John Lodge Cowley
Encyclopedia
John Lodge Cowley was an English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...

 cartographer, geologist
Geologist
A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid and liquid matter that constitutes the Earth as well as the processes and history that has shaped it. Geologists usually engage in studying geology. Geologists, studying more of an applied science than a theoretical one, must approach Geology using...

 and Mathematician
Mathematician
A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change....

.

John Cowley was a professor of mathematics at the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich – London for a number of years between 1761 and 1773. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in April, 1768.

His mathematical methods were famous, but he was also an important geographer as well as Cartographer Royal to King George II. He specialised in maps that depicted the counties of the United Kingdom from which arose his most famous work entitled "Counties of England". Cowley published several maps many of minute detail and on them often appeared his name although on others appeared the name of Emanuel Bowen
Emanuel Bowen
Emanuel Bowen was an English map engraver, who worked for George II of England and Louis XV of France as a geographerHe published a 'Complete Atlas of Geography,' 1744-7; an 'English Atlas, with a new set of maps,' 1745; a 'Complete Atlas .....

 acting as engraver. Another one of his work of some note, but less famous than "The Counties" was, without doubt, "A new and easy introduction to the study of geography" which was published by Thomas Cox and James Hodges. The work was structured as questions and answers with decorative maps added later. His maps contained longer titles than what is usually found on the standard miniature maps. John Cowley collaborated with Robert Dodsley for several years in the creation of his maps which explains why the maps were ascribed to Dodsley/Cowley. Among his works is remembered the superb engravings representing the constellation drawn on glass globes created by Thomas Heath.

He died in Walworth, Surrey. Cowley had a daughter called Mrs Johnstone who inherited her father's passion for science and in the years instructed many members of the British nobility in the use of globes and maps.

See also

  • List of cartographers
  • History of cartography
    History of cartography
    Cartography , or mapmaking, has been an integral part of the human story for a long time, possibly up to 8,000 years...

  • Willem Blaeu
    Willem Blaeu
    Willem Janszoon Blaeu , also abbreviated to Willem Jansz. Blaeu, was a Dutch cartographer, atlas maker and publisher....

  • Joan Blaeu
    Joan Blaeu
    Joan Blaeu was a Dutch cartographer.He was born in Alkmaar, the son of cartographer Willem Blaeu.In 1620 he became a doctor of law but he joined the work of his father. In 1635 they published the Atlas Novus in two volumes...

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