description Timothy Pont Overview
Scottish cartographer (c. 1565–1614) who conducted the first systematic survey of Scotland, producing manuscript maps that formed the primary basis for Scotland in Blaeu's Atlas Novus.
insights Why this score
Timothy Pont ranks #88 of 357 in the Cartographer ranking, behind Alexander Keith Johnston, ahead of Strabo.
First systematic Scottish survey, foundational for later atlases; strong regional importance and specialist acclaim.
help Timothy Pont FAQ
Why are Timothy Pont's maps important to Scottish history?
Pont carried out the first extensive systematic mapping survey of Scotland in the late 16th century. His manuscripts preserve hundreds of place names, settlements, rivers, and landscape details from that period.
Were Timothy Pont's maps published during his lifetime?
Most survived as working manuscripts rather than as a finished printed atlas. Joan Blaeu later used Pont's surveys as the principal source for Scottish maps published in the 1654 volume of Atlas Novus.
How accurate were Pont's maps without modern surveying equipment?
Their scale and precision vary, but they are remarkably detailed for field surveys made around 1600. Researchers value them both as cartography and as evidence for historical geography, landownership, and lost place names.
Where can Timothy Pont's original maps be viewed?
The surviving Pont manuscripts are held by the National Library of Scotland. The library has digitized the collection, allowing users to inspect individual sheets and compare them with Blaeu's engraved versions.
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