Life in a Revolutionary Decade in Britain (1649-1660)
Gresham College Lectures
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The Down Survey - A History of the British Isles
In 1552, William Petty was offered a lucrative position as physician to the Commonwealth Army in Ireland. The republic's bloody campaign there, which Cromwell himself had led, was now over. Not until this could be achieved, the army could not be disbanded and the immense costs would continue to mount. Accurate maps simply did not exist for most of Ireland - crucial for reallocation of land. A group of professional surveyors had been tasked with remedying this. But when it emerged that they were going to take more than a decade he decided to get his hands on the job instead. He completed the task in 13 months setting new standards in cartographical work. It would be two centuries
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