John Seller (1632–1697) was an English compiler, publisher, and seller of maps, charts, and geographical books. From 1671 he was

hydrographer Hydrography is the branch of applied sciences which deals with the measurement and description of the physical features of oceans, seas, coastal areas, lakes and rivers, as well as with the prediction of their change over time, for the primary p ...

to the King.

Early life

Seller, son of Henry Seller, a cordwainer, was baptized in London on 29 December 1632. In 1654 he became a freeman of the

Merchant Taylors' Company ] The Worshipful Company of Merchant Taylors is one of the 110 Livery company, livery companies of the City of London. The Company, originally known as the ''Guild and Fraternity of St John the Baptist in the City of London'', was founded prio ...

, and he became a brother of the

Clockmakers' Company The Worshipful Company of Clockmakers was established under a royal charter granted by King Charles I in 1631. It ranks sixty-first among the livery companies of the City of London, and comes under the jurisdiction of the Privy Council. The ...

in 1667. He was a

compass A compass is a device that shows the cardinal directions used for navigation and geographic orientation. It commonly consists of a magnetized needle or other element, such as a compass card or compass rose, which can pivot to align itself with ...

maker, and continued this occupation throughout his career.

His trial, and ''The English Pilot''

Seller's subsequent career was affected by being put on trial in 1662, accused of high treason: it is thought he repeated a rumour about a plot involving a cache of arms. Those involved were executed, and although Seller was found guilty and imprisoned, he was later pardoned. In this way his name and occupation became known: the episode may have been a factor in his eventual appointment in March 1671 as

to the King. In that year he published the first volume of charts and sailing directions, entitled ''The English Pilot''. It was dedicated to

the Duke of York Duke of York is a title of nobility in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. Since the 15th century, it has, when granted, usually been given to the second son of English (later British) monarchs. The equivalent title in the Scottish peerage was D ...

, to whom he had appealed from prison. The trade in maritime maps and charts had until then been dominated by the Dutch, and, in many instances, earlier Dutch plates, from which the original title had been replaced by an English title, were used here. The ''English Pilot'' ran through many editions, until the end of the eighteenth century, new maps from time to time taking the place of the old.

Later publications

''The Coasting Pilot'' appeared in 1672, and ''Atlas maritimus'' in 1675. ''Atlas Anglicanus'', a projected large-scale atlas of England and Wales, was not completed, although new surveys of six counties were published from 1675 to 1681, and a map of London by John Oliver, who was associated with the project. ''Atlas caelestis'', the first British celestial atlas, appeared in 1680. Seller wrote textbooks including ''Practical Navigation'' (1669), ''A Pocket Book containing several choice Collections in Arithmetic, Geometry, Surveying, Dialling, &c.'' (1677); and ''The Sea-Gunner, shewing the Practical Part of Gunnery as it is used at Sea'' (1691). He also produced nautical

almanac An almanac (also spelled ''almanack'' and ''almanach'') is an annual publication listing a set of current information about one or multiple subjects. It includes information like weather forecasts, farmers' planting dates, tide tables, and other ...

Family

Seller was for many years settled in

Wapping Wapping () is a district in East London in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. Wapping's position, on the north bank of the River Thames, has given it a strong maritime character, which it retains through its riverside public houses and steps, ...

; he had also a shop in

Exchange Alley Exchange Alley or Change Alley is a narrow alleyway connecting shops and coffeehouses in an old neighbourhood of the City of London. It served as a convenient shortcut from the Royal Exchange on Cornhill to the Post Office on Lombard Street ...

, near the Royal Exchange. He and his wife Elizabeth had three daughters and two sons; John Seller, junior, had a shop in

Cheapside Cheapside is a street in the City of London, the historic and modern financial centre of London, which forms part of the A40 London to Fishguard road. It links St. Martin's Le Grand with Poultry. Near its eastern end at Bank junction, where ...

, where his father's publications were on sale. He died in May 1697, and was buried at St John's Church, Wapping.

References

Attribution * {{DEFAULTSORT:Seller, John 1632 births 1697 deaths 17th-century cartographers English cartographers English hydrographers