Robert Morden
Robert Morden | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth year and age England |
| Died | 1703 |
| Occupation(s) | Publisher, bookseller, mapmaker, globe maker, engraver |
| Years active | circa 1675–1703 |
| Known for | Commercial cartography, maps of British counties, miniature maps, atlases |
Robert Morden (circa 1650 – 1703) was a distinguished English publisher, bookseller, mapmaker, globe maker, and engraver, acknowledged as one of the pioneering figures in successful commercial cartography.
From approximately 1675 until his passing in 1703, Morden conducted his business "under the sign of the Atlas" located in Cornhill, London and New Cheapside, London. His prolific cartographic production features significant maps of South Wales, North Wales, and various English counties, initially issued in the 1695 edition of William Camden's Britannia. These maps were crafted using newly gathered information from local county gentlemen and freshly engraved plates, adorned with ornamental cartouches and comprehensive place names. They saw subsequent reprints in 1722, 1753, and 1772. In 1701, Morden released a collection of smaller county maps referred to as Miniature Mordens.
In 1695, he published a map of Scotland that integrated earlier sources such as Robert Gordon of Straloch’s 1654 chart while incorporating improved accuracy in select areas.
Morden’s fourth edition of Geography Rectified: or a Description of the World (1700), dedicated to Thomas Goddard, is an extensive volume exceeding 700 pages. It contains 78 maps depicting Europe, Asia, Africa, America, along with two world maps illustrating opposite hemispheres. The book also elaborates on geographical principles including latitude and longitude and offers comparisons of commodities, customs, governance systems, currencies, and weights relative to those in London. An extensive gazetteer further enhances its utility for geographic inquiry.
Among his other works is a map representing the Tamil region in seventeenth-century Ceylon (modern-day Sri Lanka). Morden is also noted for producing rare early maps of British North American colonies that are highly prized by collectors. His miniature world maps were featured in playing-card formats and atlases such as Atlas Terrestris and Geography Anatomiz'd, beginning in 1687.
A member of The Worshipful Company of Weavers guild, Morden apprenticed under Joseph Moxon, who served as hydrographer to Charles II. Among those who trained under Morden were notable apprentices including Mary Ward (1674), Philip Lea (1675), and Margaret Wearg (1675).
County Maps
Displayed below are images of Morden’s county maps from the 1722 edition of Camden’s Britannia (Volumes 1 & 2). The Preface indicates these maps underwent revisions since their original publication in 1695, with updates to place-name spellings to align with contemporary orthography and pronunciation.
See also
- Britannia (atlas) (in addition to Camden, two other authors produced atlases under this title)
- Richard Blome (1635–1705)
- John Ogilby (1600–1676)
External links
- Map of Scotland, National Library of Scotland
- A new map of New England, New York, New Iarsey, Pensilvania, Maryland and Virginia, available on Gallica