My Final Paper: The Gough Map

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The Bodleian Library’s Gough Map
The Bodleian Library Map Room is home to many historically valuable and fascinating maps, but none quite like the Gough Map. Dated within ten years of 1360, the Gough Map is reputed to be the earliest road map of Great Britain. Surprisingly, even at a time when cartography was just beginning to tackle land masses, the Gough Map was able to reach a level of accuracy that few maps of that time could get close to. Due to its degree of accuracy the Gough Map was depended on for the use of future maps of Britain worldwide for some time. The map is a beautiful as well as informational representation, a four by two foot expanse of vellum covered in three different colored inks to represent lakes, rivers, forests, animals, and, perhaps most striking of all, red roofed structures of different shapes and sizes to represent Great Britain’s cities, towns, and settlements. Besides the beauty of the informational section of the map, the mysterious map has illustrations of both a shipwreck and battling sea monsters within its ocean surrounding the island of Great Britain. Although little is known about the map-maker, the map’s purpose, or meaning, the facts that are known offer clues to puzzling out some of the mystery. Another interesting detail about the Gough Map lies in the myth and legend that are referenced on the map. Legendary locations such as the burial place of King Arthur are marked on a map that otherwise is remarkably accurate. While the undertones of King Arthur and the Greek hero Brutus are an unusual addition to such a factual map, there may be a more political purpose to these illustrations. Besides being one of the first maps to attempt to record an entire country, the Gough Map records the roads, rivers, towns, and coastlines with extraordinary correctness for the time it was made, and reveals much about medieval Great Britain.
Physical Description of the Gough Map
Even without knowing the background and meaning of the Gough Map, a glance at the physical characteristics of the Gough Map reveals much about its value and importance. Although the map is currently in delicate condition, the maker of the map used materials that would last hundreds of years. The Gough Map was “drawn on two pieces of animal hide which were originally sewn together, though the stitching has long since disappeared” (Millea, 2007). Of all the possible options available, the map-maker for this map chose an expensive and durable canvas from the start. Several colors of ink, not paint, were used to improve clarity and usability of the map along with adding an artistic, aesthetic quality to the map. The map librarian at the Bodleian considers the Gough Map “a thing of beauty, in which the almost abstract forms created by the rivers’ tentacles are counterpointed by the fastidious delicacy of the mapmaker’s vignettes and scripts” (Millea, 2007). It is clear that the value of this map surpasses the obvious historical and cultural knowledge that it imparts, existing also as a work of art and source of inspiration to some.
A special white ink was used to brighten land masses and also used was “green for the sea and rivers” along with “a bolder pigment: red, which has been used for the majority of the map’s inland features—most prominently, for hundreds of tiny drawings of houses, castles and churches representing centres of population” (Millea, 2007). Some areas were highlighted with the use of silver leaf and gold to indicate importance or dominance. The structures drawn all over the Gough Map vary in appearance and indicate the location of a city or town during the time it was created. The detail given to the individual tiny drawings initially seem as though they might be drawn from a specific building in that town but are actually symbolic instead of literal representations. These artistic and elaborate “vignettes for cities, towns and smaller settlements fall into six basic groups: lone houses; lone houses with spires; multiple houses with spires; town walls; and castles” (Millea, 2007). It is clear that the map was used for more than simply traveling and maneuvering because the status and political value of each city are indicated with these various symbols. As intricate and detailed as the tiny structures are, they are clearly repeated several times and in some cases the symbolic meaning can be easily determined. Some examples such as the “cathedral cities and monasteries are identified by crossed spires, whilst military sites are shown with towers and/or crenellations” (Millea, 2007). As they were utilized for transportation and trade, rivers are indicated clearly and conspicuously throughout the map. Lakes, hills, mountains, and forests are designated on the map mostly for the purposes of indicating obstructions to a traveler’s path.
