Description:For a small map with little labelling Josiah Robins Town of Birmingham packs in a lot of information on the extent of the town. Although one copy of the map bears the date ‘1816’, closer inspection shows that this has been added by hand in a different font and with different coloured ink than the original printed version. Although the moat is still shown and Sheep Street is missing comparison with contemporary dated maps suggests a date of c.1819-20.
Town of Birmingham Josiah Robins c.1819-20 MAP/264921 & MAP/435103
One copy, MAP/435103, bears the date ‘1816’, written under the title, in a different hand and a different colour than the rest of the title. This was probably conjectural and was a manuscript addition written before 1907.
‘In 1816 a charming little survey of the town was engraved forJosiah Robins, apparently to define the perambulation by the commissioners in 1810.’ [Hill, Joseph, Bookmakers of Old Birmingham 1907 p122]
The date ‘[1816]’ added on MAP/264921 is recent, in pencil, and copied from the other copy, MAP/435103.
This map exhibits extremely similar geographical features to issue 3 of John Kempson’s Town and Parish of Birmingham [c.1819-20] and in the top left-hand corner a text exactly the same as the manuscript addition to the bottom right-hand corner of Kempson’s map.
REFERENCE The Red line marks Snow-hill Constitution Hill & Gt Hampton St. - The White interval in the Red line near the Northern extremity, marks the situation of the present Toll Gate. To which the commissioners of the Birmingham Streets Light & Watch. – The cross line in Blue marks the Perambulation of the Town by the commissioners in 1810. – The Southern end of the Red line marks the top of Snow hill nearly in the centre of the Town. – The Dark shade shows the extent of the Town in 1731.
Josiah Robins was born c.1776. He set up as a surveyor in 1808 producing a map of Brewood parish, Staffordshire, together with James Sherriff. In 1818 he was joined by Cornelius Robins and in 1821 by Ebenezer Robins, both possibly his sons. From 1835 until 1839, he is listed in trade directories as of Aston Brook, where he died 23 December 1844, aged 68. He known to have produced a Plan of Birmingham waterworks [1811] and enclosure maps of Erdington & Witton. He was a major landowner in Aston, and also owned property in Handsworth and in Llandanwg, Merionethshire. In his will he left money and land for the building of St. Mary’s, Aston Brook.
The map has 70o west of north at the top. It has no borders but the edges enclose an area 3.66 km x 4.48km centred on the south-west side of Newhall Street between Cornwall Street and Edmund Street.
This map names few buildings within the town and none of the town streets. Labels such as Holoway[sic] Head, Five Ways, Islington, Sand Pitts, Vauxhall, Deritend & Camp Hill seem to be applied to areas rather than streets. Around the periphery of the town a few buildings and features are labelled: Brewery (Warstone Lane); Glass House (Lodge Road); Hockley pool & Great Hockley Pool; Colmore Lodge (Great Hampton Row); Hospital (Summer Lane); Aston Cottage; Deritend Brewery and Vaughton’s Hole. Pudding Brook, The Worcester Birmingham Canal and the Old Birmingham Canal are also labelled. Apart from these the only features labelled are the routes into and out of the town.
Areas covered by housing are generally shaded grey with individual buildings outside the built-up area shown in black. A mottled shading covers the area not already covered by housing infill around Spencer Street, Branston Street & Hockley Street, extending along Great Hampton Street, in the area between Great Hampton Street, New John Street, Summer Lane, Ormond Street, Walmer Lane, New Town Row, the canal, Snow Hill and Constitution Hill to along the southern edge of New John Street with a small area north of New John Street between Summer Lane and Walmer Lane out to Ormond Street.
The small scale used means that smaller streets such as Little Cannon Street, Beak street, Greens Village and Mill Street (Digbeth). The streets running east off Bristol Street are not shown. Brewery Street is incorrectly shown crossing the canal to join Staniforth Street. The manor moat is shown with buildings still in place and Sheep street is omitted.
However several new streets and street extensions are shown, though not labelled. Mill Street (Islington) is re-instated as is Regent Street. New John Street West and Spencer Street (off Hall Street) appear for the first time. In Aston Love Lane extends across Dartmouth Street. In the Jennens estate beyond St Bartholomew’s church, Princes Street is shown ending at Princes Row but Doe Street extends across the junction of Buck street and Nova Scotia Street. In the area around Great Hampton Street, Branston street extends across Hockley Street and Hockley Street extends across Spencer Street. On the opposite side Hockley Street and Well Street extend beyond Smith Street which now reaches Well Street, Great Hampton Row extends beyond New John Street West
Comparison of features shown on the plan with those of other contemporary [dated] maps [see map 19 & map 22] suggests a date of c.1819-20.