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This 1853 revised edition of A Chart of the Southern Part of the North Sea by J.W. Norie provides a detailed nautical guide for navigating the waters from the Thames, Harwich, and The Downs across the North Sea to key continental ports including Calais, Dunkirk, Ostend, Flushing, and Helvoet. Published by C. Wilson, this map combines English, French, and Dutch surveys to offer an accurate and comprehensive view of the North Sea’s southern section, catering to mariners navigating this busy, yet challenging, maritime corridor.
The chart features detailed coastal outlines, soundings, compass roses, and rhumb lines, essential for guiding ships through an area with strong currents, shifting sands, and numerous hazards. Insets such as the "Inner Road of Ostend" and a close-up of the "Voorn Isle" highlight critical areas requiring precise navigation, enhancing its utility for sailors approaching or departing from European ports. The elaborate title cartouche, adorned with elegant script, adds a decorative touch, contrasting with the map’s technical precision.
Norie’s chart reflects the growing importance of safe navigation in the North Sea during the 19th century, a period marked by increased commercial and naval traffic between Britain and continental Europe. This map would have been an invaluable resource for mariners, balancing artistry with functionality in an era before modern navigational aids.
John William Norie (1772 – 1843) was a publisher of nautical books held in high regard by his contemporaries. He also specialized in nautical charts and was a mathematician. Norie was born in Wapping, London, the eldest of eight children.
Norie had an apptitude for navigation and chart making. His first work was published in 1796, The Description and Use of Hadley's Quadrant, by William Heather, a chart and instrument seller. Heather then took Norie on as a chart maker and allowed him to run a nautical academy out of Heather's premises on Leadenhall Street. He continued to work for Heather, working out of his shop.
Norie published many works, but the most famous were A Complete Set of Nautical Tables (1803) and the Epitome of Practical Navigation (1805). Both were reissued throughout the nineteenth century, usually together. The Tables are still issued today. The Epitome became the standard work on navigation; it was so famous that authors C. S. Forester and Jack London both mention the book in their fiction. In addition to the Epitome, Norie wrote the The shipwright's vade-mecum (1822), Plates Descriptive of the Maritime Flags of All Nations (1838), and The naval gazetteer, biographer, and chronologist; new and improved (1842). He also provided pilots with charts that covered practically the entire world's seas--the famous blue-back charts.
Norie partnered with a financial backer, George Wilson, to buy Heather's business upon Heather's death in 1813. In addition to the nautical academy and the copyright to his books, Norie prospered from the growing business, which he managed. The shop, operating under the sign of the Wooden Midshipman, was called the Navigation Warehouse. It featured in Charles Dickens' Dombey and Son.
Norie retired in 1840. He sold his shares in the business and moved to Edinburgh. He died there, at the age of 71, on Christmas Eve 1843. His company was renamed Norie & Wilson after his retirement. In 1903, the firm merged with rivals and became Imray, Laurie, Norie & Wilson. It is still in business today.
