Historic maps

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Our maps cover most of Dorset, but the majority do not cover Bournemouth and Christchurch, which were part of Hampshire up until 1974. For maps of these areas, please contact Hampshire Archives and Local Studies or Bournemouth Library

Our collections include:

Ordnance Survey maps: mainly available in scales of 25 inch to the mile or 6 inch to the mile
Tithe maps: parish maps originally created to help assess the tithe payments which were made to support the local church. Each map is divided into numbered plots and accompanied by a list, known as an apportionment, which gives details of the corresponding landowners and occupiers. Most date from the 1830s and 1840s
Enclosure maps: often accompanied by a document called an 'award', which gives a verbal description of how the land was being enclosed
estate maps: tools for estate management, produced at various dates and now scattered throughout our family and estate collections
illustrative or decorative maps: often be of limited practical use, but can be visually impressive
street plans: 20th century maps of particular towns, many of which are part of tourist guides which can be found in our local studies collection

If you are investigating your house history try our guide to house history to find out how to use maps in your research.