While the positioning is not entirely accurate, Handrian’s Wall is “one of the Gough Map’s most pronounced features, reflecting the dominant impact it must have had on the landscape before parts of it were dismantled” (Millea, 2007). The wall is drawn clearly and boldly across the map in red ink posing an obstruction for travelers and a landmark to help pinpoint the position of the surrounding locations. While some areas of the Gough Map are heavily detailed, filled with drawings and roads, there are some blank areas of the map. These sparse areas are mostly in Scotland and Scottish Marches where “the map’s compiler was reduced to relying on the ‘geography of hearsay’” (Millea, 2007). Only two animals are drawn on the entire map, “a deer and a wolf, both in Scotland,” to indicate the prevalence of these creatures in the indicated area and “suggests at least a degree of local knowledge” (Millea, 2007). Since these drawings are positioned in the empty areas of the map, it is possible that these animals are intended as decoration along with imparting knowledge about the surroundings which was common for maps of that time.
Historical Importance
Mapping a Country
The Gough Map is important to modern historians because it teaches much about the time it was created around 1360, the early techniques of map-makers, the influence of legends and myths, and the importance of early roads in Britain. First of all, the Gough Map is unique because very few maps from this time period attempted the daunting task of recording the distances, coastlines, and roads of an entire country. Often compared to the Gough Map and held at the British Museum, Matthew Paris’s Map of Great Britain has been dated at 1250 and attempts a similar feat, yet “compared with Matthew Paris’s skeletal, 6 x 9 inch Figure of Britain, the Gough Map is far larger (approximately 2 x 4 feet), much denser, and immeasurably more complex image, both geographically and iconographically” (Birkholz, 2004). In the subject of maps, size can make a distinct difference in clarity, detail, and readability. While both maps feature roads and routes, “Paris’ procedure seems to have been to construct the topography of his map around itineraries, rather than vice-versa” (Millea, 2007). While both the Gough Map and Matthew Paris’s map are road maps, the Gough Map’s accuracy is displayed in its correct scale, and coastline shape as well as the traveling routes. Because Paris was so focused on the roads and pathways, “his maps are far from possessing the accuracy of the Gough Map” (Millea, 2007).
Early Accuracy
Secondly, the Gough Map is well noted for its accuracy of the many different aspects and uses that it attempts. Not only functioning as a helpful traveler’s map, offering the correct routes between towns, the Gough Map represents the entire country of Great Britain with correct distances between its landmarks and settlements. For this reason the Gough Map is “unique in its century for the correctness of its outline and proportions” (Bagrow, 1964). With its distinctive red lines to show the usable roads of the time and roman numerals showing the distance, the Gough Map, when “viewed as a collection of itineraries it is extremely accurate” (Harvey, 1991). The accuracy of early maps varies greatly, the lack of technology and equipment being one difficulty along with few sources of earlier maps. The Gough Map’s elaborately drawn road system is extraordinary because it has "not just one itinerary, like Matthew Paris’s maps, but a whole network of roads, linking towns that are correctly placed on or between the branches of a quite elaborately drawn river system” (Harvey, 1991).
A Source for Later Cartographers
Lastly, the Gough Map is important historically to cartographers because it was the basis for many later maps and set a precedent that later map-makers could learn from and surpass. Surprisingly, “the Gough Map does not appear to have needed updating for around 250 years” (Millea, 2007). Throughout the history of cartography maps are constantly improved by learning from the successes of previous map-makers. The Gough Map is one of the earliest maps of Great Britain as well as one of the first to attempt an entire country on one map. Because it was considered a reputable cartographic source, “the Gough Map clearly became well-known internationally, as its outline remained in use by cartographers overseas for almost two centuries” (Millea, 2007). Modern historians know that the Gough Map was a source used by later cartographers specifically because many “sixteenth-century maps of Britain bear a striking resemblance to the Gough Map as far as the general outline of South Britain is concerned, as I have tried to show in tracing the origin of certain errors which appear on maps of that century” (Pelham, 1933). An interesting way of pinpointing what sources a mapmaker used is to find his errors and trace these mistakes back to an exact error on an earlier source. The error was unlikely to be repeated by accident, showing that the newer map was based on the older one with the identical error.
