Old maps are a very important and a vital tool for tracing your house. When all else fails and the name or number is changed, or in some cases the address alters the position on a map will remain constant.  The map will also show you how the town or village has altered over the years and the information you find will be a guide to the social and economic life of the community. The first place to check for maps is in the local library or record office. Several types of map survive and you need to ask your local library or record office which they have.

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Ordnance Survey 

From military beginnings Ordnance Survey has provided maps and charted the changing face of the nation for over two centuries. The fear of invasion by Napoleon led to the mapping of the whole country in detail, and is also the source of the intriguing name 'Ordnance Survey'.
The earliest maps where they survive may be found in family and estate collections, in local history libraries or record offices.

Tithe Maps and Awards

Introduced in the 1830s, tithe maps and the associated records reveal the names of landowners and occupiers

Tithing was the ancient custom of giving 10 per cent of a farmer's yearly produce to support the local church and clergy. It became law in the 9th century and, in principle, required payments to be made in kind. In practice this was cumbersome both for the farmer and the church, so straightforward monetary payments were often substituted instead.
The years following the Napoleonic Wars saw widespread agricultural depression, and tithes became increasingly unpopular. In 1836 the Tithe Commutation Act aimed to replace all remaining tithes in England and Wales with a financial payment. Local agents were tasked with surveying and valuing land to calculate landowners' liability, which resulted in hundreds of maps and accompanying records. Most maps were completed by 1850, with copies held locally. One was also sent to the Tithe Commission in London.
​The creation of the maps was paid for by the landowners, and the quality and accuracy varies dramatically.
Accompanying the maps, the tithe apportionments name the landowner and the charge apportioned to each plot, but also include the occupiers of properties. Although this is often seen as a rural tax, many maps include more urban areas

A powerful tool for House Historians   - 
The Genealogist Map Explorer

The Genealogist has introduced the innovative Map Explorer adding rich functionality to it’s growing collection of map-based records. This is a powerful new tool that overlays historic maps over several modern background maps including Ordnance Survey, Open Street Map and Bing satellite and hybrid road/satellite view.
Maps have been divided up into 3 types of layer that can be viewed on top of each other like sheets of paper. You can then change the transparency of a layer to view the layers below allowing you to see how the area changed over time.
The Base LayerThis is the modern layer, which can be used to select a modern OS Map, Open Street Map or a Bing Satellite Image.
The Historic LayerThe historic layer can be used to select a range of OS maps from the 1890’s to the 1960’s
Record Set LayerThis layer provides access to map record sets such as the Lloyd George Domesday, or the soon to be launched Georeferenced Tithe Maps. Keep an eye out as further record sets are to be added to this layer in the future. This layer also has the ability to show “Pins”, these are map markers that link directly to the records so you can see who was living in a particular property.
.Click on The Genealogist Map Explorer for more

Enclosure Maps
​and Records

Tithe and enclosure records can tell us a great deal about your house its tenants and the community too. The maps can be used in conjunction with 19th century Ordnance Survey maps to chart changes over time to great effect.
 
Where a landowner wanted to separate a piece of land from neighbouring land he did it by putting a hedge or fence around it. The land would usually have been part of a larger open field or a piece of the village common.
 
To do this however he would have needed the agreement of the neighbouring landowners or a private Act of Parliament.
 
The Act then appointed commissioners to would visit the parish, survey it and listen to the evidence of those local land holders and commoners.
 
The commissioners' decisions were published in the form of an enclosure award and map. The map shows what is explained in detail in the award.

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For a whole series of old map at Cassini click Here 

The National Library of Scotland (NLS) has digitised its collection of historic Ordnance Survey maps covering the entire United Kingdom, which are freely accessible at maps.nls.uk. For those researching Scottish ancestry, the resource is particularly valuable, offering an extensive range of historic maps of Scotland. These include detailed topographic and jurisdictional maps, as well as maps produced by the German army.

Goad fire Insurance Maps and Plan

Goads Fire Insurance Maps  Chas E Goad Co was the largest and most prolific producer of maps which were designed to  aid insurance companies to  assess risks. They made large-scale plans of urban areas which ranges in size from just eight sheets for Dover and over 500 for London. These maps include footprints and addresses for each building, with its use (commercial, residential, educational etc.) and the height of the building. Construction materials were identified (and thus its risk of burning), as were special fire hazards, such as chemicals, kilns, and ovens. Information could also indicate the likelihood of large groups of people in a building, for example in schools and places of worship. The width of streets, addresses and the proximity of fire services and water supplies appear. High-risk industrial facilities such as factories and mills, warehouses, and port/transport areas were given particular attention
Goads Fire Insurance Map

Where can i find out more?

Finding Maps 
​There are many sources for maps on line.
Comprehensive historical maps archives at Old maps

​Ordnance Survey web site and Cassini maps

​Check the historical social class of your London street using  Charles Booth’s poverty maps, compiled between 1886 and 1903

TheGenealogist has the innovative Map Explorer which adds rich functionality to its growing collection of map-based records. This powerful new tool has been developed with georeferenced historic maps overlaid over several modern background maps including

Ordnance Survey, Open Street Map and Bing satellite and hybrid road/satellite view.

The British Library has one of the largest collections of maps, plans and topographical views in the world, numbering some 4.5 million, with a chronological spread of over 2,000 years.

Layers of London is a map-based history website developed by the Institute of Historical Research. Users can access free historic maps of London and contribute stories, memories and histories to create a social history resource about their area
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PRONI Historical Ordnance survey maps  for Northern Ireland

A vision of Britain between 1801 and 2001.
Including maps, statistical trends and historical descriptions

The Bomb Sight project is mapping the London WW2 bomb census between 7/10/1940 and 06/06/1941.  These allow you to  explore where the bombs fell and to discover memories and photographs from the period

Baedeker Guidebooks  has a collection of old maps published before 1939.

Lost Streets in London from Maps.thehunthouse

For maps of South West England go to  Know Your Place  It's free to use and anyone can add to the map.

Fantastic collection of old maps for sale at Alan Godfrey Maps

Modern Maps can be used to try to locate a road or village 
Google Maps 

A really useful site to find a parish in UK and details such as the neighbouring parishes down load Par Loc 

Local History Online provides useful links to nearly 150 local history websites 

Buy OS Landranger maps direct from Ordnance Survey.

Cassini produce a number of maps including Old Series Maps Click here for more details

Books
Maps and Plans for Family Historians (PRO Publications) - a guide to National Farm Survey, Valuation Survey and Tithe maps at the PRO)
Kain and Oliver's Tithe Maps and Awards - a guide to tithe maps and awards in the PRO.

Helping you find locations 
​You should be able to find details about county, towns or parishes histories in the local library.  ​

Surveys
The Pevsner Architectural Guides (Buildings of England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales) (Penguin Books and Yale University Press, 1951-present) 

The Victoria History of the Counties of England (Institute of Historical Research, 1900-present) 

The Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England: county inventories and thematic surveys (1912-99) 
Survey of London: parish volumes and monograph series (1900-present)

Victoria County History series - a county by county history of local places
Place Name Society - investigates the origins of place names
Lewis's Topographical Dictionary
Bartholomew’s Gazetteer of Places in Great Britain

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