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
Roermond and Hellenrouck, 1748
A SURVEY / of the ENCAMPMENT at HELLENROUCK, / with Part of the Rivers MAESE and ROER, and / Country adjacent
c.1748Pencil, pen, ink and watercolour on four sheets of paper, joined; laid down on linen and edged with red silk; four brass rings to top edge; pink linen tie to left edge | Scale: 1:14,400. | RCIN 731014
This survey, which was undertaken by six young engineers, covers an area extending from Venlo (51°22'12"N 06°10'05"E) in the north-east to Roermond in the south-west. The western boundary is formed by the River Meuse, and the southern boundary by the River Roer. The surveyors were probably divided into separate surveying parties but it is not possible to identify which parts were surveyed by whom, nor is it possible to identify with certainty the draughtsman of the map. The style is reminiscent of that of George Augustus Schultz (active 1735-49), the Duke of Cumberland's draughtsman. Equally, of the surveyors listed, Hugh Debbieg's work was also of a similar standard. The cartography is accomplished and the topography is represented in detail: distinction is made between cultivated land (groups of parallel brown stripes at various angles to represent tilled fields), heathland or rough pasture, woodlands and tree-lined roads and, in particular, the breaks in the ground. It is easy to see, at a glance, the minor variations of landform such as river terraces, sunken roads, etc. The three pontoon bridges, with a floating bridge attached, are shown at the bridgehead on the Meuse.
Although the encamped regiments are shown (British in red, Hanoverian in yellow, Austrian in green), they are not named. They are grouped into brigades, as indicated by the ink brackets drawn against them. It therefore appears that the primary purpose of this map was to show the physical environment of the encampment and the area between Roermond and Venlo.
Condition: three fold lines; some brown staining. Verso: foxing; heavy surface dirt along right edge, consistent with the map having been rolled and tied.
James Bramham (d. 1786) (surveyor)
George Morrison (1703/4?–99) (surveyor)
Hugh Debbieg (1731-1810) (surveyor)
William Bontein (active 1747-d.October 1760) (surveyor)
John Baugh (active 1748) (surveyor)
John Archer (d. 1799) (surveyor) [bottom right, inside neatline, in a bracketed list, commas supplied for ease of reference, surveyed:] by J. Bramham, Geo. Morrison, Hugh Debbieg, W.m Bontein, Jno. Baugh, J. Archer, Engineers.
Watermark: None visible; obscured by linen backing
Mark, stamped: 730
Condition: three fold lines; some brown staining. Verso: foxing; heavy surface dirt along right edge, consistent with the map having been rolled and tied
Scale: 1:14,400. Scale bar: Scale 400 Yards to an Inch.
69.2 x 179.2 cm (image and neatline)
71.0 x 181.8 cm (sheet)
Manuscript title:
A SURVEY / of the ENCAMPMENT at HELLENROUCK, / with Part of the Rivers MAESE and ROER, and / Country adjacent. [bottom centre, in rectangular panel]
Annotations:
George III heading: [bottom left, black pencil:] XI/14 Military [bottom right, black pencil:] Hellenrouck XI/14 1748.
Other annotations (Recto) [bottom left, black pencil:] XI/14 Military. (Verso) [bottom right, an old white library label, probably from Cumberland's time, ink:] VII./66. [a red ink cross is written to the right of the Roman numerals.]; [bottom, right of centre, a small white red-printed Royal Library label with, in a modern hand, in red ink:] XI 14 Hellenrouk.
George III catalogue entry:
Hellenrouck A drawn Survey of the Encampment at Hellenrouck in 1748, with Part of the Rivers Maese and Roer and Country adjacent: by Engineers Bramham, Morrison, Debbieg, Bontein, Baugh and Archer. 4 sheets. [black pencil:] XI 14 I. Tab. 2 I.7. [The same entry appears under the heading Encampment.]
K. Mil. dummy sheet:
Title [ink:] A drawn Survey of the Encampment at Hellenrouck; with part of the Rivers Maese & Roer, & Country / adjacent: by Engineers Bramham, Morrison, Debbieg, Bontein, Baugh, & Archer. 4 sheets / A Roll … [black pencil:] 5 Table 2.d / [black pencil, in a modern hand:] Big: sep. sequence / old heading [red ink:] Encampment at Hellenrouck 19 April – 12 May 1748 [black pencil, erased:] 19 April 1748 /
Watermark: fleur-de-lys in crowned shield, the letters B&W below.
Size: 47.1 x 32.7 cm (sheet).Subject(s)
Roermond, Limburg, Netherlands (51°11'39"N 05°59'15"E)
Hillenraed Castle, Limburg, Netherlands (51°13'18"N 06°02'03"E)
Page revisions
14 March 2024
Current version
