John Cary's 1810 Map of Yorkshire

John Cary's colour map of Yorkshire printed in 1810

John Cary (c1754-1835) was a cartographer who served his apprenticeship with an engraver in London and then in 1783 he set-up his own map and globe-making business, with his brother William, on the Strand in London where the business flourished for over thirty years before moving to St James Street in 1820.

Although his maps lacked the flourishes and decoration of his predecessors the clarity of the engravings quickly helped to establish his reputation. Carey's The New and Correct English Atlas, published in 1787 quickly becoming a standard point of reference with numerous editions being printed through to 1862. In 1790 he produced a pocket atlas called Cary's Travelling Companion. In 1794 Cary was commissioned by the Postmaster General to survey England's roads and this resulted in Cary's New Itinerary published in 1798 featured all of the major roads in England and Wales. He also worked on Ordnance Survey maps at this time aswell. He produced maps for the new edition of Camden's Britannia in 1789 and 1806 and worked with John Stockdale to produce The New British Atlas in 1805.

He collaborated with the geologist William Smith to produce geological maps. He had two sons: George and John, who continued his business and later passed it on to G. F. Crutchley (fl. 1822-75). Cary's plates were used by Crutchley throughout his life and it is even thought that some of them were still in use in the early 20th century.

Access will be granted to any accredited reader

Donated by Professor Hardy, 16 Feb 1937

The Local Studies collections include numerous maps of the East Riding and Yorkshire, see also U DP/192

Map of Yorkshire, 1808, printed for C. Smith [U DDCA2/53/5]