Only a few medieval maps of Great Britain still exist: the earliest known map of the island of Great Britain — the Gough map — dates from the mid-14th century.
Maps change through time, due to an expanding knowledge of the land, or changes to the land itself.
Visitors to 'You are Here' could view many early and unusual maps of Great Britain and the surrounding seas.
The first separate map of the British Isles
continet Angliam et Scotiam cum
Hibernia adiacente'. Rome, 1556.
View zoomable image
Produced in 1556, this engraving was based on George Lily's 1546 map, which was the first separate map of the whole British Isles.
Unlike the original, this newer version of the map is oriented with north to the top. The scale bar — which appeared in the original — has been removed.
Lily was an exiled English Catholic at the papal court in Rome.
This version bears the insignia 'IHS', earning it the nickname of 'the Jesuit map'.
Sea chart of Great Britain
grundad af säkra efterrattelser',
by Gustaf Klint. Stockholm, 1803.
View zoomable image
Produced by Gustav Klint in 1803, 'Karta ofver Brittiske Öarne' depicts the whole of the British Isles in its correct geographical relationship.
Maps can show the features of both land and sea, but often large distances over the sea are not represented on land maps. The Orkney and Shetland islands, for example, are frequently shown in a separate box above the map of Great Britain.
Unusually, 'Karta ofver Brittiske Öarne' includes distances over the sea: Shetland, Orkney and even Rockall are in their relative positions.
Maps of Great Britain were on show in 'You are Here', our exhibition on maps, which ran at the National Library from 22 July 2016 to 17 April 2017.