Remembering the man who mapped the world

On Tuesday, April 14, a modest but brilliant Scotsman: a cartographer who welcomed the greatest explorers to Scotland from all corners of the earth; and who, quite literally, mapped the world, was remembered, writes Jo Woolf.

In 1860, when John George Bartholomew was born at 10 Comely Green Place, Edinburgh, his family’s maps had been guiding travellers for two generations; and by the age of 28, when he took over the company, he already had the enthusiasm and far-sightedness that would yield great rewards in the years to come.

Bartholomew enjoyed close acquaintance with leading explorers and academics of the time, including Sir Ernest Shackleton, Dr William Bruce, H. M. Stanley, Sir John Murray and Cecil Rhodes, and he worked with many of them to represent their discoveries in map form. In 1910 he was invited to become Geographer and Cartographer to the King for Scotland.

Tuesday marked the centenary of Bartholomew’s death. A three-day gathering had been planned in Edinburgh for more than 130 of his direct descendants and cousins to celebrate the occasion, but this has been postponed to April 2021, due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Asked about what he feels is his greatgrandfather’s greatest legacy, John Eric Bartholomew, himself a cartographer, says: ‘Without a doubt, his perfection of coloured layer shading on maps, a technique for showing heights now adopted the world over by mapmakers.’

Another significant legacy is the Royal Scottish Geographical Society, of which Bartholomew was a co-founder in 1884.

RSGS’ Chief Executive, Mike Robinson, said: ‘Back in 1884, aged only 24, John George Bartholomew was the driving force behind the founding of the RSGS. This small charity continues to deliver for Scotland, producing publications, journals, magazines and 100 public talks a year, and with a continuing network of some of the greatest minds, and most adventurous spirits of our age.’

Jo Woolf is RSGS Writer-in-Residence and author of The Great Horizon – 50 Tales of Exploration, published by Sandstone Press.