A Curious Old Map of the Isle of Wight

10 October 1903
Mr W. Watts, stationer, of Union-street, Ryde, has been exhibiting during the past week a very interesting map of the Isle of Wight, evidently made before 1630, as it shows Brading Haven running nearly up to Sandown Castle, and the entrance to St. Helen’s Harbour on the west side near St. Helen’s Church, while the Sandy Spit, now the Dover or Golf Links, is shown joined on to Bembridge.

Fishhouse is mentioned but not Wootton, and it is quite evident that the latter name is derived from the old wooden bridge that was probably constructed across the creek at that point.  The Needles really justified their name at that period, as they are depicted on the map as a great number of pointed rocks projecting from the sea.

A curious feature about this map is that while the Island is depicted to scale at 12 miles wide, its length is only 14 miles.  Another question it raises is whether we have adopted the right arms.  At present (1903) we generally see Newport Arms on county notices.  On this map we see one of the quarterings of the Royal Arms shown.  The map was made in Holland, and is most carefully and beautifully coloured.

Note:
Willem Janszoon Blaeu, was born in Uitgeest (Netherlands), near Alkmaar in 1571. He studied mathematics under Tycho Brahe and learned the theory and practice of astronomical observations and the art of instrument- and globe making.

In 1596 he came to Amsterdam where he settled down as a globe-, instrument- and map-maker. He published his first cartographic work (a globe) in 1599 and probably published his first printed map (a map of the Netherlands) in 1604. He specialized in maritime cartography and published the first edition of the pilot guide Het Licht der Zeevaert in 1608, and was appointed Hydrographer of the V.O.C. (United East India Company) in 1633. After thirty years of publishing books, wall maps, globes, charts and pilot guides, he brought out his first atlas, Atlas Appendix (1630). This was the beginning of the great tradition of atlas-making by the Blaeus.

In 1618 another mapmaker, bookseller and publisher, Johannes Janssonius established himself in Amsterdam next door to Blaeu’s shop. It is no wonder that these two neighbours, who began accusing each other of copying and stealing their information, became fierce competitors who did not have a good word to say about each other. In about 1621 Willem Jansz. decided to put an end to the confusion between his name and his competitor’s, and assumed his grandfather’s sobriquet, ‘blauwe Willem’ (‘blue Willem’), as the family name; thereafter he called himself Willem Jansz. Blaeu.  Willem Janszoon Blaeu died in 1638

Sources: RSHG, IW Observer 1903
Image: Sanderus Maps, the one shown is much like the slightly earlier version
Article: Ann Barrett