| Description | The great period of map-making as shown in the Arundel Castle Muniments was over before the 11th Duke died in 1815, but 1830 has been taken as a more convenient date to divide the very scrappy and inferior mid-and later -19th century work from the main body of the collection. There are various reasons for the decline in number and interest of the maps made after 1830. The appearance of the large-scale ordnance surveys in the 1850s made detailed work of the old kind unnecessary; there are large numbers of tracings made from these of small properties for lease or sale. Much of the Ducal property in Sheffield was sold in the earlier 19th century and instead of the urban development schemes of Fairbank's day, the work of the Duke's surveyor was the maintenance of house and other property, drainage schemes and street making. There are many plans showing working details for drainage.
The great majority of all these plans are tracings, often without headings and now unidentifiable. Some of the building plans are of more interest than the general plans. There are some of alterations of and improvements to Ducal residences, and there were various buildings -churches, schools and other public institutions -in which the Duke had an interest, either personally or as landlord. Even these are for the most part tracings. |