Title: Earliest geological map of Ireland [?1814]

Creator: probably by or after Richard Griffith (1784-1878)

Description: The map belonged to George Bellas Greenough (1778-1855) who was in Ireland with Richard Griffith in 1813. Griffith wished to compile a geological map of the country for his forthcoming lecture series but complained that the only map he had – Alexander Taylor’s ‘New Map of Ireland’, published by William Faden, 1793 – was too small.  Instead he requested that if Greenough sent him Aaron Arrowsmith’s much larger map Griffith in return would colour the Taylor map and send it back to him.

Griffith would eventually publish the first version of his geological map of Ireland in 1837, but none of his early drafts of the map were thought to survive.

There are only nine different colours on the key, referring to rather simplistic delineations of rock types such as granite, mountain limestone, coal, mica slate and quartz

Date: [?1814]

Format: Hand colouring on engraved base map

Archive reference: LDGSL/947/6/F/4

Image reference: 07-178

Recommended print size: Up to 100 x 70cm (40in x 27in)