Antique Map of Scotland with the Hebrides and Highland Counties, 1845

About this sheet

This antique map of Scotland, published in 1845, gives the whole country on a single upright sheet, from Cape Wrath and the Pentland Firth down to the Solway and the Border. The Western Isles run down the left margin with Lewis, Harris, North and South Uist, Benbecula, Barra, Skye, Rum, Eigg, Mull, Iona, Islay and Tiree all named, and the Minch is lettered between them and the mainland. The Highland counties of Sutherland, Ross, Inverness, Argyll and Perth are drawn in close hachure that gives the whole north the appearance of crumpled ground, with the great glens and lochs cut through it. The Firths of Forth, Tay, Moray and Clyde are engraved in detail, and Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Dundee, Perth, Inverness, Stirling and Ayr are marked. Hand applied color in yellow, green, red and blue separates the counties, and a note beneath the title gives the population of Scotland including the islands at the census of 1831.

The plate comes from Maps of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge, in the new edition corrected to the present time that Charles Knight and Company published at 22 Ludgate Street, London, in 1845, whose first volume covers Europe. The Society was founded in 1826 by Henry Brougham and his circle to publish useful knowledge at a low price. Its maps were issued in parts from 1829, first by Baldwin and Cradock, from 1842 by Chapman and Hall and then by Charles Knight, and the series grew to about two hundred maps. Most of them were engraved on steel by John and Charles Walker, and the outline color was applied by hand.

The plate is signed by J. and C. Walker as engravers. The imprint at the foot names Charles Knight and Company of 22 Ludgate Street, London.

Moderate overall age toning, with the paper darker along the bottom edge, scattered foxing in the margins, one or two spots larger than the rest, a stain in the margin and handling wear to the top left and top right corners.

This is an original antique map, not a modern reproduction. This item is sold unframed. Any framed or interior images are shown for presentation and inspiration only, unless the listing explicitly states that the item is sold framed.