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John Rocque (originally Jean; c. 1704–1762) was a French-born British surveyor and
cartographer
Cartography (; from grc, χάρτης , "papyrus, sheet of paper, map"; and , "write") is the study and practice of making and using maps. Combining science, aesthetics and technique, cartography builds on the premise that reality (or an im ...
, best known for his detailed
map of London published in 1746.
Life and career
Rocque was born in France in about 1704, one of four children of a
Huguenot
The Huguenots ( , also , ) were a religious group of French Protestants who held to the Reformed, or Calvinist, tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, the Genevan burgomaster Be ...
family who subsequently fled first to
Geneva
Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...
, and then, probably in 1709, to England. He became a godfather in 1728, which suggests he was at least twenty-one years old by that time.
In addition to his work as surveyor and mapmaker, Rocque was an engraver and map-seller. He was also involved in some way in gardening as a young man, living with his brother Bartholomew, who was a landscape gardener, and producing plans for
parterre
A ''parterre'' is a part of a formal garden constructed on a level substrate, consisting of symmetrical patterns, made up by plant beds, low hedges or coloured gravels, which are separated and connected by paths. Typically it was the part of ...
s, perhaps recording pre-existing designs, but few details of this work are known. Rocque produced engraved plans of the gardens at
Wrest Park
Wrest Park is a country estate located in Silsoe, Bedfordshire, England. It comprises Wrest Park, a Grade I listed country house, and Wrest Park Gardens, also Grade I listed, formal gardens surrounding the mansion.
History
Thomas Carew (1595 ...
(1735),
Claremont (1738), Charles Hamilton's naturalistic landscape garden at
Painshill Park
Painshill (also referred to as "Pains Hill" in some 19th-century texts), near Cobham, Surrey, England, is one of the finest remaining examples of an 18th-century English landscape park. It was designed and created between 1738 and 1773 by Charle ...
, Surrey (1744),
Wanstead House
Wanstead House was a mansion built to replace the earlier Wanstead Hall. It was commissioned in 1715, completed in 1722 and demolished in 1825. Its gardens now form the municipal Wanstead Park in the London Borough of Redbridge.
History Construct ...
(1745) and
Wilton House
Wilton House is an English country house at Wilton near Salisbury in Wiltshire, which has been the country seat of the Earls of Pembroke for over 400 years. It was built on the site of the medieval Wilton Abbey. Following the dissolution o ...
(1746).
Rocque is now remembered principally for his
Map of London. He began work on this in 1737 and it was published in 24 printed sheets in 1746. It was by far the most detailed map of London published up to that time, and remains an important historical resource.
The map of London and his other maps brought him an appointment as
cartographer
Cartography (; from grc, χάρτης , "papyrus, sheet of paper, map"; and , "write") is the study and practice of making and using maps. Combining science, aesthetics and technique, cartography builds on the premise that reality (or an im ...
to
Frederick, Prince of Wales
Frederick, Prince of Wales, (Frederick Louis, ; 31 January 170731 March 1751), was the eldest son and heir apparent of King George II of Great Britain. He grew estranged from his parents, King George and Queen Caroline. Frederick was the fath ...
in 1751. A fire in 1750 destroyed his premises and stock, but by 1753 he was employing ten draughtsmen, and ''The Small British Atlas: Being a New set of Maps of all the Counties of England and Wales'' appeared. There was a second edition in 1762.
He also surveyed and published maps of Middlesex, Oxford, Berkshire, & Buckinghamshire in 1760.
Time in Dublin
Rocque spent six years in
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
(1754–60), where he produced a number of maps of the Irish capital, as well as county maps of
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
and
Armagh
Armagh ( ; ga, Ard Mhacha, , "Macha's height") is the county town of County Armagh and a city in Northern Ireland, as well as a civil parish. It is the ecclesiastical capital of Ireland – the seat of the Archbishops of Armagh, the Pri ...
, city maps of
Kilkenny
Kilkenny (). is a city in County Kilkenny, Ireland. It is located in the South-East Region and in the province of Leinster. It is built on both banks of the River Nore. The 2016 census gave the total population of Kilkenny as 26,512.
Kilken ...
and
Cork
Cork or CORK may refer to:
Materials
* Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product
** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container
***Wine cork
Places Ireland
* Cork (city)
** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...
, and a series of sumptuously illustrated manuscript surveys of the estates of the then
Earl of Kildare
Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. The title originates in the Old English word ''eorl'', meaning "a man of noble birth or rank". The word is cognate with the Scandinavian form ''jarl'', and meant "chieftain", particular ...
. In 1756, he published the first detailed printed map of Dublin, the 4-sheet ''Exact Survey of Dublin''. A detail from this later featured on the Irish
Series B ten pound banknote (1976–1993).
Rocque also covered the hinterland of Dublin in ''A Survey of the City Harbour Bay and Environs of Dublin'', published in four sheets in 1758. These extended as far as
Skerries
A skerry is a small rocky island, usually defined to be too small for habitation.
Skerry, skerries, or The Skerries may also refer to:
Geography
Northern Ireland
* Skerries, County Armagh, a townland in County Armagh
* Skerry, County Antrim, a ...
and Cardy Rocks to the north,
Carton House
Carton House is a country house and surrounding demesne that was the ancestral seat of the Earls of Kildare and Dukes of Leinster for over 700 years. Located 23 km west of Dublin, in Maynooth, County Kildare, the Carton Demesne is a 1,100 ac ...
to the west,
Blessington
Blessington, historically known as Ballycomeen (, from the Irish surname ''Ó Coimín''), is a town on the River Liffey in County Wicklow, Ireland, near the border with County Kildare. It is around 25 km south-west of Dublin, and is sit ...
to the south-west and
Enniskerry
Enniskerry (historically ''Annaskerry'', from ) is a village in County Wicklow, Ireland. The population was 1,889 at the 2016 census.
Location
The village is situated on the Glencullen River in the foothills of the Wicklow Mountains in the ea ...
to the south.
Personal life
Rocque married twice. His widow,
Mary Ann Rocque
Mary Ann Rocque, born Mary Ann Scalé, (born about 1725, died after 1770) was a cartographer in 18th-century London. Her booklet titled ''A Set of Plans and Forts of America'' (1765) included two of the earliest published maps of the city of Alb ...
, continued the business after his death.
References
Further reading
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External links
A detailed biographyRocque's map of London onlineRocque's ''Exact Survey of Dublin'' 1756Rocque's 1758 Harbour & Environs map onlineA Set of Plans and Forts in America, Reduced From Actual Survey John Rocque. This 1763 volume contains drawings of 29 British forts in colonial America (now Canada and the United States). Digitized by the
New York State Library
The New York State Library is a research library in Albany, New York, United States. It was established in 1818 to serve the state government of New York and is part of the New York State Education Department. The library is one of the largest ...
.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rocque, John
English cartographers
1762 deaths
Year of birth uncertain
Year of birth unknown
18th-century cartographers
18th-century English people
English surveyors
Huguenots