Evans' map of North Wales

John Evans was born at Llwyn-y-groes near Llanymynech in 1723, he probably began work on his map of North Wales before 1776, but it was not published until 1795, the year of his death. The work was financed by subscriptions, including from Thomas Pennant, who wrote a letter in 1792, on behalf of the subscribers, urging Evans to complete his work. In addition to the image of the map the list of subscribers is also available here.

The map was engraved by Robert Baugh a close neighbour of Evans, who was Parish Clerk of Llanymynech and also a surveyor and mapmaker in his own right. The map of North Wales was, upon publication, the most detailed and accurate map of the area ever produced and was not surpassed until the maps of the Ordnance Survey, which began publication of North Wales sheets in the 1830s.

Evans included the new turnpike roads which made his map very useful for travellers. The map also showed many of the homes of the local gentry, many of whom had subscribed to the map. A reduced scale version of the map, also engraved by Baugh, was published by the author’s son Dr John Evans in 1797. The reduced version was re-issued in 1802. This version was small enough to be folded and put in a pocket for use while travelling.