound somewhere between a snort of appreciation for the outrageous analogy and a snigger of expectation at what other delights the book would hold.

The story of the Ordnance Survey maps turns out to be a fascinating one, and Hewitt tells it brilliantly. Not since Longitude have I been so enthralled by such a dry sounding subject, but not even Dava Sobel wrote this well. The book is always comprehensive but never too slow nor patronising, and has many a nice personal touch as well. The characters that brought the Survey to life are herein brought to life themselves, and thanks to some well placed and never smarmy personal recollections of the author, the book itself almost has a life of its own.

The subject matter might not be to everyone's tastes, but maps aside it's a riveting tale of human triumph over and alongside nature and the elements with some intriguing cameos and some genuinely touching drama. And surely everyone appreciates a book with all that.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Puts the Ordinance Survey right on the map :). Something we walkers and scramblers have always loved, maps carried next to our hearts across the hills and through the rain, sleet and (rarely) burning sun. Winter nights on the kitchen table plotting routes. And 20 years ago wished for abroad in countries where whole hillsides seemed to be missing from the local maps! A moment in time just as the world changes - GPS, SATNAV, satellite pictures. The author places the start of the Ordinance Survey firmly in the military world, beginning with the Highland clearances and wars with France, continuing with Ireland and the the mapping for taxation, the massive social implications of fixing place names and not forgetting the struggle of the 20th century for access to land. The military, economic and political setting gives the book a real bite without detracting from the heroics of the multitude of people who walked the land actually doing the mapping.

[Andrew Fish · Rating 4 out of 5]

My interest in maps was first triggered by a book passed down to me, aged seven, from the teenage son of a family friend. This "project manual" gave a grounding in many subjects, but it was cartography that caught my young imagination at the time.

Fast forward more than thirty years and my wife, on the lookout for Christmas presents for an awkward bugger who just buys things when he spots them, stumbled across this. Telling the story of the Ordnance Survey may not be the most obvious thing to do, but Rachel Hewitt does it with a passion which shines through the prose. You can almost feel the cold of Rannoch Moor - although having watched Nicholas Crane's Map Man probably helps.

[Adam Yates · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’ll never know why this book and its mundane subject matter ensnared me and in the end, it was a slog but I have retained a lot of the information and I feel smarter for it. One day, I will answer a question on University Challenge from the comfort of my sofa, my wife will look at me in astonishment and I shall arch my eyebrow and say “I knew that.”

[Natalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't usually read history books but a colleague lent this to me so I gave it a go. It was an interesting history of the ordnance survey, made more interesting to me by the discussion of places I am familiar with, but quite heavy going.

[Riona · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lovely to read a non-fiction book. Really enjoyed getting to know the history of the OS (although only up to the late 1800s, would have liked to see more recent history - maybe that's another book?). I liked imaging how all of the different pieces of equipment work, messaging my mum (a surveyor) lots! :)

[Don · Rating 4 out of 5]

This fine book covers the development of the Ordnance Survey from the political drivers of the 18th century that led to its creation, through to the completion of the ‘First Series’ of England and Wales (at 1 inch to 1 mile) in 1870. It has grown from the author’s PhD thesis, and other academic work. Her research has generated a remarkable level of detail about the key personalities involved, the methods they employed, and the scientific, social and political environments in which they operated.

It is, mostly, highly readable and absorbing, and provides a fascinating background to people, like me, who love maps – especially the masterworks produced by the OS.

[Rob Kitchin · Rating 3 out of 5]

In Map of a Nation, Rachel Hewitt tells the story of the formation of the Ordnance Survey. The book should really have a title that frames the time period of the content since it almost exclusive covers the period 1745 to 1870, with practically no discussion of the history of the organization in the twentieth century. The use of the term biography in the title is, I suppose, a nod to the biographical approach to history telling, with Hewitt plotting the history of the organisation principally by tracing the lives of its key actors – David Watson, William Roy, William Mudge, Thomas Colby and others. Throughout the narrative there are a series of asides, with some context relating to politics, military conflict, scientific advances, philosophy, popular culture, and social relations, some of which aid the tale, some a bit of a distraction. Hewitt’s starting point is the Jacobite rebellion of 1745 and the inability of English soldiers to navigate the Highlands, which led to a government-led mapping survey. Additional surveys were undertaken throughout the late eighteenth century, with the British collaborating with the French to create an accurate triangulation survey to document the precise location of key sites. These trig points became the basis for a national survey starting in 1791, under the office of the Master-General of the Ordnance, to underpin new, accurate maps. The survey first covered South East England leading to the first OS map in 1801 of Kent, and then continued across England, Wales, Ireland and Scotland during the first half of the nineteenth century.

