1783 Taylor & Skinner Coleraine, Portrush, Dungiven, Garvagh, Macosquin Ireland Road Map
Published in 1783, this hand-coloured antique Ireland road map is Map 30 from the second revised edition of Taylor & Skinner’s Maps of the Roads of Ireland. The survey was undertaken in 1777, first published in 1778 and corrected for the 1783 edition.
The engraved heading, “From Dungiven to Colerain,” identifies the principal journey represented on the sheet. The mileage table records 14 miles 4 furlongs from Dungiven to Coleraine and 8 miles 1 furlong from Dungiven to Garvagh.
The map is arranged as two adjoining road strips. The right-hand section follows the inland route from Dungiven through Garvagh towards Coleraine, while the left-hand section records Coleraine and the continuation towards Portrush.
Prominent places shown include Coleraine, Portrush, Dungiven, Garvagh and Macosquin. Dungiven appears at the foot of the inland strip, with roads towards Limavady and neighbouring settlements before the route passes through the hill country around Benbradagh.
Garvagh is shown as an important junction with several roads branching through the surrounding countryside. Approaching Coleraine, the engraving records Macosquin Church and Glebe House, together with local estates and minor roads.
Coleraine is prominently shown beside the River Bann, where several routes converge. The engraving also marks Salmon Leap and nearby estates and residences along the river valley.
The adjoining strip follows the road from Coleraine towards Portrush. Ballywillan Church, Ballybane and other named properties appear along the route, together with connecting roads towards Bushmills and Dervock.
Portrush is prominently positioned on the coast, and the sheet also records the historic county boundary between County Londonderry and County Antrim, adding further interest for local and family-history research.
The combination of towns, river crossings, coastal roads and named properties makes this map particularly interesting for County Derry / Londonderry and County Antrim local history, Irish genealogy and family-history research.
Identified as Map 30 in Taylor & Skinner’s Maps of the Roads of Ireland, it forms part of their extensive late-18th-century survey of Ireland’s principal roads.