1853 Longley Schoolboy Map of Coasts and Waterways

An intricate 1853 schoolboy map / chart depicting coastal areas, rivers, lakes, and islands, drawn by one John Longley of Edenbridge, Kent. As a manuscript work, it is a unique production, and evidently was not a hand-drawn copy of a page in an atlas, as is typically the case with schoolboy or schoolgirl maps.

A Closer Look

A range of geographical features relating to coasts and interior waterways are illustrated, including an island, isthmus, promontory, strait, and river, each neatly enclosed in a circle. A coastal scene at center also includes depictions of large ships, while elaborate drawings of birds appear below the geographic features. Though the text is hand-written, Longley has imitated the ornate lettering and illustrations employed by copper plate engravers. The cursive text on the bottom half of the sheet reads: 'The lands and seas which form the surface of the terrestrial globe have different names given them for the better understanding of geography'.

Schoolgirl and Schoolboy Maps

Schoolgirl and schoolboy maps became a pedagogical tool on both sides of the Atlantic, starting in the late 18th century in England and becoming more widespread in the early 19th century. The hand-drawn maps typically were based on those in popular atlases of their day, but in this case appears to be a newly created work by the author. While the style is reminiscent of British atlases of the day, such as those by John Tallis, William and Alexander Keith Johnston, and the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge, we have been unable to locate a page that might have been the basis for the present piece.

Publication History and Census

This sheet was drawn by John Longley of Stangrove House (another name for the historic manor on which Edenbridge is based) in Kent in 1853. John Longley was a somewhat common name in this part of Kent in the early-mid 19th century, but one individual, born in nearby Tonbridge in 1840 and described in an 1851 census as a 'scholar,' seems like the most likely candidate as the author of this work.