Sources Used in Creation
It was common for early map-makers to use older maps in combination with collected land data in order to create the most accurate product. The common theory is that the Gough Map is actually based on an earlier version or versions of itself. The Bodleian’s map librarian Nick Millea is not the only source that has stated that “there is much evidence to suggest that what the Bodleian possesses is an updated copy of an older map, conceived in the reign of Edward I (1272-1307) rather than that of Edward III (1327-1377) and possibly drawn up as early as 1280” (Millea, 2007). Besides being based on earlier land maps, it is disputed among authors whether the coastline of Great Britain is taken from portolan sea charts of the time. One of the more remarkable features of the Gough Map is how its creator was able to map the coastline of Great Britain with so much accuracy. The author of The King’s Two Maps claims that the accurate depiction of the Gough Map’s coastlines does “owe its south and southeast coasts, its British Channel, and its North Sea to medieval portolan charts” for the reason that “these were waters with which Mediterranean ships were familiar” (Birkholz, 2004). Since sea maps were being created before land maps it is only logical to think that some of them contributed to the making of newer land maps. The author of British Maps and Map-makers agrees that there was “considerable traffic in coastal waters, so the face and shape of England were becoming well-known” which would validate the idea that the map-makers of the 14th century were already familiar with Great Britain’s coastline through portolan maps (Lynam, 1944). The possibility that a portolan chart was created of the exact coastline is also possible because the “earliest surviving mediaeval sea-charts date from about 1300, but their maturity of form and their relative accuracy suggest that they must have had predecessors” (Bagrow, 1964). Even if the exact sea-chart from which the Gough Map’s creator based his coastlines upon is not available to us, it very well could have existed.
Although the theory that the Gough Map’s coastlines were based on portolan charts is a widely accepted one, found in at least four separate cartography sources, there are flaws in this theory. The portolan map theory is specifically challenged by the Bodleian’s map librarian Nick Millea who believes that the “problem with the portolan theory is that there are some very important coastal features which appear on charts of the time but are not included on the Gough Map (Millea, 2007). If the coastal features of the Gough Map were taken from a portolan chart of the time, the map-maker would be aware of features that are important to sailing and repeat these features on their own map. Some areas that Millea mentions are “The Lizard,” the southern-most point of the isle of Great Britain which is the starting point of many ship’s ocean voyage and “Start Point,” a jagged headland which is dangerous for ships and sailors (Millea, 2007). In general, the Gough Map’s coastline lacks intricate detail and was not given the same attention as the land areas. Millea calls this “a broad-brush approach to the coastline” and suggests that “a maritime cartographer, paying close attention to bays and headlands, would have given it a far more jagged appearance” (Millea, 2007). While it is possible that the Gough Map’s maker purposely ignored the detail along the coastline, knowing that these details would not be valuable to his audience, some details would be distinctly noted on a portolan that are not noted on the Gough Map. If the map-maker had access to an accurate portolan map for the Gough Map it is unlikely “that he would have made the cardinal error of omitting Cardigan Bay” (Millea, 2007), which also weakens the theory that the Gough Map was based on portolan charts.
The compiled data of distances between towns and overall shape of Great Britain seem to have been collected and processed by the map-maker of the Gough Map. The cartographers of the time were limited by the primitive technologies they had for mapping land and estimating distances. “One way of surveying the country was, of course, to plot all its main roads, and this was evidently the chief, though not the only task of the author of the Gough Map” (Lynam, 1944). By determining the distances between the cities and other points of interest, the map-maker could mathematically determine the placement of the landmarks on the map and create an accurate visual representation of what the whole area would look like. The maker of the Gough Map not only calculated these distances but wrote in red next to the lines of the roads, “roman numerals very much as if they are in fact graphic devices to indicate distances, rather than representations of existing highways” (Millea, 2007).
While calculating the distances between every point of interest will achieve a certain level of accuracy, it is possible that the Gough Map’s creator used other methods of collecting data. The only tools available to collect cartographic data “in 1350 were the magnetic compass and—more commonly used—the astrolabe” (Lynam, 1944). And while the author of British Maps and Map-Making suggests that the astrolabe was used to determine distances by using the known distances of two other points, Nick Millea from the Bodleian library argues that the survey of an entire country using “triangulation is very unlikely as there is no evidence for this type of operation in medieval times” (Millea, 2007). The task of triangulating an entire country using various coordinates would likely be a considerable task that would leave some mark on historical records of that time.