While it is evident that there is a substantial body of research underpinning the narrative, and there is a richness of detail, for my liking the account is somewhat an uncritical in charting Ordnance Survey’s history. There are very brief references to a more critical reading of how OS was a political body doing important work to maintain the Union and certainly no attempt at a postcolonial reading of OS’s work, particularly with respect to Ireland and Scotland. Instead the OS is framed as a somewhat neutral, yet civilising and Enlightenment endeavour, with some fairly weak defence of its colonial work. The result is an account that presents people, events and endeavours in a straightforward, face-value way but largely skims over the wider subtext. Overall, an interesting history of the formation of Britain’s national mapping agency, but lacking a critical edge.

[Tim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable history of a national institution. It was at its best early on, describing the travails and technological innovations of the early pioneers, with background biographies to add colour, although I could have done with some accompanying maps to trace their routes. Later in the book, the survey became a national effort, and the focus shifts to political and administrative concerns rather than individual experience, which made it a drier read (and ironic, as the survey increased in scale and detail). Nevertheless, educational and interesting.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author takes us through the story of the OS by meeting the people who drove the idea forward, which also shows the context in which it was being done through the early years. Very enjoyable and informative.

[Craig Morland · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really interesting (if you're super dull like I am) but very dry in parts. Back to the land of make believe for a while...

[Tanya Turner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating although at times a little too dense and quite dry.

[Kitty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ordnance Survey Explorer kaardid, mis katavad kogu Suurbritannia mõõtkavas 1:25000, on vb üks mu lemmikasju maailmas. noh, mulle maakaardid üleüldse väga meeldivad, aga need konkreetsed toetavad mu elustiili eriti hästi ja harva läheb mu elus mööda nädalat, kus ma mõnda neist põhjalikumalt ei uuriks, olgu siis plaanide tegemiseks või päriselt arusaamiseks, mis suunas ma nüüd järgmiseks minema peaksin hakkama, et õhtuks kuhugi välja jõuda.

nii et raamat sellest, kuidas selle maa kaardistamine üldse alguse sai, oli mu jaoks väga põnev otsast lõpuni. kuigi lõppu siin raamatus ei jõuta, pigem nagu... alguse lõppu? lugu algab Šotimaalt jakobiitide ülestõusust ja brittide avastusest, et väga raske on sõdida (või mässu alla suruda) maal, mida sa üldse ei tunne ja mille kaarti sul pole, sest on 18. sajandi algus ja korralikke kaarte pole veel nagu õieti leiutatudki, rääkimata siis sellest, et valmis tehtud. ja lugu lõppeb aastal 1870 kui lõpuks ometi ilmub viimane osa tervet Inglismaad, Šotimaad ja Walesi katvast kaardist mõõtkavas 1 toll:1 miil.

ühest küljest ma oleks küll tahtnud teada, mis edasi sai ja kuidas nende praeguste kaartideni välja jõuti, teisest küljest oli siin raamatus nii palju detaile (ja nii pisike kiri ja samas nii palju lehekülgi!), et vb rohkem poleks jaksanud ka. hästi põhjalikult räägiti nii kõigist neist inimestest, kes eri rollides, aga eelkõige seda asja eest vedades oma panuse andsid, kui sellest, kuidas ikkagi kogu see maamõõtmine ja kaartide trükkimine tehniliselt käis tol ammusel ajal.

minu meelest on triangulatsioon kui niisugune täiesti vaimustav kontseptsioon! ja alles nüüd panin korralikult oma peas kokku, miks täpselt ikkagi on suures osas Suurbritannia mäetippudes ja muudes kõrgemates kohtades sellised betoonist püramiidjad... asjad, mille nimi kaardil on "trig point". tänapäeval neid küll enam ei kasutata, sest GPS ja elektroonika teevad täpsema töö ja kiiremini, aga mul on alati olnud hea meel mõnd näha ja nüüd pärast raamatu lugemist on seda enam.

aga samuti vaimustav, kuidas nad pidid endale töö käigus lihtsalt leiutama need mõõte- ja muud riistad, millega töö vajaliku täpsusega ära teha. ja kuidas mingi üks meistrimees Londonis neile nad kõik valmis tegi.

