"The amount of published research in English regarding Peninsular War cartography is less than that in continental languages. The subject certainly merits further study, especially in the areas of the QMG cartographic organization at Horse Guards and at the Lisbon depot, with comparative studies of Spanish, Portuguese and French military mapping. Even such an eminent figure as General Sir George Murray does not feature as he deserves in the military literature, probably because of his lack of military heroics. A detailed biography could throw much light on many aspects of his cartographical work in the Peninsula, thereby offering a more complete knowledge of the role of maps in the British army’s deployment in the early nineteenth century in general, and in the Peninsular War, in particular." (page 249)
Smith, R. H. P. (2013). Peninsular War Cartography: A New Look at the Military Mapping of General Sir George Murray and the Quartermaster General’s Department. Imago Mundi, 65(2), 234–252. https://doi.org/10.1080/03085694.2013.784570
A map of Portugal, dated 1808, can be downloaded from the Portuguese National Library: http://purl.pt/6302
Drawn by the Portuguese Engineer Major Lourenço Homem da Cunha d'Eça, printed in Lisbon by Romão Eloy de Almeida.
Distance and walking time between locations is shown next to the roads.
Eça, L. H. da C. de, & Almeida, R. E. de C. N.-C. C. 105 R. . C. C. 106 R. . C. C. 553 R. . C. C. 554 R. . C. C. 1226 R. . C. P. 30. (1808). Carta militar das principaes estradas de Portugal. Retrieved from http://purl.pt/6302
Another interesting copy of this map can be found, explored and downloaded from the Library of Congress website: https://www.loc.gov/item/2010589541/
This copy shows the relief hand-painted and includes notes, allegedly by its former owner Major George Hartmann.
McMaster University, Canada, offers for researchers the possibility to download in very high resolution 3 excellent maps of the Peninsula, dated 1810:
A new map of Spain and Portugal
Printed map. Six visual scales [13 cm = 70 British miles]. "Requisite for the Intelligence of Military Operations." Inset: table with distances between principal towns in Spain. Inset: text pertaining to authority information for the compilation of the map. A Robert Clifford ownership label is affixed to the verso. Acquired by McMaster University in 1969 as part of the Lord Cholmondeley collection.
Carte des routes de postes et itinéraires d’Espagne et de Portugal
Printed map. "Dressée par Lapie, Ingr. Géographe." 3 visual scales [650 mm = 25 Spanish leagues] Insets: CARTE PARTICULIERE / des Routes de Postes de Madrid aux Châteaux Royaux. Shows postal routes (by stage-coach [voitures], by horse, by foot [non montée]), itineraries and main roads. Includes a table of the divisions and provinces of Spain and Portugal. A Robert Clifford ownership label is affixed to the verso with the text "Spain. Postes." Acquired by McMaster University in 1969 as part of the Lord Cholmondeley collection.
Mapa general de España dividido en sus actuales provincias, islas adyacentes, y reyno de Portugal
Printed map. "Por Don Tomas Lopez, Geógrafo de los Dominios da S.M.". 5 visual scales [9 cm = 20 leagues]. A smaller, coloured map of Spain, plus a clipping from Bowles National History of Spain have been pasted onto the larger map. The clipping is a list of Don Carlos’ titles. A list of “French Dignities” clipped from some unknown source is pasted onto the linen backing on the verso of the map. Although no ownership label is present, this map is believed to have belonged to the Honourable Robert Clifford. Acquired by McMaster University in 1969 as part of the Lord Cholmondeley collection.
Rui, do you know if I can get a hard copy of this book? I had a quick look on the internet and there are only downloads. The quality of the maps on the download is not very good. Thanks. Mark
Please feel free to download from the link the following book in pdf or flash formats (https://bit.ly/Portugal_cartography_1800):
Portugal em vésperas das Invasões Francesas: conhecimento geográfico e configurações/ realização, org. Centro de Estudos Geográficos da Univ. de Lisboa, Direcção de Infra-Estruturas do Exército do Instituto Geográfico do Exército ; coord. científ. Maria Helena Dias ; comiss. científ. Centro de Estudos Geográficos da Univ. de Lisboa, Direcção de Infra-Estruturas do Exército do Instituto Geográfico do Exército ; selec., descrição de documentos Maria Helena Dias ; tratamento documental Sandra Fernandes. - [Lisboa] : I.G.E., D.L. 2007. - 63 p. : il. ; 23 cm. - Contém bibliografia. - ISBN 978-989-21-0086-9