There were indirect methods of collecting data and one of the more likely sources would be the newly popular field of astronomy that was becoming popular in England at the time. And since the progress for astronomy in “England in the fourteenth century” was considered “well advanced” and “acquired a world-wide reputation” it is wholly possible that “latitudes to have been computed from the stars and used to obtain the north-south accuracy of the map; but longitudes were another matter” (Millea, 2007). Almost as soon as he offers the possibility of astronomy as the Gough Map’s source of raw data, Millea dismisses the theory, deciding that “from the itineraries of the day it would be possible to work out overall distances and to build up a fairly accurate picture of the proportions of the country and the location of the river and major towns” (Millea, 2007). Whether the map-maker of the Gough Map used an astrolabe, astronomy, or only used the distances of itineraries between points of interest, it is clear that the collection of the raw data for the map must have been an enormous job in itself.
Storytelling and the Gough Map
The Shipwreck
The Gough Map is rich in history and legend, portraying a shipwreck in one expanse of ocean, a battle of sea monsters, and various fictional locations all over the land portion of the map taken from Arthurian legend and early classical myth. The largest of the drawings on the Gough Map is a depiction of a sailing vessel “possibly caught on the rocks between Orkney and Norway” in apparent distress (Millea, 2007). While the illustration could possibly be decorative only, there is evidence to suggest that the images are symbolic and hold significant meaning. “Several details in the construction of Gough’s shattered vessel—e.g., its single mast, shown broken on the map—establish that this is a documentary drawing based on an English warship from about the second quarter of the fourteenth century” (Birkholz, 2004). While the depiction of the vessel may suggest that it was an English warship, there are several theories about what the image might depict. On one of the escaping rafts near the shipwreck there is a “stretched-out figure with long hair and clothed in a loose-fitting garment drawn in at the waist” considered to be the figure of a lady escaping the sinking boat (Birkholz, 2004). In the space directly to the right of the lady in peril, there seems to be an unfinished drawing of a rescuing figure also in a boat. “What most characterizes this second image is that it remains unfinished” (Birkholz, 2004), giving the impression that the map-maker meant to blot it out or had some reason not to complete this figure.
From all possible interpretations of the shipwreck illustration, the one that seems most fitting on an early map of the entire country of Great Britain has to do with the “metaphor of ‘the ship of state’ had currency at the time, and that the distressed vessel could represent Scotland” (Millea, 2007). Using a ship to represent the vulnerability of a country being ruled by a new monarch or adjusting to succession is a common allegory from the period. “Two late medieval English poems, The Death of Edward III (c.1377) and The Ship of State (c.1458), employ this metaphor as their central structural conceit—each delineating the figure of an endangered ship of state” (Birkholz, 2004). Both poems refer to the strength and power of the ruler, comparing it to a warship and lament the fall of this great power, acknowledging the idea that even a powerful ruler can be vulnerable. When applied to the shipwreck illustration, the ship in danger represents Scotland, and the “incomplete drawing next to it, which seems to show a figure leaning from a second boat, might then represent Edward I coming to the rescue of a country wrecked by the dispute over its next ruler” (Millea, 2007). This symbolic interpretation encourages a special national pride and encourages benevolent actions on behalf of the ruling body.
Dueling Sea Creatures
A second illustration has been drawn in the ocean of the Gough Map taking the shape of three distinctly different sea creatures. “The arrangement of the fish suggests that they could be fighting, and it has been suggested that the largest figure is that of a whale confronting its two natural enemies the swordfish and the thrasher” (Millea, 2007). The types of creatures do not seem to be as important to the map’s meaning as is the placement and orientation of the figures. Just as the shipwreck illustration can be translated as an issue of international importance, the arrangement of dueling monsters has been interpreted the same way. It is suggested that an “incident in history” is being portrayed in the form of the three sea creatures battling. By observing “the Gough Map’s three sea-creatures’ relative sizes, spatial disposition, and antagonistic orientation (one larger form the south against two smaller form north and west) will surely have suggested already what ‘incident in history,’ what clash of armies this scene might represent” (Birkholz, 2004). If one takes into account that the image is found on a map of the entire country of Great Britain, it could be assumed that any malevolent imagery might represent the current enemies of the country being indicated. The political agenda of Great Britain might be shown through “symbolism in the three large sea creatures shown to the south of the ships, suggesting that the apparent battle of a whale against a thrasher and a swordfish could represent England’s struggle against Wales and Scotland” (Millea, 2007).
