A very good example of this important chart first published in 1729. It is the FIRST MAP TO SHOW WILLIAMSBURG founded in 1632 as Middle Plantation. It was renamed Williamsburg in 1699 when made the colonial capital after William III. The town would play a pivotal role in history through the eighteenth century. The chart was issued in recognition of the large amount of trade taking place in the area, notable amongst these was tobacco. The map extends from the Delaware Peninsula in the east to show the key trading rivers of the York and James. Apart from Williamsburg other noted towns are York, ‘Glocester’, ‘Hamton’ and Norfolk. Extensive depth soundings are recorded including dangerous shallow waters.

One of the earliest records found of Mark Tiddeman has him conducting surveys as master of the ‘Tartar’ a Royal Navy ship from 1725-28. Indeed his logbook has been identified in the National Archives in England. It records the inspection of ships encountered indicating a larger role than just surveying. It is interesting that a note at the entrance to the Bay records “Here the Tartar lost her Anchor Octobr. 17th 1726”. After returning to England he undertook surveys of the Highlands of Scotland under Admiral Wagner. I have also identified in the National Archives a will of a Mark Tiddeman dated 16 June 1740 describing him as Master of His Majesty’s Ship ‘Namure’. It seems highly probable that this is one and the same person. In 1743 it appears he was a Lieutenant in the Navy being cited in an account of Admiral Lestock. A Captain Tiddeman commanded the flagship ‘Superb’ in the Siege of Louisburg in 1745.

The chart was included in the English Pilot Fourth Book which was first published in 1689. It was the only sea atlas devoted to North America in publication through much of the eighteenth century. There are two states of this map, this being the rarer earlier one. We were unable to find a record of an example of this first state being on the market since the 1980s, although this does seem improbable it is rare. In the second state which was first published in 1751 the engraving is strengthened and the title cartouche altered. Provenance: private English collection since 2002. Sellers & Van Ee no. 1492; Shirley (BL Atlases) M.M&P-5b no. 16; Stephenson & McKee (2000) p. 104; Verner (1960) ‘A Carto-Bibliographical Study of The English Pilot The Fourth Book’ pp. 51-61; Wooldridge (2112) no. 94.