1690 John Seller Nautical Chart of Ireland, the Irish Sea, and St. George's Channel

This is John Sellers' rare map of the coast of Ireland, published between 1690 and 1701. While the re-engraved Mount and Page version of this map can be found on the market, this precursor edition seldom appears and is often miscataloged.

A Closer Look

The chart, oriented to the north, depicts Ireland, the Irish Sea, and St. George's Channel, inclusive of the British coast from Cornwall to the Mull of Galloway. The Ards peninsula near Belfast is shown as an island, as is Islandmagee. These are unique features of this chart, and their presence signals a novel source for Sellers' map. The waters of the Irish Sea and St. George's Channel are well-detailed, with extensive depth soundings along both the eastern and western shores. The routes between England, Wales, and the Isle of Man are systematically defined. There is no clear precursor for this chart overall, but the English coast is derived from the work of hydrographer Greenville Collins (1643 - 1694).

Although the chart does not detail inland features, it does name the Irish counties abutting the coastline, as well as Ireland's provinces. Water areas are neatly traversed with rhumb lines, and there is an elegant compass rose.

The First Prominent English Chartmaker

Seller's Atlas Maritimus, along with his other output, represented an important advance in England's nautical prowess and influence on international trade. Prior to his work, English merchants and mariners relied on Dutch and French charts. Seller introduced an entirely English-produced set of charts spanning the globe. While many of the charts in the atlas related to passages to Asia, Seller's atlas also illuminated coasts closer to home, as here.

Publication History and Census

This copperplate was engraved, probably around 1690, for inclusion in Sellers' The English Pilot. When the atlas was acquired by John Mount and Thomas Page, as early as 1730, an entirely new plate of this chart was engraved, easily distinguished by their imprint, typographic changes in the body of the chart, and a radically different platemark. We see only one example of the separate chart in an institutional collection, that being located at the Royal Maritime Museum in Greenwich. The Mount and Page plate appears on the market occasionally, although it is also scarce. The chart is also among those plagiarized in 1758 by George Grierson.