Arthurian Legend and Greek Myth
While the map is reputed for its accuracy of citing locations as well as other aspects, fictional locations appear on the map that are known only to exist in myth and legend. “The use of legend—particularly Arthurian legend—is an intriguing addition on what appears to be a map depicting geographical fact” (Millea, 2007). If the places noted on the map are taken from popular stories from the time, it is possible that the map-maker is treating these legends as fact, cherishing beloved ancient folklore, or has added them for a more political purpose, adding a more idealized perception of the realm being portrayed on the map. A notable example of a fictional landmark is “The Wathelyn, a lake (one of four on the map) east of Carlisle in Cumberland” which is featured in “two late Arthurian romances” where “the Tarne Wathelyn figures as a site of otherworldly contact, a magical lake of transformative powers” (Birkholz, 2004). The reference clearly holds some positive and glorifying connotations, possibly signifying that the country itself must be special and magical to be home to such a famous and special lake. Since it is one of only four lakes mentioned, it seems that the map-maker did not note all the lakes in Great Britain on his map and decided that it was more important than most.
The second reference to a fictional place on the map has ties that go all the way back to Greek myth, but has numerous appearances and references within English legends. The Gough Map’s creator indicated that the “south Devon coast is shown as the landing place of Brutus, the great-grandson of Aeneas, and a group of Trojan exiles who had been enslaved in Greece” designated by the inscription “hic Brutus applicuit cum Troiani” (Millea, 2007). While the Latin inscription appears as a minor detail in the grand scheme of the Gough Map with its elaborate illustrations and silver-leafed castles, but makes a large statement. During the Gough Map’s creation, it was commonly believed that all “kings of England were held to be descendants of Brutus” (Millea, 2007). Being able to pinpoint the exact spot where Brutus arrived in Great Britain, gives strength to the belief that all kings hold a special power because they are blood related to Brutus. Furthermore, the romanticized image of Great Britain is also emphasized with this reference because Brutus was said to have “led his follower to a promised island ‘beyond the setting of the sun, past the realms of Gaul’ to establish altera troi (‘a second Troy’)” (Millea, 2007). By showing the placement of Brutus’s arrival in Great Britain on a map that is nearly entirely fact, it gives truth to the story that Britain was actually the special island that he promised to his followers and encourages loyalty to the current monarch.
The legend of Brutus is tied directly to the legend of King Arthur because it is mentioned in the Arthurian legend Sir Gawain and the Green Knight: “Felix Brutus sailed and founded the kingdom of Britain with joy” (Millea, 2007). The two legendary figures being referenced on the Gough Map have a few things in common: they are benevolent rulers who are well-known at the time, are powerful and fearsome to their foes, and demand the loyalty of their subjects in exchange for prosperity and overall well-being. By invoking these well-known figures from myth, the Gough Map “establishes the imperial patrimony and destiny of Britain’s kings” (Birkholz, 2004). By connecting the Great Britain from myth to the state of political Great Britain during the map’s creation, the Gough Map encourages loyal and supportive subjects. If these references were indeed placed for the purpose of encouraging morale, it “implies that the original map would have been made with the King very much in mind” (Millea, 2007).
Clues to its Purpose
The purpose, creator, and common usage of the Gough Map are mostly unknown and the source of the map’s mystery. With its elaborate network of pathways and notations of distances between towns, the obvious theory is that the map was used to aid transportation and plan journeys. A large number of common people over the country were starting to travel a great deal more during this time and the need for land maps was certainly increasing. The author of British Maps and Map-makers refers to Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales and points out how the six different characters were all of different stations and traveling for different reasons during this early time (Lynam, 1944). However, despite the popularity and increased audience for a traveler’s map, there is “strong evidence against the supposition that the map was drawn up for the benefit of pilgrims” (Pelham, 1933). As mentioned earlier, the Gough Map is quite a large size at two by four feet and would be a burden to carry on a journey even if there were a way to roll or fold it. Also, there are a “series of nail-holes around its edges,” evidence that the Gough Map “may once have been fastened ‘on to a board or wall’” (Birkholz, 2004). More importantly is that, unlike the Matthew Paris map of Great Britain, not only are many “of the major routes missing, but also many natural obstacles such as areas of high ground” (Millea, 2007). In comparison with maps that are created for travelers such as Paris’s map, the Gough Map is more ornate, puts more importance on the landmarks than the routes, and broadcasts political messages.
