Ordnance Survey Characteristic Sheets

The Ordnance Survey Characteristics Sheet collection (held at Map.X3.234) is a set of 40 items, dating between ca. 1840-1930, containing specimens of type, symbols and characteristics for various Ordnance Survey map series. Characteristics sheets or legends are crucial for interpreting the symbols and features used on early Ordnance Survey maps. However, Ordnance Survey did not regularly publish this information in a standard form for many map series in the 19th century, so this collection has a particular value and some items may be unique.

Further information about this collection.

We are very grateful to the Aurelius Trust for funding the conservation and digitisation of this collection.

The set below is ordered roughly by scale, with a set of "miscellaneous" items at the end which cover various scales:

Large-scale Town Plans

View sheets:

Folio	Title	Date of publication
27	Ordnance Surveys. Character of Writing to be used on the 5-Feet and 1/500 Plans

25 Inch to the mile

View sheets:

Folio	Title	Date of publication
36	Conventional Signs and Writing Used on the 1/2500 Plans of the Ordnance Survey. Plate I.	ca. 1923

Six-Inch to the Mile

View sheets:

Folio	Title	Date of publication
1	Ordnance Survey of Ireland. Characteristic Sheet for maps on a scale of Six Inches to a Mile
2	Ordnance Survey Characteristic Sheet for the Engraved Six Inch Maps of Great Britain	1897
3	Ordnance Survey Characteristic Sheet for the Engraved Six Inch Maps of Great Britain	1897
4	Examples for the Characters of the Writing on the Engraved Six Inch Ordnance Maps of Great Britain	1897
5	Examples for the Characters of the Writing to the Ordnance Map of Great Britain on a Scale of 6 Inches to a Mile	1847
6	Examples for the Characters of the Writing on the Engraved Six Inch Ordnance Maps of Great Britain	1897
7	Scale of Shade for Hills on the Six Inch Map of the Ordnance Survey
8	Untitled [Ordnance Survey Characteristic Sheet for the Engraved Six Inch Maps of Great Britain?]
9	Untitled [Ordnance Survey Characteristic Sheet for the Engraved Six Inch Maps of Great Britain?]
37	Conventional Signs and Writing Used on the Six Inch Maps of the Ordnance Survey. Plate IV.	ca. 1923

One-Inch to the Mile

View sheets:

Folio	Title	Date of publication
10	Examples for the Size and Characters of the Names in the Ordnance Map.
11	Characteristic Sheet for the One Inch Engraving of Scotland and Ireland
12	Characteristic Sheet for the One Inch Map of England & Wales
13	Ordnance Survey Characteristic Sheet for the Revised One-Inch Map of Great Britain.	1897
14	Ordnance Survey Characteristic Sheet for the Revised One-Inch Map of Great Britain.	1897
15	Ordnance Survey Characteristic Sheet for the Revised One-Inch Map of Great Britain and Ireland	1898
16	Ordnance Survey Conventional Signs and Writing for the Revised One-Inch Map of Great Britain. (Popular Edition)	1924
	Ordnance Survey Conventional Signs and Writing for the Revised One-Inch map of Great Britain (5th edition).	1932
	Ordnance Survey Conventional Signs and Writing for the Revised One-Inch map of Great Britain (5th edition).	1933

Half-Inch to the Mile

View sheets:

Folio	Title	Date of publication
20	Ordnance Survey Conventional Signs and Writing for the Revised 1/2 Inch Map of Great Britain	1923

Quarter-Inch to the Mile

View sheets:

Folio	Title	Date of publication
17	Ordnance Survey Characteristic Sheet for the Revised Four-Mile Map of Great Britain.	1900
18	Ordnance Survey Characteristic Sheet for the Revised Four-Mile Map of Great Britain and Ireland.	1900
19	Conventional Signs and Writing for the New Series 1/4 Inch Map of Great Britain

Ten-Mile to the Inch

View sheets:

Folio	Title	Date of publication
21	Ordnance Survey Characteristic Sheet for the Revised Ten-Mile Map of Great Britain.	1900
22	Ordnance Survey Characteristic Sheet for the Revised Ten-Mile Map of Great Britain.	1900

Symbols, specimen alphabets, conventional signs at different scales

View sheets:

Folio	Title	Date of publication
23	Examples of the Characters of Writing and the Characteristics of the Photozincographed Maps of the Ordnance Survey with instructions as to their use.	1897
24	Symbols to be used on Plans of the Ordnance Survey	1883
25	Parish Indexes. Specimen to guide draftsmen in preparing 6 Inch Plans for reduction to 1 Inch scale.
26r	A Specimen of the Print Hands, for the Instruction of the Cadets, in the Corps of Royal Military Surveyors and Draftsmen, Engraved by desire of Lieutenant General Mann, Inspector General of Fortifications.
26v	Table Showing different kinds of Type with their ordinary names as used on the Ordnance Survey	1885
28	Specimen Alphabets
29	Specimen Sheet of Type used in the Production of Ordnance Survey Plans
30	Specimen Sheet of Type used in the Production of Ordnance Survey Plans
31	Specimen of Stamps Used For the Revision Survey	1923
32	Untitled [Contours Specimen Sheet?]
33	Ordnance Survey of Great Britain. These sketches show the method adopted for indicating public boundaries on Ordnance Survey Maps… All these cases numbered hereon are specially referred to in the 1914 Edition of "Notes on Boundaries."
34	Specimen of the Stamps Used for Plans on the 1/500 1/2500 and 6 Inch Scales	1886
35	Specimen Sheet of Type used in the Production of Ordnance Survey Plans.
	Character of Writing for Ordnance Survey Plans (PDF)	1881
	Character of Writing used on Ordnance Survey Plans (OS 404) (PDF)	1914
	Notes on Archaeology for Guidance in the Field (PDF)	1921