John Darby (c.1553-1608/9) of Bramford, Suffolk, surveyor, map-maker and artist

Aldous, Vivienne (2024) John Darby (c.1553-1608/9) of Bramford, Suffolk, surveyor, map-maker and artist. Doctoral thesis, University of East Anglia.

Preview

PDF Download (11MB) | Preview

Abstract

This thesis uses the background, life story and work of John Darby (c.1553-1608/9), latterly of Bramford, Suffolk, as a contextualised case study to examine in depth the role and experiences of surveyors and mapmakers in late Elizabethan England. It re-assesses his remarkable maps, made between 1582 and 1594. It demonstrates how Darby’s maps provide insights into their purposes as well as the uses of the environment by using images of people and animals existing and working in the landscape. It attributes to him a map of Alnesbourn and supports previous attributions to him of other maps (Southwold and Mousehold Heath). It examines the artistry of Darby to assess how unique he was as a mapmaker in using innovative and borrowed techniques and images from Netherlandish sources as well as other sources such as writing masters’ manuals.
This thesis takes a biographical approach to assess the importance of family, marriage and networks to explain Darby’s social and professional success and compare him to others in the field. It examines the training and experience of being a surveyor in England during a period when maps moved from being a novel development to a recognised tool for estate management. It explores the networks of surveyors in East Anglia to show how a few interconnected individuals, centred on experts and patrons such as Robert Doon and Thomas Seckford, could train surveyors and spread a new concept of map-mindedness. This study sheds a wider light on the role of surveyors in contributing to changing perceptions of land ownership and management at the period. It also evidences how the involvement of surveyors in the administration of sixteenth century manors frequently led to the loss of manorial records through surveyors’ retention of them for their own profit or as leverage to obtain payment for their work.

Item Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Arts and Humanities > School of History
Depositing User:	Nicola Veasy
Date Deposited:	06 Mar 2025 12:12
Last Modified:	06 Mar 2025 12:12
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/98688
DOI:

Downloads

Actions (login required)

View Item