War of the Spanish Succession (1701-14)
Sieges, marches, encampments and famous battles from 1701 to 1712 in Germany, Italy and the Netherlands
Siege of Béthune, 1710
BETHUNE
published 1710Etching and engraving on three copperplates and printed on three separate sheets of paper, joined | Scale: 1:5,400 approx. | RCIN 726054
The date of 23 August for the capitulation of the fortress is taken from Ostwald (2007), p.343.
Fricx appears to have updated what may have been an earlier, smaller map of Béthune with the details of the siege; since the siegeworks extended beyond the boundaries of the original map, it seems to have been necessary to have engraved the extended area on two separate copperplates, the impressions from which were then pasted to the original map.
Additional text: [bottom right of original map, a key, A-F to the locations of named bastions:] Anotation. [Bottom left, in rectangular panel, a key, A-E, to the attack, batteries, flooded areas and formerly flooded areas which had been drained in order to facilitate the attack:] Attaque du General Schoulenbourg ou l'on / n'a ouvert la tranchee que le 27. de Juliet. [Top right, in cartouche, a key, a-e, to Fagel's attack, the location of the advance guards before opening the trenches, mortar and cannon batteries, and mines:] Attaque du General Fagel où il a fait ouvrir la tranchée la nuit / du 23. au 24.me de Juliet.
Condition: six fold lines. Verso: right of centre, water-stained patch, shadow and ghosting from the removal of Cumberland's cipher label.
Eugène Henri Fricx (January 1644-18 December 1730) (publisher) [right, above scale bar:] A Bruxelles chez Eugene Henry Fricx ruë de / la Madelene avec Privilege du Roy. / 1710.
Jacques Harrewyn (1660-1727) (engraver) [bottom right of scale bar:] Harrewÿn.
Watermark: None
Condition: six fold lines. Verso: right of centre, water-stained patch, shadow and ghosting from the removal of Cumberland's cipher label
Scale: 1:5,400 approx. Scale bar: Echelle de Cent Toises.
40.3 x 45.1 cm (neatline of whole map)
40.8 x 45.5 cm (image of whole map)
30.1 x 37.8 cm (image of original map)
30.7 x 38.7 cm (platemark of original map)
35.8 x 46.2 cm (sheet of original map)
Printed title:
BETHUNE. [top right, in plain cartouche]
Additional text:
[bottom right of original map, a key, A-F to the locations of named bastions:] Anotation. [Bottom left, in rectangular panel, a key, A-E, to the attack, batteries, flooded areas and formerly flooded areas which had been drained in order to facilitate the attack:] Attaque du General Schoulenbourg ou l'on / n'a ouvert la tranchee que le 27. de Juliet. [Top right, in cartouche, a key, a-e, to Fagel's attack, the location of the advance guards before opening the trenches, mortar and cannon batteries, and mines:] Attaque du General Fagel où il a fait ouvrir la tranchée la nuit / du 23. au 24.me de Juliet.
Annotations:
George III heading: Bethune 15 July - 28 August 1710.
Other annotations: (Recto) none. (Verso) [top right, black pencil, partly erased:] 100.; [right centre, red pencil:] 91.
George III catalogue entry:
Bethune Plan de la Ville de Bethune avec les attaques des Alliés en 1710: chez Fricx, 1710.
Subject(s)
Béthune, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, France (50°32'00"N 02°38'00"E)
