The Abingdon Monks' Map (commonly known as The Monks' Map) is a 16th-century map of the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, s ...

around the town of

Abingdon, Oxfordshire Abingdon-on-Thames ( ), commonly known as Abingdon, is a historic market town and civil parish on the River Thames in the Vale of the White Horse district of Oxfordshire, England. The historic county town of Berkshire, the area was occupied f ...

(formerly in

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; abbreviated ), officially the Royal County of Berkshire, is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Oxfordshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the north-east, Greater London ...

), England. It is held in the collection of the Abingdon County Hall Museum. The map covers the stretch of river between Abingdon and

Radley Radley is a village and civil parish about northeast of the centre of Abingdon, Oxfordshire. The parish includes the hamlet of Lower Radley on the River Thames. It was part of Berkshire until the 1974 boundary changes transferred it to Oxfor ...

. It is long and wide, consisting of four pieces of

vellum Vellum is prepared animal skin or membrane, typically used as writing material. It is often distinguished from parchment, either by being made from calfskin (rather than the skin of other animals), or simply by being of a higher quality. Vellu ...

that are glued together.

History

The map was preserved in the archives of the

Verney family The Verney family purchased the manor of Middle Claydon in Buckinghamshire, England, in the 1460s and still resides there today at the manor house known as Claydon House. This family had been seated previously at Fleetmarston in Buckinghamshire ...

, having been inherited by Mary Blacknall (1616–1650), who married Sir Ralph Verney, 1st Baronet, of Middle Claydon (1613–1696). In 1907, it was given to the Corporation of Abingdon and was framed and held in the Guildhall at Abingdon. The map was restored for a reopening of Abingdon Museum, where it was put on display in 2012. As part of the investigation during this process, the map was x-rayed at the

National Gallery The National Gallery is an art museum in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, in Central London, England. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of more than 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The current di ...

in London.

Monks map

Blacknall Map

Another smaller map of the river, known as the Blacknall Map (or Claydon Map), is held at

Claydon House Claydon House is a country house in the Aylesbury Vale, Buckinghamshire, England, near the village of Middle Claydon. It was built between 1757 and 1771 and is now owned by the National Trust. The house is a listed Grade I on the National He ...

, the Verney family home, in

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (, abbreviated ''Bucks'') is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-east, Hertfordshir ...

to the north of Abingdon. This was produced for William Blacknall in support of his mill-owning and fishery rights during a lawsuit in 1570. The Monks' Map itself may well have been produced for a similar purpose rather than by monks at

Abingdon Abbey Abingdon Abbey (formally Abbey of Saint Mary) was a Order of St. Benedict, Benedictine monastery in Abingdon-on-Thames in the modern county of Oxfordshire in the United Kingdom. Situated near to the River Thames, it was founded in 675 AD and was ...

References

1500s works 16th-century maps and globes 16th century in England Historic maps of Europe Maps of England History of Berkshire History of Oxfordshire History of the River Thames Monks Map {{map-stub

History

Monks map

Blacknall Map

See also

References