Coast to Coast

A different point of view

This particular map of Scotland was created in 1580 by Abraham Ortelius. One of the most prolific mapmakers of the 16th century, Ortelius published the Theatrum Orbis Terrarum (in which this map appears) and is therefore credited as giving the world its first modern Atlas.

While the term ‘Atlas’ did not come into popular use as a term until two decades later, it is commonly agreed that Ortelius’ Theatrum was the first due to the uniformity and organisation of its collected maps.

This map of Scotland may strike a general audience as unusual, as it shows Scotland on its side. Occidens is Latin for 'West', with the orientations marked in their respective places around the remaining three sides of the map.

In early cartography, it was not unusual for maps to point in directions other than North. As a practice, maps only began to orientate towards the North Star following the development of latitude and longitude as the standard for navigation.

The beauty of these early maps often lie in their smallest details.

In addition to a small drawing of a ship, we can also spot a fantastical creature patrolling the sea to the right of Skye.

Sadly, this isn't the beloved Nessie - if anything, this fearsome beast is more than likely a very distant cousin.

Northern reaches

This map was created by French cartographer Nicolas Sanson and published in 1665. It shows the Orkney Islands, the Shetland Islands, and the Faroe Islands.

The Faroe Islands (upper left) are not technically part of Scotland but are rather a self-governing archipelago within the Kingdom of Denmark.

Being so far from the Scottish mainland and so close to Scandinavia, both the Orkney and Shetland islands have strong historical Viking/Norse connections. These connections in turn influence a great deal of their art, traditions, and dialects.

The frame around the printed bibliographical details of a map is known as a cartouche.

This cartouche is a particularly wonderful reflection upon island life. Unsurprisingly, Scottish islands have a strong fishing tradition — a cartouche illustrated with nets, corks, and fishing cherubs is a fitting nod to these communities.

Safe passage

This map, Cartes des Principaux Ports Des Isles Orcades (trans: 'Map of the Main Ports of the Orkney Islands'), presents a very different view of these isles

This inset in the top right corner demonstrates various parts of the islands as if viewed from the sea.

This would aid in the navigation and safe anchoring of any ships travelling to the islands.

Skye Island

One of the better-known islands of Scotland is the Isle of Skye.

This particular map of the island was drawn in 1824 by the Edinburgh-based land surveyor William Johnson, using existing surveys to create this detailed map of Skye.

You may have noticed colored lines splitting the island into segments. This is known as a color wash, and has been used in this instance to highlight the boundaries of parishes on Skye: a parish being a small distinct community (usually with its own church).

The world parish derives from the Greek words para ('beside') and oikos ('a dwelling'). While some suggest that certain parishes originated in the Iron Age, the main practice of dividing land in this way likely began in Anglo-Saxon times with ancient settlers.

On closer inspection, we also see the detail that has been given to Skye's hilly terrain and abundant rivers.

Islands upon islands

This map shows Lamlash Harbour, located on the Isle of Arran off Scotland's West Coast.

The numbers in the harbor are called soundings and give information about the water's depth. Soundings are measured in fathoms, with one fathom being equivalent to around 1.8 meters.

Within the bay of Lamlash Harbour lies Holy Island: a tiny piece of land around 3km long and 1km wide.

Holy Island (Scottish Gaelic: Eilean MoLaise) has always been a place of great spiritual significance.

It was originally known as 'Inis Shroin' (House of the Water Spirit), and became the home of Saint Molaise, an Irish monk, around 700 CE. He lived in a cave on the island as a hermit, which has since been named after him.

Mapping a moment in history

This map shows the island of South Uist, the second-largest island of the Outer Hebrides in Scotland.

The original map was created in 1805 by cartographer William Bald, but this later copy reveals some interesting details about the history of the island's clans.

The map is thought to have been produced for the purposes of land being sold by Ranald George McDonald Esq, of Clanranald.

This table of contents shows the respective parts of the estate that would be of interest to potential buyers, such as viable land for growing crops and grazing livestock.

This red marker in the middle of Loch Boisdale shows 'disputed water & land between Clanranald and Boisdale'.

Clan Macdonald of Clanranald, also known as Clan Ranald or Clan Ronald, are a Scottish Highland clan founded around the 14th Century. They are one branch of Clan Donald, one of Scotland's most prominent clans.

The Macdonalds of Boisdale are another branch of the same larger clan. This disputed land suggests a disagreement or quarrel over territory between them.

It is often the case with historical maps that one tiny detail like this can give us an insight into the rich and sometimes unstable history of the island's people.

Indeed, this map pinpoints a significant and turbulent time for Clanranald. The clan had racked up huge amounts of debt while funding the Jacobite Rising of 1745 and, after staving off bankruptcy for as long as he could, the clan's leader was forced to sell South Uist in its entirety in 1837.

Unfortunately, the new owner of South Uist - Lt. Colonel John Gordon of Cluny - ushered in an era of clearances and loss for the island's people, with many evicted from their lands to make room for livestock.

This is a note related to the sale of the land signed by Robert Brown, factor and adviser to the estates.

Map of Buteshire, with detailed notation of the islands' villages and towns (some with archaic names)

... as well as a good tip for any interested fishermen

A 1775 map of Mull, which is the fourth-largest Scottish island.

Around Mull lie further clusters of smaller islands, including the picturesque islands of Tiree (here spelled 'Tiri') and Coll.

Even the smallest of islands is mapped, down to the tiny Staffa

A bright map of Jura, with a colorful cartouche

... and the Paps of Jura, a notable hill walk in Scotland. Although it may look like many hills forming a spiny ridge down the islands, the Paps are most commonly recognised as three mountains: Beinn an Òir, Beinn Shiantaidh, and Beinn a' Chaolais.

As well as being mountainous, Jura's terrain is rather bare and infertile. While it is beautiful, it can be a challenging place to live and remains sparsely populated to this day.

Over a hundred miles off the coast of the Scottish mainland lies the Shetland Islands.

Created by a Dutch mapmaker, this map is again orientated West instead of North. In modern maps, the islands of Yell and Unst (bottom right) appear towards the top.

This map is richly detailed. In addition to the hilly mainland terrain, looking closely in the water reveals 'x' symbols to denote rocks and reefs - as well as anchor symbols to highlight safe places for boats to moor.

The eye-catching geometric lines which form the map's background accentuate the rugged and craggy coast of Shetland's mainland. These are known as rhumb lines, and are used as guides in both the drawing of maps and navigation at sea.

Dotted around the coast is an abundance of tiny islands: it is estimated that there are around 100 within the Shetland Isles themselves.

Of these 100, only 15 have any sort of permanent population.

The storms around Shetland are famously wild, and its coasts can be treacherous. To help boats safely reach its shores, several lighthouses were erected around Shetland throughout the years, including one at Sumburgh Head (here spelled 'Soumburgh').