kogu selle loo üle lehvis selline mõnus valgustusajastu vaib. ei mäleta, millal viimati või kas üldse olen lugenud ajalooraamatut, kus mingi organiseeritud religioon inimestel üldse elamist ja tegutsemist ei seganud. siin loos mainiti kirikuid ainult selles kontekstis, et nende tornidest oli hea trianguleerida. üldiselt ikka teaduse ja ratsionaalse mõtlemise triumf. ja lakkamatu võitlus loodusega ja lahenduste leidmine. samas ka väga inimlik lugu, see kogu riigi kaardistamine võttis neil 80 aastat, sest alailma... tuli midagi muud vahele. näiteks kaardistati möödaminnes tohutu põhjalikkusega, kuus tolli miilile, ära kogu Iirimaa (tõsi, põhjused selleks olid pigem sellised... kolonialistlikud, maksukogumine jne). või saadeti delegatsioon mõõtma ja üles joonistama Jeruusalemma, sest... miks mitte. (tegelt ka, miks Jeruusalemm? jäi veidi selgusetuks. ilmselt jälle kolonialism.)

ainus etteheide raamatule on mul see, et kiri oli tõesti jube pisike ja ilma prillideta ei näinud lugeda - okei, mul on prillid olemas. aga juuresolevad illustratsioonid - nt needsamad mõõtmisseadmed, aga eelkõige igasugused kaardinäidised - jäid isegi prilliga loetamatuks. halasin selle üle igal õhtul, kuni peika tüdines ja mulle Amazonist luubi tellis. see tegi asjad üksjagu paremaks, aga siiski, need pildid väärinuksid paremat trükikvaliteeti

[Danny Whatmough · Rating 5 out of 5]

On my count the book is actually only 312 pages of narrative (plus an introduction) but there's a tonne of references, if nothing else the book is amazingly well researched and referenced.

I currently only own 5/6 OS maps in my room as well as having the app on my phone, and a puzzle book, and a few other bits people have bought me over the years. This book was one of those presents and I can easily say it's one of the best books anyone has bought me.

I still don't fully understand how trigonometry works with regards to map making (I tried to learn, it confused me) but I know it creates some absolutely fantastic illustrations of a nation.
I do now comprehend how much I took my maps for granted though, while I've had difficulty finding ones for when I travel abroad that I like as much as OS maps I always assumed it was just because I didn't know where to look, but from reading this book it looks like it's more to do with a pedigree and passion that was put into the map making process in the first place.

It's honestly amazing to me just how much of a story there is behind what's essentially just a birds-eye illustration of a country, something that satellites and helicopters have made incredibly easy to find but back in the day the Ordinance Survey was starting up were completely novel ideas and the nearest thing might have been a hot air balloon.

It's just a proper interesting book and it's really well written in my opinion,
Touched on a few bits of history I knew bits about but never appreciated how important just knowing your area was and gave me a new found appreciation for how lucky I am to have detailed maps available for my use to avoid me from getting lost.
(Though I'll still carry my GPS as a just in case)

[AJW · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love maps. There’s something magical about reading a map and being able to convert the handheld 2D print into a massive 3D landscape in my mind’s eye, like a camera drone flying across the landscape. I can spend ages tracing the contours and paths, imagining what that area looks like, or remembering what it looks like if I’ve been there. As a keen walker, I always have an OS map with me. But an OS map isn’t just a navigational aid, it will also trigger memories of past walks.

Old OS maps are time machines. I look at an old map and I go back in time. Housing estates and modern landmarks vanish and I’m left with the historic buildings and ancient roads.

So of course I was fascinated by this book explaining the origins of Ordnance Survey maps. I thought The author did a great job in highlighting the jumble of scientific, military, political & philosophical motivations behind the creation of OS maps. Rachel Hewitt really brought to life the key personalities. And learning how the early cartographers actually measured the landscape was interesting to me, including the heroic efforts to get an accurate baseline.

[Dead John Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

A chunky read but I loved all of it.

Not for the fainthearted or mildly interested. There is a lot of names and dates but the author never lets her eyes stray from the main prize, which was quite an achievement how many diversions and sidetracks the actual survey itself took.

Replete with collateral history you get a full contextual view of how this phenomenal achievement came about. I liked her writing style as it had almost the perfect mix of enough contextual information to understand what you are reading and coherent explanations of the more technical aspect.

This is non-fiction and the latter half the book is taken up references and notes.

The lasting impression I was left with was the sheer scale of the human achievement and the remarkable people who brought this about.

Bear in mind that the project was started in an agrarian Britain but before bit was even half way through the Industrial Revolution was erasing and irrevocable changing the very landscape that the surveyors were trying to map.

So glad I read this

[ClareT · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have had this on my shelf to be read for about ten years - I had picked it up before, and gave up. This time I did persevere. The book tells the story of the production of the first Ordnance Survey maps of Great Britain and Ireland. From the original idea, following the Jacobite rebellion in Scotland in 1745, to their completion about 125 years later. These are the stories of the mapmakers who took the idea and developed both the scope and the coverage. Both the physical difficulties of producing the maps and the political barriers thrown in the way are covered. As are some of the other interested parties along the way - Wordsworth and Coleridge both make an appearance.
This is a really well researched book (as testified to by the copious notes at the back), but it was quite dull and I did have to force myself to go on reading it. Possibly I was not as interested in the history of maps as I thought when I first bought the book!

