Maps

The Centre for Buckinghamshire Studies holds a large and varied collection of maps of Buckinghamshire, providing a visual record of the County from the unique Boarstall map of the fifteenth century up to modern digital mapping from the Ordnance Survey. The Local Studies Library holds more modern printed material primarily from the Ordnance Survey whilst the Archives make historic maps available to researchers investigating the history of their house, family or community. This page aims to provide some basic information for those starting with maps.  For further detail and more information, please see our leaflet Guide to Maps (below), which will more fully list some of the types of map you might use in your research.

Ordnance Survey (OS)

The Ordnance Survey was established in 1791 as the 'Board of Ordnance' and was tasked with producing a complete and accurate map of the whole of Britain.  Before this, mapping had been done on local area basis rather than to the same level across the country.  Ordnance Survey maps covering Buckinghamshire have been published since the 1870s, but there are earlier drawings from the 1820s.  We hold copies of most OS maps for Buckinghamshire from the earliest through to the twentieth century.

Historic maps

Older style maps are completely different to Ordnance Survey maps.  There is no standard format that cartographers followed, and this means that we have a huge variety of sizes, shapes and types of maps and plans.  Historic maps of Buckinghamshire range from the Boarstall village map (already mentioned) up to and including tithe, inclosure, parish, valuation maps and estate surveys.  They all vary in the information they provide and the level of detail they include.