1783 Taylor & Skinner Drogheda, Dunleer, Monasterboice & Stabannon, Ireland Road Map
This hand-coloured antique Irish road map, published in 1783, is Map 3 from the second revised edition of Taylor & Skinner’s Maps of the Roads of Ireland. Surveyed in 1777 and corrected down to 1783, it follows the historic road through Drogheda, Monasterboice, Dunleer and Stabannon, with County Louth prominently identified on the sheet.
Around Drogheda, the map shows the town and its network of roads crossing the River Boyne, including routes towards Slane, Navan, Trim and Duleek. The surrounding area is richly detailed with nearby places and estates including Mornington, Greenhills, Beaulieu, Queenborough, Listoke and Carntown Castle.
From Drogheda, the principal road continues north through the countryside, passing the clearly marked county-entry point with the inscription “Enter Louth Co.” The route then proceeds towards Monasterboice, where the map shows the church and tower beside the road, before continuing onwards to Dunleer.
The Dunleer section is especially full of local detail. The engraving records numerous country houses, churches, side roads and landed properties, including Grange Bellew, Dysart Church, Rath Church, Castle Lumney, Rathescar Lodge, Drumshallon, Stonehouse and Roxborough. Roads branch in several directions, illustrating the local network in the mile-by-mile style characteristic of Taylor & Skinner’s survey.
Beyond Dunleer, the route continues towards Stabannon, with additional places such as Drumcar, Coolistown, Hintonstown and Stabannon Church shown in the upper section of the plate. The engraved title “To Donaghadee” identifies this sheet as part of the continuing route towards Donaghadee, although this particular map is focused on the section through County Louth around Drogheda and Dunleer.
As with other maps in the series, the engraving records much more than the main road. Numerous named estates, country houses and contemporary landowners appear beside the routes, giving the map particular appeal for Irish local history, genealogy and family-history research.
The large engraved county name LOUTH, together with the clearly marked county-entry point, makes this sheet especially useful for understanding the historic road network and settlements of County Louth in the late 18th century.
Identified as Map 3 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.