Libraries and leisure

‘Mystery’ man’s map makes a digital comeback

One of the most accurate and historically important maps of Hertfordshire, first published in 1822, has been re-published by the Hertfordshire Record Society (HRS) in collaboration with Archives & Local Studies – with the help of the latest digital scanning and printing technology.

Known simply as the Bryant map – after the unknown cartographer who produced it - the publication was once described as ‘one of the most beautifully executed maps of the county ever made’. This reprint gives a detailed view of what Herfordshire looked like nearly 200 years ago and provides an evocative glimpse into this mainly rural county, before railways, tarmac roads or housing estates. It is a high-quality facsimile, giving just under an inch to a mile, and comprising four sheets and a full index.

HRS Chairman Alan Ruston says “This map of Hertfordshire is amongst the most finely drawn and elegant maps ever produced of the county, yet the surveyor that produced it, known only as 'A Bryant' is an unknown figure. He appears from nowhere in 1822 and disappears as abruptly in 1835. Research has not disclosed his origins or previous experience and what happened to him subsequently.

“Bryant's map was produced after the first 1 inch Ordnance Survey map of the county, but his was probably more accurate. It gives a fascinating glimpse into early 19th Century Hertfordshire, when many of today's towns were mere villages and life moved at a much slower pace.”

There’s always something especially vivid and fascinating about very old maps, and they are invaluable to serious or occasional historians. The Bryant map in particular brings the historic Hertfordshire landscape to life. It is dated long before railways and major roads started to weave their way through the county, altering the landscape forever.

Copies of the map are available from the Society and from Archives and Local Studies at £7.50 [plus £1.50 postage].