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Description

Rare English Map of India

Extremely rare 18th century map of India, published in London by William Herbert in 1766.

As noted in the title, this is  both map an sea chart, which includes soundings, shoals and detailed coastal topography.  Drawn from the work of French Royal mapmaker Jacques-Nicolas Bellin for the French Navy, the map depicts the Indian Peninsula, extending from the Deccan Plateau in the north to the southern tip of the subcontinent, including the island of Ceylon (modern-day Sri Lanka). Its focus on navigational details is evident in the inclusion of rhumb lines radiating from compass roses, indicating routes for maritime navigation.  

A particularly significant feature of this map is its emphasis on European settlements and trading factories, as noted in the decorative title cartouche. These sites are distinguished using abbreviations for various European powers:

  • E. (English): Denoting British settlements and trading posts, such as Madras (Chennai) and Bombay (Mumbai).
  • F. (French): Marking French possessions, notably Pondicherry, a key center of French influence in India.
  • D. (Dutch): Highlighting Dutch trading establishments, such as those along the Malabar and Coromandel coasts.
  • P. (Portuguese): Identifying Portuguese strongholds, including Goa, their historic colonial capital in India.
  • Da. (Danish): Indicating Danish settlements, such as Tranquebar (Tharangambadi), on the Coromandel coast.

This map reflects a period of intense European rivalry for trade and territory in India during the mid-18th century. The Seven Years’ War (1756–1763) had just concluded, resulting in significant territorial gains for the British and diminishing French influence in India. The map illustrates the strategic importance of these settlements for European powers in controlling trade routes, particularly in spices, textiles, and other valuable commodities.   

Rarity

The map is very rare.

We locate a single example of the 1779 edition of the map offered for sale by Orbis Terrarum in 1991.

We locate only a single example (National Library of Spain).

William Herbert Biography

The English mapmaker William Herbert (1718-95) traveled to India in about 1748 as a purser's clerk. Herbert's cartographic publishing started to take form in the late 1740s, when he set up a map and print shop on London Bridge. In 1758, with the encouragement of the East India Company, he introduced a new pilot guide, A New Directory for the East Indies. Herbert gathered superior sources than those used in Mount & Page's The Third Book, consulting such works as Mannevillette's Neptune Oriental, as well as the navigator William Nicholson and the cartographer Samuel Dunn. He often worked with colleagues, including Jefferys, Sayers, Dury, and Andrews, and is recorded as a seller of the famous Anti-Gallican map. In 1776 he retired, having apparently made a fortune. His business was carried on by Henry Gregory Sr.