John Adams (cartographer)
Encyclopedia
John Adams was an English barrister best known as a cartographer responsible for an elaborate map of England and Wales.
and attended Shrewsbury School
. He became a barrister
of the Inner Temple
.
In 1677 he engraved on copper a map of England and Wales ‘full six feet square,’ the special feature of which was that the distance of each town from its nearest neighbours was ‘entred in figures in computed and measured miles’. But the work was declared by critical friends to be very roughly done, and Adams set to work to improve it. To supply temporarily the many omissions of villages, he laboriously drew up, in 1680, the Index Villaris, or an Alphabetical Table of all Cities, Market-towns, Parishes, Villages, Private Seats in England and Wales, and dedicated it to Charles II
. This Index he reprinted with elaborate additions in 1690, and again in 1700.
Meanwhile, under the patronage of several members of the Royal Society
, he undertook a survey of the whole country, in order to make his map as full and correct as possible. He completed his journeys before 1685, and in that year published his newly revised map under the title of Angliæ totius tabula. A reissue, called A New Map of England, is ascribed in the British Museum
Catalogue to 1693. Reduced and coloured copies of the revised map, which was of the original size (i.e. six feet square), were sold with the second and third editions of the Index Villaris.
Adams has been identified, on inadequate grounds, with a ‘Joannes Adamus Transylvanus,’ the author of a Latin poem describing the city of London
, which was translated into English verse about 1675, and is reprinted in Harleian Miscellany, x. 139–50.
Biography
Adams was a native of ShropshireShropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
and attended Shrewsbury School
Shrewsbury School
Shrewsbury School is a co-educational independent school for pupils aged 13 to 18, founded by Royal Charter in 1552. The present campus to which the school moved in 1882 is located on the banks of the River Severn in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England...
. He became a barrister
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
of the Inner Temple
Inner Temple
The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court in London. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wales, an individual must belong to one of these Inns...
.
In 1677 he engraved on copper a map of England and Wales ‘full six feet square,’ the special feature of which was that the distance of each town from its nearest neighbours was ‘entred in figures in computed and measured miles’. But the work was declared by critical friends to be very roughly done, and Adams set to work to improve it. To supply temporarily the many omissions of villages, he laboriously drew up, in 1680, the Index Villaris, or an Alphabetical Table of all Cities, Market-towns, Parishes, Villages, Private Seats in England and Wales, and dedicated it to Charles II
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
. This Index he reprinted with elaborate additions in 1690, and again in 1700.
Meanwhile, under the patronage of several members of the Royal Society
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
, he undertook a survey of the whole country, in order to make his map as full and correct as possible. He completed his journeys before 1685, and in that year published his newly revised map under the title of Angliæ totius tabula. A reissue, called A New Map of England, is ascribed in the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
Catalogue to 1693. Reduced and coloured copies of the revised map, which was of the original size (i.e. six feet square), were sold with the second and third editions of the Index Villaris.
Adams has been identified, on inadequate grounds, with a ‘Joannes Adamus Transylvanus,’ the author of a Latin poem describing the city of London
City of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
, which was translated into English verse about 1675, and is reprinted in Harleian Miscellany, x. 139–50.
External links
- details from Adams maps from Royal Geographical Society enterprises