John Cary
Illustration — A New Map of the British Isles, from the Latest Authorities 1807, from John Cary's New Universal Atlas • Illustration — An 1801 map of the East Indies John Cary (c. 1754 – 1835) was an English cartographer.
Also recorded as J. Cary · John Cary sr. · John Cary the elder
John Cary

Hispalois · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Born
- sources differ (1755 and 1754). · Corsley.
- Died
- 1835. · Mortlake.
- Nationality
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Kingdom of Great Britain.
- Occupation
- cartographer, printmaker, mapseller, printseller, graphic artist, globe maker, merchant and copper engraver.
- Languages
- English.
VALÉORINE Encyclopedia
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Documentary summary
Illustration — A New Map of the British Isles, from the Latest Authorities 1807, from John Cary's New Universal Atlas • Illustration — An 1801 map of the East Indies John Cary (c. 1754 – 1835) was an English cartographer.
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Documentary evidence
Documentary basis
Authority files
gnd · 14095225X · wikidata · Q3446124 · wikipedia · John Cary
In this article
Life
Life
The recorded working language is English. The field of work recorded is map, cartography and engraving. Places of work recorded in the authority are London. Work by John Cary is recorded in the collections of Australian National Maritime Museum, Library of Congress, National Library of Wales, National Museum Paleis het Loo and Royal College of Art.
Cary served his apprenticeship as an engraver in London, before setting up his own business in the Strand in 1783. He soon gained a reputation for his maps and globes, his atlas, The New and Correct English Atlas published in 1787, becoming a standard reference work in England. In 1794 Cary was commissioned by the Postmaster General to survey England's roads. This resulted in Cary's New Itinerary (1798), a map of all the major roads in England and Wales. He also produced Ordnance Survey maps prior to 1805. In his later life he collaborated on geological maps with the geologist William Smith. His business was eventually taken over by G. F. Cruchley (1822–1880).
Works
Works
Cary's major works include: • Actual Survey of the country fifteen miles around London (1786) • New and Correct English Atlas (1787) • Camden's Britannia (1789) - maps for 1789 and 1806 editions • Cary's Survey of the High Roads from London (1790) • Cary's Traveller's Companion (1790) • New Maps of England and Wales with part of Scotland (1794) • Inland Navigation; or Select Plans of the Several Navigable Canals throughout Britain (1795) • Illustration — A New Map of Upper & Lower Canada, from the Latest Authorities (1807) • Cary's New Itinerary (1798) • A New Map of Scotland (1801) • New British Atlas (1805), with John Stockdale • A New map of chinese & independent Tartary (1806) • Cary's New Universal Atlas (1808) • Cary's English Atlas (1809) • New Elementary Atlas (1813) • Cary's New Itinerary (1817)
Life and career
Dated record
Life and career
The full dated record · 2 entries
1755
John Cary born at Corsley.
1835
John Cary died at Mortlake.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
Corsley.
Birth place
Mortlake.
Death place
Primary material
Documents and archives
scholarly publication
- Cary, John (1755–1835), Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, 2017
Scholarly · Crossref registry · 2017
Institutional database
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q3446124: John Cary
Scholarly · Wikimedia Foundation
authority file
- Gemeinsame Normdatei 14095225X, Davis, John Cary.
General reference · Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
scholarly publication
Institutional witnessInstitutional database
Wikidata, structured authority record Q3446124: John CaryWikimedia Foundation
Institutional witnessauthority file
Gemeinsame Normdatei 14095225X, Davis, John Cary.Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
Secondary witnessreference work
Secondary witness
People, houses and institutions
Knowledge graph
People, houses and institutions
Teachers, collaborators, publishers and institutions recorded against this person, each on a stated basis.
Born at
1- CorsleyPlace
Established from a fact already recorded on a verified source.
Further particulars
Held on the record
Further particulars
Open the remaining particulars
The authorities additionally record the headings J. Cary, John Cary sr. And John Cary the elder. His recorded language was English. 2 children are recorded: George Cary and John Cary. Recorded as cartographer, printmaker, mapseller, printseller and graphic artist.
Identity and origins
Recognition and collections
Work by John Cary is
Australian National Maritime Museum, Library of Congress, National Library of Wales and National Museum Paleis het Loo
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 16 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Maps and atlases
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