Ainslie, John
4 Rare Maps, comprising
£10,000
Rare Books, Manuscripts, Maps & Photographs
Auction: 2 February 2022 at 10:00 GMT
Description
Ainslie, John A Map of the County of Renfrew. Surveyed by John Ainslie in 1796. London: W. Faden, 1801. Second edition, map on 4 sheets, 104 x 116cm (image size), hand-coloured in outline, mounted on linen with a W. Faden label to each part, [BL, Bodleian, Glasgow & NLS copies - Worldcat & Copac]; Ainslie, John A Topographical Map of the Stewartry of Kirkcudbright, Surveyed by John Ainslie, 1796. London: W. Faden, 1801. Second edition, map on 4 sheets, 104 x 116cm (image size), hand-coloured in outline, mounted on linen with W. Faden label to each part, [BL, Bodleian, NLS and 1 copy in Germany - Worldcat & Copac]; Ainslie, John A Topographical Map of the County of Wigton or Shire of Galloway. Surveyed by John Ainslie, 1782. London: W. Faden, 1801, Second edition, map on 4 sheets, 78 x 108cm, mounted on linen, hand-coloured in outline, [One copy only Germany in Worldcat & Oxford on Copac]; Ainslie, John A Map of Selkirk Shire or Ettrick Forest, from a Survey taken in the year 1772 by J. Ainslie. London: W. Faden, 1801. Second edition, map on 2 sheets, 66 x 66cm, hand-coloured in outline, mounted on linen, imprint in bottom right-hand corner has been overprinted most probably on the erased Ainslie 1773 imprint leaving only the word Edinburgh decipherable, [BL & Bodleian copies only on Worldcat & Copac]; the 4 maps contained in a contemporary calf 'pull-off' case with red morocco label lettered in gilt, case slightly rubbed
Footnote
Note: John Ainslie (1745-1828) was born in Jedburgh in the Scottish Borders. In 1762 he was apprenticed to the London mapmaker and publisher Thomas Jefferys Sr., Geographer to King George III. It is here that he first learned the talents that made him the greatest British land-surveyor of his generation. As the Seven Years' War, and its American phase, drew to a close, Jefferys turned his attention away from military mapping to large-scale surveys of the English counties with Ainslie taking a leading role. At Jefferys' death in 1771 Ainsie returned to Scotland, establishing himself in business in Edinburgh as a land surveyor and publisher. He is best known for the sequence of large-scale Scottish county maps and his great map of Scotland.
The Counties of Ayr and Dumfries were proposed but not produced and therefore this is the complete set of South West Scotland contained in a contemporary box labelled in gilt to the spine 'Counties of Kircudbright/Renfrew/Selkirk/Wigton'.
No copies have been traced of these maps selling at auction.