When taken into account that the manpower, time, and cost of producing the first map of its kind, it is “worth examining the possibility that it was commissioned with an administrative purpose in mind either by the Church or by the State” (Millea, 2007). While roads and rivers are a major part of the map to show the transport of goods and lines of travel, the structures that signify settlements and towns may be the most dramatic feature on the Gough Map. It is speculated that one of the reasons that the “author shows all his roads in red, probably by royal command, so that they might be more conspicuous” (Lynam, 1944). By making the roads and structures the most dramatic and noticeable thing on the map, it gives Great Britain the overall appearance of being largely populated and economically progressive.
The evidence points to the possibility that a king, “probably Edward I towards the end of his reign, conceived the idea of having a map made of the whole of his realm, especially as that realm had just been enlarged by the conquest of fresh territory with which he would need to establish communications” (Pelham, 1933). If indeed Edward I was the one who commissioned the Gough Map, he would have had just conquered new land from Wales that would need to be accounted for and celebrated which could be done visually with a large elaborate map of the new and improved Great Britain. Being used in a political and administrative way, “Gough may have been designed as ‘an official map of Great Britain.’ Its service as a model for maps used (if not commissioned) by English government agents well into the sixteenth century would appear to bear this point out” (Birkholz, 2004). The status of being Great Britain’s official map would explain why so many later maps were based on it and why so much effort was put in to make the map accurate. The Gough Map was likely created to be “a document of colonial administration and propaganda, a map not suited simply to wayfaring generally, but one designed above all to engage the imagination of early English imperial travelers—in particular those aristocratic and clerical elites” (Birkholz, 2004). The conspicuously marked towns, roads, and rivers suit the purposes of an administrative agenda because it portrays the country in the best possible view as a well-populated and economically active empire. Having images and references to myth that further idealize the state of the kingdom also support the theory that the Gough Map was designed for the reigning king of the time to broadcast his success and monitor the expanse of his country and newly won territory.
Conclusion
The beautiful Gough Map at the Bodleian Library is singular for its accuracy, its detailed representation of many aspects of the island of Great Britain, and its attempt to map an entire country. The Gough Map gives an insider view into the political status and cartographic advancement of Great Britain at the time. The references made to Arthurian legend and Greek myth show how important these stories were to the people of the time and how these fictional rulers may have been used to instilled hope and loyalty in the country’s subjects. The conquests of Great Britain gained territory from Wales and the roads Edward I used to invade the neighboring country are shown visually and dramatically in red. The great value they recognized in establishing settlements can be seen through the ornate and beautiful structures depicting each town. Furthermore, the importance and beauty of the Gough Map would not have survived 600 years if it were not for people who value artifacts such as this that offer a glimpse into the world of the past. Since the name of the Gough Map’s creator was not known, the map is currently named for the man who donated it to the Bodleian library in 1809. This naming seems fitting because without collectors and antiquarians like Richard Gough, the Gough Map would not have made it into the Bodleian Library and would not be able to tell its story. The Gough Map is a keystone in the history of cartography, provided a precedent for later map-makers, and an informative snapshot of Great Britain’s political and geographical state at the time.

References
Bagrow, L. (1964). History of cartography. (D. L. Paisey, Trans., R. A. Skelton, Ed.).
Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
Birkholz, D. (2004). The king’s two maps. New York: Routledge.
Harvey, P. D. A. (1991). Medieval maps. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
Lynam, E. (1944). British maps and map-makers. (W. J. Turner, Ed.). London:
William Collins.
Millea, N. (2007). The Gough Map. Oxford: Bodleian Library.
Pelham, R. A. (1933). The Gough Map. The Geographical Journal. 81(1). Retrieved June
14, 2009, from JSTOR

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