Old maps are a great way to get starting researching more about the history of your property.  The following pages give an overview of the different types of maps available. Most of these maps are available through your local records centre.  If you live in Kent some historic maps can be viewed on the Exploring Kent's Past website.

Ordnance Surveyor's Draft Maps The Ordnance Survey was established in Tudor times, originally called the Board of Ordnance - a military organisation whose purpose was to manage armaments for the army and maintain national defences... Read more	Where to see old maps Estate, county, tithe and historic OS maps are most likely to be found at County Record Offices, although many local studies libraries will also have a collection of historic maps and other materials ... Read more
Antiquarian and County Maps In the 18th century, many countries were surveyed and this resulted in a whole range of maps of varying scales and quality. For example, a survey by Richard Budgen produced 1 inch to 1 mile scale maps... Read more	Tithe maps The long standing legal obligation for a tenant to give one-tenth (or tithe) of produce from the land to the landowner had been partly transformed during the process of Parliamentary enclosure in the ... Read more
Ordnance Survey County and National Grid Extract from OS epoch 1 sheetOrdnance Survey maps are available for different time periods, known as epochs. Of particular interest here are the first four epochs which equate to the first edition and... Read more	Estate maps and records Records drawn up to show land boundaries, buildings, issues of ownership and land use in connection with sale, lease, rental or transfer within estates are a major source of information for the post-m... Read more