[Chris Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

For the most part this is a really interesting book. However, she runs on a bit when describing the triangulation in places. The mapping of the British Isles extended over a century and required high quality people to run it, and as Hewitt shows, for the most part, the people were there when needed. The Geodesic Survey was an immense undertaking that brought the natural world into the libraries of the country. It was an extraordinary accomplishment. Hewitt writes well, and with the exception of the lousy footnoting system that seems to be favored by publishers at this time, it is a fine book. She has included an immense bibliography that compares well with Phillip Russell’s in The History of Mexico. I am still trying to figure out if she is an historian writing science or a scientist writing history. Either way it is a good read.

[Andy Bryant · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slightly disappointed that the 'biography of the Ordnance Survey' is only a biography of it's first 100 odd years - I suspect the author wanted the closure from the publication of the much anticipated First Series (whole of England & Wales completely mapped) - which was a LONG time coming - included, otherwise the narrative may have been wrapped up even sooner. I'm not sure how much of it has sunk in (I'm a lifelong map addict so this should be my ultimate read but man, so much of this book was dry and often hard work) - but I shall definitely remember that we've all been pronouncing Mount Everest wrong!

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're into maps then this is well a worth a read. At times I personally felt it focussed a bit too much on the people, rather than what they actually did. It also was quite speculative at times. There were lots of, "we can imagine that...", and, "he probably thought that..."
The pacing felt a bit strange to me too, slightly plodding at the start but increasingly rushed, to the point where there was nothing about twentieth century, the concrete trig points and so on.
Overall though, a good read

[Lawrence Aitken · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have loved the Ordnance Survey maps since planning a week long hike in the Lake District as a 16 year old with 2 friends from school. We used the OS maps when up on the hills in the mist with visibility down to 20 yards and a compass to successfully navigate our route to the Youth Hostel. This book looked fascinating when I saw it in a bookshop in Grasmere. Incredibly detailed and as another reviewer described it a bit of a slog. The author has gone to immense lengths to research and chronicle the subject and for that she deserves four stars.

[Joanne Whitlock · Rating 5 out of 5]

I skim read this as I have trouble remembering names and dates but was most of all interested in the narrative and thought behind the structure of the story.

It surprised me that the maps and the organisation behind them had evolved from different people, projects and objectives yet I don’t know why that would be a surprise.

It makes me feel that the contribution all of us make to the world is much harder to appreciate than we would like to believe.

[Dan Cohen · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting and well-executed history of how the Ordnance Survey came into being and of its early years. I particularly enjoyed the more technical sections on the methods of surveying, and also on the civil, political, and military importance of map-making. I would have liked more on the later years of the OS and its current status and prospects.

A little dry for most readers, I suspect, but it's worth a read.

[James Marland · Rating 3 out of 5]

My first book of 2019 was ultimately a little disappointing. The subtitle of “a biography of the Ordnance Survey” hides the fact that the material covers less than half of its 300 year span. For a map book the illustrations were weak, and the wider role that maps play in British society were brushed over in preference to Hanoverian civil service politics.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love maps. This book is good history and just enough science.

The book reminded me again of why paper maps are in many cases much more useful than digital as they allow one to see a much larger context and to be much more malleable in one's choice of route and even destination options.

And it helped me remember why I love(d) trigonometry and geometry.

[Bryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fascinating tale of the foundation of the Ordnance Survey in the U.K. and how it established a new conception of space and national identity. Extremely detailed, almost to a fault, making it a bit tough to work through at times.

[Voirrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not a light read - but is a fascinating account of how the Ordnance Survey began, how the mapping was done over the years, and the people who were involved.

As an aside, I was interested to read that page 100, of our island, was published in 1873 - 3 years after sheet 108.

[Paul · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very dry. Focus is on a few individuals responsible for the early days of the Ordnance Survey, and clearly a lot of research went into this, but it brings little illumination to the joy of poring over an OS map, now or in the past.

[Simon Apps · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit too much about the people involved and not enough about the maps and science for me.
Interesting enough to keep me reading but could have done with more on the technology involved. I appreciate you can’t please everyone though. Glad I read it but also glad I can move on now.

[Graham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Epic tale, great read, loads of detail and compelling narrative. Enjoyed it so much I read it twice! I was intrigued by the technicalities of the early triangulations and development of the mapping techniques. Did extra research along the way. Excellent!
(I do love OS mapping!)