Ordnance Survey Maps

Until the nineteenth century, most maps were produced as the result of private enterprise. However, during the eighteenth century there was a growing realisation that a standardised set of maps of the whole country was needed. This was mainly due to military concerns, such as the threat of Napoleonic invasion.

The first official Ordnance Survey map was published in 1801. During the course of the nineteenth century, the whole of England was mapped, a feat which finished sixty-nine years later on the Isle of Man.

There are different scales of Ordnance Survey Maps, and for each scale there are a number of different editions, so that a particular place can be represented at one scale over a number of different dates.

Ordnance Survey Maps were produced using two different grid reference systems:

• The earliest type of map produced uses the County Series of grid referencing, with each county in the country being numbered separately from every other.
• The Davidson Committee (1935) began the production of maps using the National Grid System, which is employed for the entire country and provides a standardised reference system.

Main groups of documents

Main groups of documents include:

Ordnance Survey 1" to 1 mile (1:63,360)

Coverage: 1839 - 1971
There are seven different editions of this scale, the earliest being 1839 - 1889. Coverage is incomplete and only a small number of maps at this scale survive.

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Ordnance Survey 6" to 1 mile (1:10,560)

Coverage: 1883 - 1980s
There are five different editions of this scale between 1883 and 1950, and a number of privately deposited later editions. Coverage is fairly comprehensive but not every part of the county is covered by each edition.

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Ordnance Survey 25" to 1 mile (1:2500)

Coverage: 1881 - 1977
25" maps are amongst the most useful as they can provide a lot of detail over a large area. The main editions at this scale cover 1881 - 1950, although there are a number of privately deposited later editions. Coverage is comprehensive but not every part of the county is covered by each edition.

The Inland Revenue Land Valuation maps are based on 25" OS maps and cover the period 1898 - 1947, although the majority date between 1898 and 1921.

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Ordnance Survey 10' to 1 mile (1:500)

Coverage: 1877 - 1977
These maps provide a considerable degree of detail. They only cover the towns of East Retford; Mansfield and Sutton in Ashfield; Newark; and Nottingham. Each part of these towns is not necessarily covered by each edition.

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How to find the document you want

To locate the map for the relevant section of the county, it is necessary to obtain the grid reference.

• 6" and 25" maps before 1950 will need a County Series grid reference
• 6" and 25" maps after 1950 will need a National Grid reference
• 1" and 10' maps all use County Series grid references

There are a number of large, county-wide maps in the archives reception which provide the grid references for the county at different scales for both the County Series and the National Grid.

Once the grid reference is known, the year of the edition can be obtained from a catalogue in the archives search room. The catalogue is divided between the different scales and the County Series and the National Grid.

Some 6" OS maps are available on microfiche, on open access in the search room. The grid reference is needed to locate the relevant section of the county. The fiche are arranged by grid reference and, within each reference, by year.

Download our leaflet on Maps and Plans [PDF 308KB]

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