Scale: Hibernian Atlas

An Hibernian Atlas

Title page of Scale's Hibernian Atlas

Digital Book Collection

An Hibernian Atlas
Digital Book Collection

An Hibernian Atlas

Title page of Scale's Hibernian Atlas

Digital Book Collection

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Full Title:
Scale, Bernard. An Hibernian atlas; or General description of the Kingdom of Ireland: divided into provinces; with its sub-divisions of counties, baronies &c shewing their boundaries, extent, soil, produce, contents, measure, Members of Parliament and number of inhabitants; also the Cities, Boroughs, Villages, Mountains, Bogs, Lakes, Rivers and natural curiosities, together with the Great and Bye Post Roads. The whole taken from actual surveys and observations by Bernard Scale, land surveyor. and beautifully engraved on 78 copper plates, by Messrs. Ellis and Palmer.

Published as the Act directs, 1 Feb 1776. London:Printed for Robert Sayer and John Bennet, Map and Printfellers, No 53 in Fleet Street and may be had of the Author at his house in Dublin and at Mangroves, near Brentwood, Essex.

Description:
An Hibernian Atlas contains maps of Ireland showing counties, baronies, cities and towns. Each county has its own map with a description on the facing page. The maps are beautifully engraved and hand coloured.  Relief is shown pictorially and roads are shown with topographical information. The dedication is to His Most Excellent Majesty George the Third, King of Great Britain, France, and Ireland, &c. &c. &c. and this page and the title page contain detailed vignettes.

Scale’s Atlas shows the level of accuracy surveyors had achieved at the end of the 18th century. They still used the earlier tradition of pictorial representation. Surveying and engraving were still largely private undertakings supported by public funds. Private mapping was gradually overtaken and eventually replaced by the Ordnance Survey maps produced between the years 1824 and 1846.