16th CENTURY LAND MAP
THE DEBATABLE LAND BETWEEN SCOTLAND AND ENGLAND 1552
AN HISTORIC REPLICA OF THE ORIGINAL PLAN PRODUCED TEN YEARS AGO WHEN THE TOPOGRAPHY OF CARTOGRAPHY WAS BEING COMPILED PROFESSIONALLY MOUNTED BUT NOT FRAMED
When the original map was drawn in 1552, England and Scotland were separate countries, their crowns not united until King James of Scotland succeeded Elizabeth I in 1603. These two nations were not always peaceable neighbours, so the Anglo-Scottish border needed to be fixed, especially at the western end, which was a stronghold of lawless clans. This was the 'Debatable Land' between Cumberland and Dumfriesshire, shown in green on this map. The area was nearly four miles wide, lying between the rivers Sark and Esk, their waters running into the Solway Firth at left. Gretna is off the map to the left, while Canonbie is at centre. The map shows a wild land of hills, moors, bogs or mosses, and smaller burns running off rivers. Note the way that shading is applied outside the hills, as if they have hair. A standing stone near the word `Northe' at top right is about ten miles from the southern Lochmaben stone on the Esk estuary. The latter was the traditional `trysting place' where the warring factors met to negotiate truces and exchange prisoners. The fortified towers of two such prominent families are shown on this map: those of Fergus, Tom and Richard `Greme' (the English Grahams) at centre, and the Scot Sandy Armstrong's tower between the left two lines at the top. This important strategic map was made by Henry Bullock, otherwise recorded only in connection with buildings, as he later became Master Mason of the King's Works. Chosen as 'a man of some experience', he was paid 20 nobles (about £1,500 today) 'for special service' — presumably for 'the juste and true making' of this map. Perhaps as a response to the demands of high-level politics, this is an early example of a map drawn to scale, with a scale bar at its lower edge. It appears that Bullock used a local or 'customary' scale; a perch of about 8 yards long instead of the standard 5Y2 yards can be calculated from the length of the four straight lines on the map against their length on the ground. These lines illustrate English and Scottish proposals for the border, a compromise suggested by the French, and 'the last and Fynal Lyne' agreed on 24 September 1552. The map was filed with an account of the negotiations by the French ambassador in London, a mediator in the case. While the final line gave the largest area of the Debatable Land to Scotland, this was mostly moorland. The new frontier was then marked on the ground by an earthwork from Esk to Sark, still evident as Scots' Dike. State Papers reveal that drawing the line on this map was considered to be an integral part of defining the border. It is an early record of a map used as a tool in making an international boundary, which gives us a visual idea of the process behind it. The lines represent the debate about the land among the three parties.
SIZE: 10" x 8" (25 x 20 cm)
CONDITION: Excellent condition perfectly preserved in the archives.
MOUNTED
PRINTS AND MAPS are identical visually
to a regular paper or photographic image but enhanced with an
extra-rigid backing to provide stability and protection. In short,
the image is mounted onto a substance for ultimate protection against
warping and damaged corners.
The
print is perfect for free-standing display, an album collection, or
framing.
We
do not copy alter or reproduce any of the prints and maps we offer for sale
they are genuine vintage prints of the printing date stated below.
You
may occasionally see a similar item listed, this happens when we
have more than one of the print in the archives.
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