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This finely engraved map of Oxfordshire was produced by John Cary, one of the leading English cartographers of the late 18th century.
The map is engraved in a clean, legible style with county boundaries, turnpike roads, rivers, and market towns carefully delineated. Hundreds (administrative divisions within the county) are labeled, and major routes to London and other counties, such as Warwickshire, Northamptonshire, and Berkshire, are marked along the margins. Cary’s use of light hachuring renders the topography without overwhelming the page, while his typographic hierarchy gives prominence to county seats and parishes, including Oxford, Abingdon, Henley, and Banbury.
John Cary (1754–1835) was one of the most accurate English mapmakers of his time. This map appeared in his major county atlas, Cary’s New and Correct English Atlas (1787).
John Cary (1755-1835) was a British cartographer and publisher best known for his clean engraving and distinct style which influenced the entire map industry. Born in Wiltshire, John was apprenticed to an engraver in London. He started his own business by 1782 and moved to several premises before settling at 86 St James’s Street in 1820.
Cary had several significant collaborations during his career. John Wallis and Cary diversified Cary’s business to include broader publishing projects. Brother William and John made globes together, while brother Francis participated in the company’s engraving work. Finally, geologist William Smith and Cary developed and sold geological maps, some of the first of their kind. The pair also produced a notable series of county maps starting in 1819. Cary’s atlases, of English counties and the world, were the standard texts of the early nineteenth century. He was appointed surveyor of roads to the General Post Office in 1794, which led to the New Itinerary, first published in 1798.
John trained his son, George, in engraving and George and his other son, John Jr., took over the business in 1821. It was then known as G. and J. Cary and continued in trade until 1850. The firm’s materials were then acquired by George Frederick Cruchley and then Gall and Inglis. By the time John died in 1835, Cary was the authoritative name in private map publishing and his business was a leader in the field throughout the first half of the nineteenth century.
![[ Southeastern England ] Warwicum, Northhamtonia, Huntingdonia, Cantabrigia, Suffolcia, Oxonium, Buckinghamia, Befordia, Harfordia, Essexia, Berceria, Middlesexia, Southhatonia, Surria, Catiu & Southsexia](https://storage.googleapis.com/raremaps/img/small/110076.jpg)
