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War of the Austrian Succession (1740-8)

Includes much of the mapping collected by William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland, as Captain General of the British army

R ROBINSON (ACTIVE 1745)

Encampment at Diegem, 1745

Plan / of the Incampments of the Allied Army at Deigem and Vilvoerden in Brabant / Commanded by His Royal Highness William Duke of Cumberland / in July 1745 also the Intrenchments and Redoubts thrown up / along the Canal

1745 or later

Pencil, pen, ink and watercolour on four sheets of paper, joined; laid down on coarse linen | Scale: 1:12,100 approx. | RCIN 729138

A map of the encampment of the Allied army, commanded by the Duke of Cumberland, along the Brussels Canal between Brussels and Willebroek, 14 July-24 October 1745. War of the Austrian Succession (1740-48). Oriented with west to top.

A detailed topographical map of the area bounded to the west by the Brussels Canal (now the Willebroekse Vaart), from Brussels in the south to its junction with the River Ruperl at Little Willebrocke (Klein Willebroek 51°04'47"N 04°21'49"E) in the north (a distance of about 22.5 km or 14 miles) and the River Senne (Zenne) to the east.

Greenish-blue washes are used to represent marshy land and a number of roads are shown in relation to the surrounding settlements, woodlands and arable land which is indicated by the conventional groups of brown lines at angles to each other. The encampments are shown along almost the whole length of this stretch of country, between the canal and the Zenne. The troop rectangles for the two camps are coloured according to nationality: British (red), Austrian (blue), and Hanoverian (yellow).

Cumberland had fallen back from the encampment at Meerbeke near Ninove (see RCIN 729131) and Dielegem (RCIN 729132) on hearing of the French capture of Ghent. There appears to be no record of an R. Robinson acting as an engineer and he may have been an officer of the line regiments who was graphically literate.

Condition: three fold lines; worn along central fold; small tears to bottom edge; small patches of paper loss due to erosion from the acid in the ink. Verso: induced discolouration; substantial brown discolouration; top, right of centre, water-stained patch, shadow, and fragments from the removal of Cumberland's cipher label.
  • R Robinson (active 1745) (draughtsman) [bottom left, inside neatline:] R Robinson Delin.t

  • Watermark: None visible

    Mark, stamped: 469

    Condition: three fold lines; worn along central fold; small tears to bottom edge; small patches of paper loss due to erosion from the acid in the ink. Verso: induced discolouration; substantial brown discolouration; top, right of centre, water-stained patch, shadow, and fragments from the removal of Cumberland's cipher label

  • Scale: 1:12,100 approx. Scale bar: 1500 Paces [94 mm =].

    36.8 x 209.7 cm (neatline)

    38.0 x 211.2 cm (image)

    39.1 x 212.5 cm (sheet)

  • Manuscript title:

    Plan / of the Incampments of the Allied Army at Deigem and Vilvoerden in Brabant / Commanded by His Royal Highness William Duke of Cumberland / in July 1745 also the Intrenchments and Redoubts thrown up / along the Canal. [top centre, in rectangular panel]

    Annotations:

    George III heading: Encampment near Brussels July 1745. [verso, on white paper label]

    Other annotations: (Recto) [top right, black pencil, in Mason's hand?:] 54. (Verso) [bottom, right of centre, black pencil:] 31; [top, left of centre, black pencil:] 18; [top right of third panel, ink, obscured by strip of white paper:] Brussels; [top, right of centre, obscured by linen backing, ink:] a flourished F [or T, and:] C.10.

    George III catalogue entry:

    Encampment A drawn Plan of the Encampments of the Allied Army at Diegem and Vilvoerden in Brabant, commanded by the Duke of Cumberland, in July 1745: also the Intrenchments and Redoubts thrown up along the Canal of Brussels: by R. Robinson. 4 small sheets. [Not cross referenced under Diegem or Vilvorden.]

  • Subject(s)

    Diegem, Flanders, Belgium (50°53'50"N 04°26'00"E)

Page revisions

  • 14 March 2024