British Isles

Sources from old books

1635. Historia mundi: or Mercator's atlas. London. by Gerhard Mercator.

BRITTAINE containeth all those Ilands which lying betweene Spaine and Germany, are stretched forth in a great quantitie of Land toward France. Lhuyddus saith that not long agoe it was called Prydanium;* 1.1 S^r Thomas Eliott would have it called Prytania, being incited thereunto through the love of contention rather then truth, against the authority of Aristotle, Lucretius, Iulius Caesar, and other ancient Writers. But because heretofore all the Brittaines did paint themselves with woade, which gave them a blewish colour, that so their faces might be more terrible against their enemies in war; and in regard that in their ancient Language they did call any thing that was painted and coloured, Brit: some doe rightly suppose that the Graecians, understanding that the inhabitants were called Brith and Briton, did adde to Brith Tania, which signifies a Country, and therefore x 1.2 Brittaine was called the Country of Brittaines, that is, the Country of painted and coloured men, like as Mauritania is called so of the Moores, Lusitania from Lusus, and Aquitania the Region of Waters. Brittaine is endowed by Nature with all guifts both of Aire and Soyle, in which neither the cold of winter is too violent, (as the Oratour hath it, speaking to Constantine) nor the heate of Summer, and it is so fruitfull in bearing corne, that it is sufficiently stored with Bread and Drink: Here the woods are without wilde beasts, and the earth without harmefull Serpents. On the contrary, innumerable flockes and heards of tame cattell, full of milke, and loaden with their fleece; yea, whatsoever is necessary to life is here: the dayes are very long, so that the nights are not without some light, and the Sunne which seemeth in other Countries to goe downe and set, doth seeme here only to passe by. Among all the Iles of Brittaine, two do exceed the rest in greatnesse: Albion,* 1.3 (under which are contained England, and Scotland,) and Ireland. The greatest of these is Albion, now alone called Brittaine, which was a name formerly common to them all: and this name is rather deduced out of Books, than used in common speech, only the Scots doe yet call themselves Albinich, and their Country Albin. Concerning the name of Albion, the Grecians first gave it to this Ile for distinction sake, seeing all the neighbour Ilands were called the Iles of Brittaine: so that it did first arise from the vaine and fabulous lightnesse of the Grecians in faigning names. For seeing they called Italy, from Hesperus the sonne of Atlas, Hesperia; France, from the sonne of Poliphemus, Gallatia, &c. It is not unlikely that they fabulously named this Iland Albion, from Albion the sonne of Neptune, which Perottus and Lilius Giraldus doe confirme. Others would derive it from y 1.4 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, which, as Festus witnesseth, in Greeke signifies white; whence also the Alpes are so called. The figure of it is Triangular, or three cornerd, and it runneth forth into three severall Angles. The first Promontorie, towards the West, the Englishmen doe call the Cape of Cornewall. The second in Kent, which looketh towards the East, the English call it North-forland. The third is Orcas, or Tarvisium, which lyeth farre North, the Scots call it D•ngisbehead: Livius, and Fabius Rusticus, have likened it to a Cheesell. On the West side, whereon Ireland lyeth, the z 1.5Vergivian Sea breaketh in, on the North it is beaten with the wide and great Northerne Ocean; on the East, where it lyeth against Germany, with the Germane Sea; on the South, where it butteth upon France, it is beaten with the Brittish Sea. Diodorus in his sixt booke, writeth that the compasse of it is two and forty thousand furlongs. Martian saith, that Brittaine is eight hundred miles long, and three hundred broad, and in compasse 6000. miles. The learned and accurate Writer Camden, doth thus