Land
Why County Roads Follow the Ground
Why county roads follow the ground: learn to read valleys, slopes and ridges on a map and see why a route bends…
All the stories
All stories
Explore explanations of county landscapes, boundary lines, place names, settlements and records. Each piece takes one question at a time and shows what its clues can reveal.
Boundaries
Boundary Stone or Parish Marker? Reading the Clue
Learn how to read a boundary stone or parish marker, distinguish its purpose and use nearby records to check what its…
Place Names
When a Place Name Keeps an Older Landscape
Place names and older landscapes can be read together: trace a name’s spellings, map context and local usage to…
Settlements
Market Town, Village or Hamlet: What the Labels Mean
Market town, village or hamlet: learn what each label describes and use local services, settlement patterns and…
Records
Reading an Old County Map Without Treating It as the Whole Story
Reading an old county map closely helps you identify its symbols, date and purpose, then describe a place with claims…