Maps are a popular part of our collection. We have a vast number of maps in the library. They Cover different places, years, purposes and sizes.

Old Maps
Our earliest maps are from the 16th and 17th centuries. Most of these are maps of the whole county. We have very few early maps of towns or villages because not many were produced. They were so expensive to survey that only big towns such as Derby were mapped until the 1880's. John Speed made the earliest map of Derby in 1610. Others produced maps of Derby during the next 250 years, usually using the last map and just adding changes. The first detailed map of Derby was produced for the Board of Health in 1850.

Various other places in Derbyshire were mapped, usually by a landowner or someone for a specific purpose. This means that not every town or village has a map before 1880.

Enclosure and tithe Maps
We have a number of enclosure and tithe maps, which date from 1760-1840. These maps are mainly of farmland and wasteland. Enclosure maps show how the land was distributed when open land was enclosed. Tithe maps show who owned and rented land so that the rent could be calculated. Some of Derbyshire was not affected by these changes, so some areas were not mapped.

Derbyshire Record Office have the originals, but we have many on microfilm.

Ordnance Survey
When most people think of maps they usually think of the Ordnance Survey maps. Our collection of OS maps includes their first edition of maps from the 1880's for the whole of Derbyshire. This was the first time that the entire country had been mapped in detail. This series was updated at regular intervals and our latest copies are from the 1990's.

We have maps in the following scales, ranging in level of detail.

1:1250 = 50" to the mile
1:2500 = 25" to the mile
1:10,000 = 6" to the mile
1:25,000 = 2 1/2" to the mile

Geology
Geological maps show the geology of an area. Our copies cover the whole county.

Specialist Maps
Maps are produced for many reasons, and some of them look a little bit different from what we are used to.

We have:

1. 17th / 18th century traveller maps that show routes in a strip form
2. Transport maps made for the canal, rail and road companies
3. Council department maps, for example, the sewerage system and trolley bus routes
4. Goad maps showing shops in town centres
5. Administrative and ecclesiastical boundary maps

Copying and Photocopying
You can copy many of our maps on our photocopier, but there are some restrictions. Maps can only be copied as long as this will not crease or damage them. You can copy them for your own use, but if you wish to use them in a publication you will need to talk to a librarian.

Copyright 
Maps that are less than 50 years old are still under copyright. Under what is called Fair Dealing you can usually copy an A4 segment as long as it is for your personal use, but please check before copying. You cannot legally make copies for planning or legal purposes. Staff will ask you to sign a copyright declaration form before copying and will stamp your photocopy afterwards.

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