account it; from the Promontorie Tarvisium to Belerium, following the winding of the shoare, is eight hundred and twelve miles: from thence to Kent, 320. miles. Lastly, from Kent to Tarvisium seaven hundred and foure miles: the whole summe is 1836. miles This Iland formerly was divided into two parts, as Ptolomie witnesseth in his second Booke: where he parts the whole Iland into Great Brittaine and Little Brittaine. The Great he calls the a 1.6 Hither part towards the South; the Lesser the Farther toward the North. But the Romans neglecting the farther part, because, as Appian saith, it could not be commodious to them, the hither part being reduced into a Province, they at first divided into theb 1.7 Lower and Higher, as it is gathered out of Dion. For the hither part of England with Wales, he calleth the Higher, the farther and Northerne he calleth the Lower. Afterward they divided it into three parts, as appeares by Sextus Rufus, into Maxima Caesariensis, Brittania Prima, and Brittania Secunda. Afterward, when the forme of the Common-wealth was daily changed, they divided Brittaine in c 1.8 five parts, the First, Second, Maxima Caesariensis, Valentia, and Flavia Caesariensis: And these were divisions of Brittaine when it was under the Romans. Some have written that the whole Iland was heretofore divided into three parts, Leogria, Cambria, and Albania; but Camden beleeveth that this was a later division, which seemeth to arise from those three People, the Englishmen, Welch, and Scots, who last of all divided this Iland among themselves. Afterward, the Iland was divided into two Kingdomes, namely England, and Scotland: but at last, under the happy raigne of Iames the sixt King of Scotland, these two Kingdomes were d 1.9 united, and the whole Iland called Great Brittaine. Brittaine, as we said before, is every where environed with the great and wide Ocean, which S. Basil. saith is a great Sea, and very terrible for those that sayle on it. Now it floweth farre into the Land, and then it returneth backe againe and leaveth the Sands naked: it feeleth the efficacy of the encreasing Moone very powerfully, and doth flow in with so great a force, that it doth not only drive backe Rivers, but it sometimes sweepes off cattle from the Land, casts forth the fishes on the shoare, and at the ebbe leaveth them there. In a word, so great a matter it was held to sayle upon this Sea, that Iulius Firmicus in his Booke concerning the errours of prophane Religions, cryeth out thus to Constantine the Emperour. In Winter (which was never heretofore done, nor shall bee done) you have passed over the swelling raging waters of the Brittish Ocean, the waves of a Sea almost unknowne to us have trembled under our Oares: and the Brittaines have beene afraid at the unlookt-for presence of the Emperour What would you more? The Elements themselves were conquered by your valour. It doth not belong unto us to speake here of the commodities which this Sea yeeldeth, of the time when it cherishes the Earth, of the vapours with which it nourishes the Aire, and bedewes the fields, of the divers kindes of Fish, as Salmons, Playces, Crabfishes,* 1.10 Codfishes, Herrings, &c. of which it bringeth forth infinite numbers. Yet the e 1.11 Pearles are not to bee passed over in silence, which in a round shape doe swimme in great shoales as it were following one Leader like Bees; so that Iubas calleth it the Sea of Bees: and also Marcellus makes mention of it. Suetonius doth report that Caesar did first attempt Brittaine in hope of getting these Pearles: and so much concerning Albion or England, now let us passe over to the rost. Among all of them, Ireland doth farre excell, of which wee will speake nothing here, intending to speake of it in particular Tables. The Orcades doe follow,* 1.12 now called the Iles of Orkney, which are about f 1.13 thirty in number, and doe lie a little way distant one from another, which a certaine ancient record doth so call, as if it were Argath; which