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Vernacular GIS: Mapping Early Modern Geography and Socioeconomics

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History and GIS

Abstract

One of the key objections made against the use of geographic information systems (GIS) in the study of history is that they cannot contend with the geographical imprecision and gaps in the surviving records from the early modern period. The time, funding and manpower necessary to produce GIS are also a concern. However, these obstacles can largely be overcome through the usage of digital maps which are ‘vernacular’ rather than geospatially precise—i.e. which depict locations as contemporaries typically described and understood them, with respect to basic geography and natural and man made landmarks, rather than striving for mathematical precision. Such vernacular resources can be created with digital mapping programs which are now readily available and often by just one historian or student rather than by a team. The chapter shows how they can be employed to map the geographical and socio-economic landscapes of populations and cities in early modern Europe, how this bypasses key concerns about the use of GIS, what benefits this can yield for research, and what concerns and complications remain. The primary example given is the author’s mapping of the scientific instrument trade of early eighteenth-century London.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Gregory and Ell (2007, 1), Corrigan (2010, 76), Knowles and Hillier (2008, 3) and Pickles (1999).

  2. 2.

    Gregory and Ell (2007, 17, 41, 89), Martí-Henneberg (2011, 11–12), Knowles (2000) and Siebert (2000).

  3. 3.

    Gregory and Ell (2007, 7, 18–19, 21, 90), Langton (1972), Massey (1999), Massey (2005), Sack (1974), Sack (1972), Bunge and Sack (1973) and Butlin (1993, 51–61).

  4. 4.

    Cf. Stobart et al. (2007), Walsh (1995), Walsh (1995), Davis (1966) and Jeffreys (1954).

  5. 5.

    The livery companies were trade associations that were given royal permission to regulate their respective crafts in the metropolis, mainly within the original medieval walls, including the Mercers, Grocers, Merchant Taylors and Spectaclemakers.

  6. 6.

    The publications stemming from this project currently include Curran (2010a) and Curran (2010b).

  7. 7.

    Daily Courant (London, England), 16 February 1717, Issue 4782.

  8. 8.

    Daily Post (London, England), 23 January 1720, Issue 97.

  9. 9.

    Daily Courant (London, England), 28 October 1721, Issue 6247.

  10. 10.

    See, for example, Gwynn’s description of the geographical clustering of Huguenot immigrants in London and Raven’s description of the clustering of the London book and print trades near St. Paul’s Churchyard. As Power points out, clustering was also influenced by the differing public exposure, rent levels, and types of accommodations to be found not only in different neighborhoods but also in different types of through streets and dead ends. Gwynn (1985, 35, 38), Raven (2004) and Power (1986, 212).

  11. 11.

    Daily Courant (London, England), 6 May 1707, Issue 1630.

  12. 12.

    Beier and Finlay (1986, 1), Wrigley (1987, 134), Rudé (1971, ix, 98), Barnett (1936, 18) and George (1925, 24, 329–330).

  13. 13.

    Guillery (2004, 7), Merritt (2002, 9), Guillery (2004, 7) and Merritt (2002, 9).

  14. 14.

    At the beginning of the 1700s, only London, Paris, Amsterdam, Naples, Palermo, Venice, Rome, and Lisbon had more than about 100,000 inhabitants. Vienna, Berlin, and perhaps Lyon reached that point by mid-century (Wrigley, 1987, 134).

  15. 15.

    Berry (2002, 380–381), (Stobart et al., 2007, 142, 151–152, 155), (Merritt, 2002, 10, 145, 149, 152–157, 159).

  16. 16.

    Fenhoulet v. Willdey, 1744, The National Archives at Kew, C 104/21.

  17. 17.

    Byrd (1978, 12–13) and Ogborn (1998, 31).

  18. 18.

    See additional discussion of the role of GIS technology in allowing a researcher to create his or her own maps in the chapter in this volume authored by von Lünen and also the chapter by Mares and Moschek.

  19. 19.

    Will of Richard Bates, 20 November 1750, The National Archives, PROB 11/783.

  20. 20.

    Gregory and Ell (2007, 1), Corrigan (2010, 76), Knowles (2008, 3) and Pickles (1999).

  21. 21.

    Gregory and Ell (2007, 17, 41, 89), Martí-Henneberg (2011, 11–12), Knowles (2000) and Siebert (2000).

  22. 22.

    Gregory and Ell (2007, 1, 12) and Knowles and Hillier (2008, 19).

  23. 23.

    Spence (2000b), Woods and Shelton (1997) and Kennedy et al. (1999).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of History and Philosophy of Science, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK

    Alexi Baker

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  1. Alexi Baker
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  1. , Department of Geography, University of Portsmouth, Lion Terrace, Buckingham Building, Portsmouth, PO1 3HE, United Kingdom

    Alexander von Lünen

  2. , Trinity College, University of Dublin, Trinity Long Room Hub, Dublin, Ireland

    Charles Travis

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Baker, A. (2013). Vernacular GIS: Mapping Early Modern Geography and Socioeconomics. In: von Lünen, A., Travis, C. (eds) History and GIS. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-5009-8_7

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