Viewing old and new maps side by side.

KevinRobinson

I often see people ask about place names they've been unable to find. Throughout my research I've found that, particularly in Wales, places sometimes changed there names over the years. Looking at a Bartholomew map from 1900 and comparing it to an OS map of the 1950's I see the later map has a lot of places with an extra "R" in them, for example Hafod-y-gareg becomes Hafod y garreg and Tyn-y-cerig becomes Tyn-y-cerrig. Cwm Hesgen on the same maps become Cwm Hesgin. Some places, like Pen-pryn-mawr appear to have gone for good with the building of a reservoir.

I've found a great tool that is free to use that allows to to view a range of maps of different ages side by side. Perhaps these will help in identifying places you've been unable to locate. Just a slight spelling change could make all the difference in being certain that you have found where your ancestors once lived. As you move you mouse pointer on one map, a cross follows you on the adjacent map helping you to match the areas.

This doesn't just cover Wales but the whole of the UK and some other areas in the World.

The image I've includes shows a reservoir on the right map and it not there on the left map.

Side by side georeferenced maps viewer - Map images - National Library of Scotland

https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/side-by-side/#zoom=13&lat=52.93062&lon=-3.71434&layers=156&right=OSAPI

Search using a current placename (eg. towns, farms, streets) from Nominatim / OpenStreetMap, as well as the Definitive Gazetteer for Scotland

Cedar Kedar

Thank you for posting this, it is very handy. There have been some big changes to the Welsh boundaries over the years particularly in Welsh counties and their names. So an old map really does need to be viewed next to a modern map. Thank you for the link.

Cedar Kedar

I you want to look at a Historic Map and a Modern ap, although not side by side this link will give a list of old and new counties. History of local government in Wales: -

History of local government in Wales - Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_local_government_in_Wales

The history of local government in Wales in a recognisably modern form emerged during the late 19th century. Administrative counties and county boroughs were first established in Wales in 1889. Urban and rural districts were formed in 1894. These were replaced in 1974 by a two-tier authority system across the country comprising eight counties and, within them, thirty-seven districts.