is there expounded as much as supra Getas, above the Getes: Camden would rather have it above Cath, for it lyeth over against Cath a Country of Scotland, which in regard of the Promontorie, they now call Cathnesse: whose Inhabitants Ptolomy, though wrongfully, doth call Carini instead of Cathini. In the time of Solinus they were not inhabited, being overgrowne with Reedes and Bullrushes, but now they are tilled and bring forth Barley enough,* 1.14 though they want both wheat and trees: there is no Serpent or poysonous Creature in them. They have great numbers of living Creatures in them; as Hares, Cunnies, Cranes, and many Swans. There is good fishing in them, of which the inhabitants make great profit. Iulius Agricola first sayling in a Shippe round about Brittaine, did finde out and conquer the Orcades at that time unknowne; and therefore it is unlikely that Claudius did first overcome them, as Hierom affirmeth in his Chronicle. Afterward, when the Romans were Commanders over Brittaine, they were the seats of the Picts; and after that they came under the power of the Norwegians and Danes: whence the Inhabitants doe speake the Gothicke tongue. Last of all, Christiernus King of Denmarke in consideration of a summe of money, in the yeare 1474. did passe over all his right unto the King of Scotland. The chiefe of these is Pomonia, famous in regard it is the seate of a Bishop, which was called by Solinus for the continuall length of the day Pomona diutina: now it is called by the Inhabitants Mainland, as if it were a Continent. It hath abundance of Tinne and Lead, and is adorned with a Bishops See in the Towne Kirkwale, and with two Castles. Among these Ptolomie also reckoneth Ocetis, which Camden supposes should now be called Hethy. And saith the same Camden, I am not yet resolved whether I should call Hey, which is among these Plinies Dumna. If it bee not so, I had rather thinke Faire Ile, which hath onely one Towne called Dume, to bee that Dumna, than with Becanus to thinke that it is Wardhuys in Lappland. Iohn Major doth also call one of these Zeland, being fiftie miles in length. Moreover, the Inhabitants of these Iles doe make a very strong drinke by putting store of Barley in it, and are the greatest drinkers of all others; yet Boetius witnesseth that he never saw any of them drunke, or deprived of sense. The next to these are the Ilands called the Hebrides,* 1.15 in number foure and forty, which Beda calleth Maevaniae; Ethicus, Betoricae Insulae, Giraldus calls them the Incades and Leucades, the Scots the Westerne Iles: Ptolomie with Pliny and Solinus calleth them g 1.16 Ebudae, Pliny writeth that there are thirty of them, but Ptolomie reckons onely five. The first is Ricina, which Pliny calles Rinea, and Antoninus Ridunas, but now it is called Racline, which is a little Iland just against Ireland. The next is Epedium, now called Ila, an Ile, (as Camden witnesseth) very h 1.17 large, and having very fruitfull plaines: betweene this and Scotland lyeth Iona, which Beda calleth Hy and Hu, being plaine ground, in which there is an Episcopall See in the Towne Sodore, whence all the Ilands were called Sodorenses: it is famous, because here lie buried many Kings of Scotland. Then there is another which Ptolomie calleth Maleos, now Mula, which Pliny mentioneth when he saith that Mella of all the rest is more then 25 miles over. The Easterne Hebuda, now called Skie, is stretched along by the Scotch shoare, and the Westerne Hebuda lying more towards the West, is now called Lewes, of which Maccloyd is Governour, and in the ancient book of Mannia, it is called Lodhuys, being mountainous, stony, little manured, but yet the greatest; from which Eust is parted by a little Euripus or flowing Sea betweene them. The test, except Hyrrha, are of no note, as being rockie, unpassable, and having no greene things growing in them. The Ilands of Man and Wight doe follow, of which see those things that are spoken in the seaventh Table of England.

