1779 Lattre / Jefferys Map of Jamaica

Britain's Most Important Colony in the Americas

This is Jean Lattré's 1779 map of Jamaica, based on a slightly earlier map by Thomas Jefferys. It presents Jamaica during the American Revolutionary War (1775 - 1783), when it was a central pillar of Britain's global empire and associated commercial network.

A Closer Look

The sheet is divided roughly in half, with the top portion being a map of the island divided into jurisdictions, whose borders are outlined in hand color. The coasts are detailed with settlements, points, bays, sand bars, hazards, soundings, and other features. The topography of the interior is recorded with mountains, hills, forests, swamps (marais), and other challenges, giving a sense of the difficulties the British faced in controlling the entire island. For these reasons, the descendants of earlier slave revolts (Maroons) were allowed to live in peace in interior settlements (such as Trelawny and Accompong), provided they did not instigate further revolts and allied with the British to suppress any uprisings.

The bottom half of the sheet includes inset maps of Kingston and Bluefields, with more detailed soundings and navigational information. At center-bottom is extensive text on Jamaica's geography, terrain, history, economy, and animal life, including 'l'Alligador,' described as 'the most troublesome animal' on the island.

Historical Context

Islands with high economic and strategic value - especially Jamaica, Barbados, and (as a result of the Revolutionary War) Bermuda - were more central to British interests and prioritized for defense. By the time this map was produced, Jamaica was the most valuable colony in the British Empire, functioning as a massive, industrial-scale sugar machine. This wealth was built entirely on the backs of an enslaved population that vastly outnumbered the white plantocracy. The era was characterized by extreme brutality and a constant state of high-alert surveillance, punctuated by periodic slave revolts, such as Tacky's War (1760 - 1761), one of the most significant slave uprisings in the Atlantic World.

Like other British Caribbean colonies, Jamaica was part of an interconnected colonial system of trade across and throughout the Atlantic World. Jamaica imported slaves from Africa and exported sugar, but it also relied on goods from North America, particularly livestock, salted fish, and other foodstuffs, to feed its large enslaved population. Therefore, when the American Continental Congress declared a trade boycott against Britain in December 1774 (enacted the following year), and Britain retaliated by imposing its own embargo on the rebel colonies, Jamaica suffered a severe economic blow and a localized famine. Despite shared frustrations regarding parliamentary taxation (some members of the Jamaican Assembly even drafted petitions sympathetic to the American cause), the island's elite remained loyal to the British Crown. Ultimately, the planters' dependence on the British for protection against foreign invasion and the ever-present threat of internal slave revolts overrode any desire for independence.

In the following years, the potential for slave uprisings would only increase with the revolution on nearby Haiti, which Britain invaded in 1793 in a catastrophic campaign motivated in part to prevent slave revolts from spreading throughout the Caribbean. In 1795-96, a rebellion broke out among some of the Maroon communities on Jamaica, who the British had granted freedom after being unable to suppress earlier rebellions. As in the American South, plantation owners responded with even harsher repression, causing underlying tensions to boil over in huge uprisings, as with the 1831 Christmas Uprising (Baptist War) on Jamaica, which was a major factor in motivating the passage of the Slavery Abolition Act of 1833.

Publication History and Census

This map was prepared by Jean Lattré and printed in 1779. It is based on Thomas Jeffery's 1775 map of Jamaica that appeared in Sayer and Bennet's West-India Atlas (Rumsey 4723.025). It is cataloged in the OCLC among the holdings of the Muséum national d'histoire naturelle in Paris, the Universitätsbibliothek Bern, the Union Catalog of Polish Research Libraries, the Saxon State and University Library Dresden, the Herzogin Anna Amalia Bibliothek, the University of Michigan, and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Cartographers

Jean Lattré (170x - 178x) was a Paris based bookseller, engraver, globe maker, calligrapher, and map publisher active in the mid to late 18th century. Lattré published a large corpus of maps, globes, and atlases in conjunction with a number of other important French cartographic figures, including Janvier, Zannoni, Bonne and Delamarche. He is also known to have worked with other European cartographers such as William Faden of London and the Italian cartographer Santini. Map piracy and copyright violations were common in 18th century France. Paris court records indicate that Lattré brought charges against several other period map publishers, including fellow Frenchman Desnos and the Italian map engraver Zannoni, both of whom he accused of copying his work. Lattré likes trained his wife Madame Lattré (né Vérard), as an engraver, as a late 18th century trade card promotes the world of 'Lattré et son Epouse.' Lattré's offices and bookshop were located at 20 rue St. Jaques, Paris, France. Later in life he relocated to Bordeaux.   Further Details...

Thomas Jefferys (1695 - November 20, 1771) was one of the most prominent and prolific map publishers and engravers of his day. Jefferys was born in Birmingham and was apprenticed to the engraver Emmanuel Bowen in 1735. Later, in the 1740s he engraved several maps for the popular periodical Gentleman's Magazine. Around 1740 Jefferys was finally able to go into business for himself and in 1746 received an appointment as 'Geographer to Fredrick, Prince of Wales,' which shortly after translated to the position of 'Royal Cartographer to King George III.' Jefferys initially specialized in compiling and re-engraving the works of earlier cartographers into more coherent cartographic wholes. Later, while not salaried position, Jefferys' appointment as 'Royal Cartographer' guaranteed preferential access to the most up to date cartographic material available, allowing him to produce new and updated charts of exceptional accuracy. He his best known for his maps of the Americas, particularly the posthumously published 1775 American Atlas, which included some of the finest and most important late colonial era maps of America ever made. Despite his prolific publishing history, royal appointments, and international publishing fame, Jefferys lived most of his life in dire economic straits. He was bailed out of bankruptcy by Robert Sayer during the production of the American Atlas. In the end, Jefferys died suddenly with very little to his name. Nonetheless, his cartographic legacy survived, and even after his death in 1771, many of his important maps continued to be published and republished by Sayer and Bennet, Conrad Lotter, Georges Louis Le Rouge, Laurie and Whittle, and others. Many attribute some of Jefferys best maps to the colorful and criminally inclined Irish cartographic genius Braddock Mead (John Green, c. 1688 - 1757), who is considered the 'secret behind Jefferys.' Jefferys was succeeded by his son, also Thomas, who had little success as a cartographer and eventually partnered with, then sold his stock and plates to William Faden - Jefferys' true heir.   Further Details...

Condition

Very good. Old color. Original centerfold and margins. Margins exhibit edge wear.

References

OCLC 1393186262 et al.