- Two databases on the NLS website cover essentially the same ground: the placenames on Pont's maps; and the placenames on Blaeu's engravings, ultimately derived from Pont maps.
- These databases let us see the placenames in the relevant map and engraving. Of course the same name often appears in both map and engraving, and indeed some Pont maps were copied very accurately by Blaeu, as in Glottiana (Clydesdale) and in Nithsdale, giving a high proportion of Pont names matched to Blaeu. In other cases, we may be able to match Pont to modern OS maps, and separately match Blaeu to OS, and where the OS name and grid reference in Pont and Blaeu are identical we can safely link the corresponding placenames.
- But so far the number of matches over the whole of Scotland is only of order 5,600, which is about 50% of the total Pont names (though nearer 40% if we exclude overlapping areas). The aim here is to match Pont maps with Blaeu engravings, and, at the same time, compare both with modern OS maps. It is only by considering all three together we are able to make reliable connections.
- Pont's manuscript maps of Scotland date from around 1600.They are often difficult to decipher, and we are fortunate that Blaeu's engravings, based on these maps, are models of clarity. In Pont's map of Clydesdale, the area around Hamilton is smudged and worn, but it is much easier to read when we put it alongside Blaeu's engraving.
Detail of Pont 34 west of Hamilton Detail of Blaeu's Glottiana Inferior west of Hamilton - Though otherwise very accurate, Blaeu seems to have had some difficulty in reading the names here, as there are several errors. My interpretation of the placename below Ros (barely readable bottom right of Fig. 1) is Hauchhead, helped by Blaeu's near-correct Hauchpad and the modern OS Haughead. Blaeu's Bormichelwood is probably a misreading of Pont's Barmichelwood (top), suggestive of the modern OS Barmichel Plantation. Blaeu's Kirnok does not seem to match any Pont place name, unless it is a detached part of Pont's Mekil-ernok. Blaeu's settlement Hahiltou~wood should probably refer instead to the wood by the Clyde now called Hamilton High Park where there is an ancient oak woodland. So, though I have the highest regard for Blaeu's transcription of Pont maps, this particular map segment is too challenging even for Blaeu (it must have been smudged and worn in his day). But we have the advantage of knowing the names and locations of modern OS names, so it is easier for us to match up placenames between Pont maps, Blaeu engravings, and OS names.
- Once we have matched Pont to OS, and, separately, matched Blaeu to OS, the simplest way to proceed is to look for OS places occurring in both. If the OS coordinates are accurately determined, pairing them off can be done automatically, by computer algorithm.
- When we can find no matching place in Blaeu or OS, as with ?Neelsland just to the left of Bent in Pont's map, we must predict a location for ?Neelsland from its relation to its neighbours in the Pont map, bearing in mind that local distortions occur quite frequently in Pont maps. Here Pont has drawn Avon Water as if running from west to east, whereas it runs almost parallel to the Clyde from south to north (witness the names Hauchhead, Barncluch, Fairhoom, Sunnysid, and Patrickhoom which seem to lie west of Hameltoun in both Pont and Blaeu, whereas all lie south of Hamilton). So ?Neelsland probably lies just to the south of Bent. More generally, we can estimate locations of unmatched places from a local linear regression based on, say, ten nearest matched neighbours.
- Matching names can also help in identifying the sources for the Blaeu engravings. Thus Glottiana Inferior and Glottiana Superior are both derived almost 100% from Pont's map 34, extra names being mostly neighbouring towns or districts. Similarly the Stirling and Renfrew engravings, which are remarkably faithful to the respective Pont maps, but have some extra material like roads, as well as names from neighbouring areas.
- Bob Henery