Since 1 November, the map experts at the National Library of Scotland have updated their website with four significant map collections that will help visualize the places our ancestors lived.
Most recently released were 354 early printed maps of Great Britain and Ireland, ranging from the 1570s to the 1960s, including town plans that show how local infrastructure developed over centuries.
They also digitized over 6,600 sheets from the Second Land Utilisation Survey. These maps from roughly 1958 to 1974 show specific land usage like industrial zones or arable farmland. You can now overlay these onto modern satellite imagery to see changes.
For researchers focusing on England and Wales, there are 1,329 new “earlier states” of the Ordnance Survey Six-inch first edition. These sheets, covering the 1840s to 1880s, are valuable because they can reveal details like railway lines or boundaries that were altered in later printings.
Finally, the library added 1,860 Survey of India maps (1912-1951). These provide detailed coverage of India, Bangladesh, Burma, and Pakistan.
Find a link, and more about NLS developments in their December Newsletter.