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2. The Old English Mile

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 September 2014

Wm. Flinders Petrie  and
Robertson Smith
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Extract

The length of the old English mile has been hitherto so uncertain, that any fresh light upon it is well worthy of study; and an important source of information—the map in the Bodleian Library— has not yet been brought to bear upon the question. The present inquiry was suggested by the sight of this map, which seems to add so much to our knowledge that a review of the whole subject has become desirable. It is proposed, therefore, in this paper to bring together all the data worth consideration, beginning with the most recent; and by deducing what the mean conclusion is from each source, to be thus able to compare together the various results, and so arrive at some definite statements within known limits of uncertainty.

Type
Proceedings 1882-83
Information
Proceedings of the Royal Society of Edinburgh , Volume 12 , 1884 , pp. 254 - 266
Copyright
Copyright © Royal Society of Edinburgh 1884

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References

note * page 255 Njotes and Queries, i. xii. 195.

note † page 255 As when he describes 15·2 miles as being “quelque chose de plus que 14,” in Mésures Itineraries, chap. x.

note ‡ page 255 De Morgan does not seem to have seen this book at all, as he refers to The Complete Tradesman, by N. H. (1684), as giving the lists of computed and measured miles, which this edition of Ogilby gives far more completely.

note * page 256 Introduction to Domesday Boole (1833), i. 145 et seq.

note † page 256 The actual distances in statute miles are here ascertained from the county maps of The National Gazeteer (1865 ?); these are very clear, and appear to he accurate on comparison with the Ordnance Survey. The windings of the roads are in all cases carefully attended to in the measurement.

note ‡ page 256 E.g., High Wycombe to Tetsworth, 12·0 Ogilby, =13·6 miles really; Prestein to Rhyadergowy, 12·7 Ogilby, =14·4, or more, really; Royston to Huntingdon, 19·2 Ogilby, =21·4, or more, really.

note * page 257 The degrees on the borders of the maps cannot be trusted, as they bear no fixed relation to the miles, and the longitudes of the western counties are very erroneous.

note † page257 Throughout this paper all miles will be thus stated in thousandths of the statute mile.

note ‡ page 257 Thus,

note * page 258 This is catalogued under Ogilby in Brit. Mus.; but he died in 1676. There is no editor's name to it.

note * page 259 Published by Thos. Jenner, under whose name it is catalogued in the Brit. Mus.

note † page 259 By careful map-measurement of six long distances in England of 50 to 200 miles each, the excess due to windings is 127 on the 1000; and on short distances, of 12 to 25 miles, the windings make an increase of 66 on the 1000, beyond the direct distances in straight lines.

note * page 260 There is a manifest mistake in the place names; they should read Joppa to Cæsarea, Cæsarea to Aco, &c.

note † page 260 The map in the Brit. Mus. copy is wrongly bound in at vol. ii. p. 76.

note ‡ page 260 For errors in common, see Colebrook to Maidenhead, x. in Gough and Basine, but vii. in Innes, which is the true reading by the distance; Whitby to Guisborough, xii. Basine, xiii. Gough, but xvii. Innes, the true reading.

note § page 260 E.g., applying “Burgh” to Carlisle, while it belongs to a separate town on the map.

note ║ page 260 Thus there is the curious transcription of Coxton for Tuxford, of Lenniug for Leeming, and the placing of Abergavenny on the west coast of Wales for a town which must be Aberdovy.

note * page 261 The map is framed and glazed, and screwed high up against a pillar in a poor light; hence it is not easy to study.

note * page 262 The mile in Italy having lengthened 1 per cent., though many of the old Roman milestones remained standing in the country, shows in which direction itinerary measures are likely to change.

note * page 263 Lancashire perch 7½ yards, therefore mile = 1·360 statute miles.

note * page 264 Canterbury registers, fourteenth century, quoted by De Morgan, art. “League,” Penny Cyclopædia.

note † page 264 De Morgan, in art. “Mile.”

note * page 265 See Roger Bacon's distances, before quoted.