The materiality of the Early Modern maps of Ireland at The National Archives: Bridging history of cartography and heritage science

Land surveying and mapmaking were key for the Tudor conquest of Ireland and the plantations of Ulster in the 16th and 17th centuries, which involved the confiscation of land by the English crown and the colonisation with settlers from Great Britain. The National Archives of the UK houses a colourful collection of maps of Ireland made in this context between c.1558 and c.1610, some of which are signed by or attributed to known mapmakers: John Goghe, Robert Lythe, William Winter, John Browne, Francis Jobson, Richard Bartlett, Sir Josias Bodley or John Norden. Although their cartographic work has been investigated from a historical and geographical perspective, there has never been a close examination of the mapmaking processes and the materials they used. With a multidisciplinary approach, combining archival research and non-invasive chemical analysis of the pigments, dyes, inks and substrates used to make the maps, this research aims to shed light on the production context and provenance of this cartographic collection. Were their palettes similar or distinctive? Could we use the identified materials and techniques to attribute authorship? How did the mapmakers’ practice evolved over time? Had they access to their predecessors’ cartographic work? Can we speak of a certain standardisation of the profession? Do the identified materials coincide with those recommended in painting treatises of the period? Were the maps coloured in the field in Ireland or after they were sent to London for presentation to the high rank civil servants of the Crown? Do the materials reflect the function and status of the map? Our paper will explore all these questions and raise new ones, in an attempt to stimulate the timely and fruitful debate around map materiality.

Manuscript maps. Mapmaking. Tudor & Stuart Ireland. Richard Bartlett. Materiality. Analysis of inks. Pigments and dyes. Spectroscopic techniques.