William Furness Brasier or Brassier (1745-1772 or 1775) was a British surveyor operating in North America. His known work includes a 1756 map of the harbor of Antigua, 1759 plan of Oswego, a manuscript plan that same year of Fort Ticonderoga, and a 1761 plan of Detroit. He is best known for his 1762 map of Lakes Champlain and George. Little is known of his life, but from 1758 until his death he was one of the most talented surveyors of the British Army in North America, operating under the authority of General Lord Geoffrey Amherst. He was certainly a member of the Army's Corps of Engineers between 1757 and 1770; he appears also to have been appointed Deputy Surveyor to the Board of Ordnance. More by this mapmaker...

Robert Sayer (1725 - January 29, 1794) was an important English map publisher and engraver active from the mid to late 18th century. Sayer was born in Sunderland, England, in 1725. He may have clerked as a young man with the Bank of England, but this is unclear. His brother, James Sayer, married Mary Overton, daughter-in-law of John Overton and widow of Philip Overton. Sayer initially worked under Mary Overton, but by December of 1748 was managing the Overton enterprise and gradually took it over, transitioning the plates to his own name. When Thomas Jefferys went bankrupt in 1766, Sayer offered financial assistance to help him stay in business and, in this way, acquired rights to many of the important Jefferys map plates as well as his unpublished research. From about 1774, he began publishing with his apprentice, John Bennett (fl. 1770 - 1784), as Sayer and Bennett, but the partnership was not formalized until 1777. Bennett retired in 1784 following a mental collapse and the imprint reverted to Robert Sayer. From 1790, Sayer added Robert Laurie and James Whittle to his enterprise, renaming the firm Robert Sayer and Company. Ultimately, Laurie and Whittle partnered to take over his firm. Sayer retired to Bath, where, after a long illness, he died. During most of his career, Sayer was based at 53 Fleet Street, London. His work is particularly significant for its publication of many British maps relating to the American Revolutionary War. Unlike many map makers of his generation, Sayer was a good businessman and left a personal fortune and great estate to his son, James Sayer, who never worked in the publishing business. Learn More...