Guidance on Finding Your Position on the 1641 Map


[Full details of the Maps, the Indexes, and how they were created can be found on the About The Website page]

August 2025 A new feature has been added for mobile devices, this allows your position to be determined on the map using Geolocation

Geolocation: Web browsers running on mobile devices have the inbuilt ability to report their location, this can be now be accessed on the 1641 Maps available under Index Lookup

Using Show My Location on Map

  • Press the Show My Location on Map button near the top of the map (you may need to do this more than once - see Notes, below);
  • A blue circle will appear indicating the approximate location of your device;
  • To find out who was leasing the surrounding properties, hover over the highlighted deed numbers, click the relevant deed number to show its full details;

    • Notes on Browsers and Geolocation:

    • Geolocation Only Works Well Outdoors
      Browsers on mobile devices rely on GPS (global positioning system) to find the position of the device using overhead satellites. This does not work indoors, so it is unlikely that you will get a position if you are not outside. Mobile phones can also calculate their position using wifi networks and nearby phone towers but, in practice, this does not appear to make much difference. If you are indoors you will only get a very approximate location or the last position your device was able to determine. If you are under trees or surrounded by buildings you may also find that your device struggles - see note Press the Button More than Once below.

    • Allow Your Device to Return Its Location
      The first time you use this feature your browser may ask if you want to allow your location to be known, select Allow.

    • You May Not Get A Precise Location
      Browsers do not always return an exact location, most should give the longitude and latitude to with about 15 feet; within the city of Bath we have found that the accuracy is approximately within 10 feet of the true position on the map but can sometimes be much better.

    • Press the Button More than Once
      Browsers sometimes appear to get the position wrong on the first press of the button*, if you suspect that you are not getting the real position, press the button a few additional times, multiple presses often bring you closer to the true location, 3 or 4 presses usually get a reasonably precise location.
      * If you have used the location button, then move somewhere else, browsers seem to remember the previous location and only show your new location after 2 or 3 more presses

Data Storage and Cookies

Please note the following about Bath Historical Maps and your location:
  • Bath Historical Maps Does Not Store Your Location
    The Bath Historical Maps does not store the location of your device on its server, the location is purely used to determine your position so that the blue location circle is placed accurately on the map.

  • Bath Historical Maps Does Not Use Cookies
    The Bath Historical Maps website will not ask you if you give permission for it to store cookies (information about your preferences stored on your device), because it does not store the location of your device as cookies on your device.