Maps of Lancashire

The transition from creating goods by hand to using machines is called the Industrial Revolution and it has been debated widely by scholars but we think it began around 1760 to 1840. This helps to determine the geography of the area from before and after the Industrial Revolution.

1748  (Map 4L)
Thomas Hutchinson. ‘A Correct Map of Lancashire’
from Osborne’s Geographia Magnae
Britanniae (London, 1748)

1748  (Map 4M)
Thomas Kitchin and Thomas Jefferys.  ‘A
Map of Lancashire’
from The Small English Atlas (London,1751)

The map shown below Is by Thomas Kitchin. ‘Lancashire… Corrected from Astronl. Observatns…’
from The London Magazine  (London, 1750).

Its quite difficult to understand this map but Stockport can be clearly seen and the River Tame.

A New Map of the County of Lancashire Divided into Hundreds by Mr. Thomas Dixon. Published by William Darton. 1816

The earliest map is shown below by J. and C. Walker. ‘Lancashire A.D. 1086 according to the Doomsday Survey’

The latest map is shown below


Lancashire from the book Pocket County Companion: Lancashire compiled by Robert Dodwell.

You can see quite clearly how the area has developed when you look at these maps.

A link containing all of the maps in the book Printed Maps of Lancashire: the first two hundred years, by Ian Saunders. https://lancaster.libguides.com/maps/Lancashirehistoricmaps

The following images have been scanned from maps in the collection of Dr Ian Saunders (unless otherwise stated) and have been used as illustrations in Printed Maps of Lancashire: the first two hundred years (CNWRS, Lancaster, 2013).  The map reference numbers in that book are included in the list below after the date, which is usually the year of the first issue, but in some cases is that for the particular edition illustrated. The jpeg images may be reduced to fit the screen and can usually be enlarged, depending on your browser. 
Warning: File sizes for some maps may be large.


You are welcome to use the images of these maps for personal, educational or research purposes. They must not be used for commercial purposes without the permission of Lancaster University Library and the copyright holder.