16th - 19th Century maps of Cheshire
 
     
 

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    Explore early Cheshire maps from the collection held at Cheshire Record Office. These maps give a fascinating insight into the history of a locality and are invaluable for local history and family history. Using the maps you can see how place names have changed and how the farms, hamlets, villages and towns of Cheshire, as well as its roads and canals, have developed over time.

If you want to know more about each map, more information will be found as each map is displayed.




John Ogilby 1675 Lichfield to Chester

The first road map of England and Wales, ’Britannia’ consisted of 100 maps, each approximately 45 x 35 cms in size. Working from bottom left to top right, the route is ‘projected on imaginary scrolls’ and, significantly, Ogilby uses the standard mile of 1760 yards, marked out in furlongs. Detail shown includes bridges, hills, towns, villages, churches, country seats, and compass roses to show changes in direction. The maps were an immediate success and Ogilby’s roads were soon appearing in the work of other mapmakers.