1682. Cosmography and geography in two parts by Richard Blome.

The ISLES of GREAT BRITAIN, with the Territorles thereto belonging, are those of

• GREAT BRITAIN, where are at this day two Kingdoms and one Principallty, to wit,
  • The Kingdom of ENGLAND, which according to the SAXON HEPTARCHY, hath had Seven Kingdoms, viz.
    • Kingdom of KENT,
      • Canterbury,
      • Rochester.
    • Kingdom of SOUTH SAXONS,
      • Southwards,
      • Chichester,
      • Winchelsey.
    • Kingdom of EAST ANGLES,
      • Norwich,
      • Ipswich,
      • Cambridge,
      • Ely
    • Kingdom of EAST SAXONS,
      • Colchester,
      • London.
    • Kingdom of WEST SAXONS,
      • Exeter,
      • Bristol,
      • Rath,
      • Salisbury,
      • Southampton,
      • Dorchester.
    • Kingdom of NORTHUMDERS,
      • York,
      • Lancaster,
      • Durham,
      • Carlifle,
      • Barwick,
    • Kingdom of MERCIA,
      • Leicester,
      • Lincoin,
      • Nortingham,
      • Darby,
      • Oxford,
      • Gloucester,
      • Worcester,
      • Leichfield,
      • Chester,
      • Hereford.
  • The Principallty of WALES, as it was divided into
    • SOUTH WALES,
      • Brecknock,
      • Cardigan,
      • Cardiff,
      • Monmouth.
    • NORTH WALES,
      • Flint,
      • Denbigh,
      • Carnarvan,
      • Mongomary.
  • The Kingdom of SCOTLAND, which hath once had the Kingdoms of the
    • SCOTS, beyond the Tay,
      • Cromartly,
      • Eigin,
      • Aberdone,
      • Perch,
      • Dunkeldon.
    • PICTS, on this side the Tay,
      • Dunslafag,
      • Dunkirton,
      • St. Andrews,
      • Dunblain,
      • Sterling,
      • Edinburgh,
      • Glasco.
• IRELAND, or
  • The Kingdom of IRELAND, with its Provinces, which were formerly so many Kingdoms, viz.
    • ULSTER,
      • Donegal,
      • Dungannon,
      • Armagh,
      • Tredagh.
    • MUNSTER,
      • Cassile,
      • Lymerick,
      • Kinsale,
      • Corke,
      • Waterford.
    • CONNAUGHT,
      • Slego,
      • Galloway,
      • Refecomen,
      • Letrim.
    • LEINSTER,
      • Molingar,
      • Trymm,
      • Dublin,
      • Kildare,
      • Kilkenny,
• And a great many small ISLES, to wit, those
  • About SCOTLAND,
    • The Oreades, — Kirkwall.
    • The Isles of Sherland, Burgh.
    • The Western Isles, Colmkill.
  • About ENGLAND,
    • The Sorlings, — St. Mary.
    • The Isle of Man, Rusbin.
    • The Isle of Wight, Newport.
    • The Isle of Jarfey, St. H•llary.
    • The Isle of Garnsey, St. Peters.
• In AFRICA, in the Kingdom of — Fex, — Tangler.
• Besides the several Factories belonging to the Royal Company, from Sally in South-Barbary to Cape Ronns Esperan••, as at •am••, Rio, Nuno, Rio Grande, Siera, Liona, Serbro, Cestos, A•hin, Anta, Comenda, Cape, Corso, Acara, Cormentine, A•dra, Renin, Cailabar, &c.
• In the East Indies, in ASIA, the several Factories belonging to the East-India Company; a Surat, Bambay, Curwar, Baricale, C•lie•t, Fort St. George, Pentapoll, Musullpat•n, Bellisar, Ougely.
• In the West Indies, or North AMERICA,
  • On the Continent,
    • New England, — Boston.
    • New York, New York.
    • New Jersey.
    • Mary-Land.
    • Virginia, James Town.
    • Carolina, — Charlos Town.
  • The ISLES of
    • Newfound-Land.
    • the Bahama Isles.
    • Bermudes, — St. Georges.
    • Jamaica, Port Royal.
    • Barbados, St. Michaels.
    • St. Christophers, Basse Terre.
    • Nieves, — Bath-bay.
    • Monferat.
    • Autega.
    • Angullia.
    • St. Vincent.
    • St. Dominies.
    • Harbada.

1685. Geographia universalis: the present state of the whole world by Pierre Duval.

Of the Brittish Islands.

THese Islands consist in two great, and several small ones. Great Brittain and Ireland are the two great; the small are all in the Neighbourhood of Great Brittain, the Hebrides, Orcades, Shetland which depends on the Crown of Denmark in the sea of Scotland; Man; Anglesey, the Sorlingues in the Irish Sea, Wight, Guernsey, Jersey in the Channel.

Formerly Great Brittain went under the Name of Albion, by reason of its Rocks all along the Sea, which seem white. It now comprehends two Kingdoms, that of England, and that of Scotland, the union whereof gave occasion to King James to stile himself King of Great Brittain, and at the same time the design of stifling the partialities which were between the two Nations. The English were not very well satisfyed with this change, since thereby their Name became the less famous. The Brittish Islands had to the number of Nineteen Kingdoms. England had seven of them, Wales three, Scotland two, Ireland five, the Isle of Man made one, the Isles near Scotland another. All this now is under the Crown of England. Several places and Islands in the East and West Indies are also subject to it, whereof we have made mention in the Article of Europe.