Humphrey Welfare, General William Roy, 1726–1790: Father of the Ordnance Survey.

This book review discusses "Humphrey Welfare, General William Roy, 1726–1790: Father of the Ordnance Survey" by Humphrey Welfare. The author praises Welfare's meticulous research and use of various sources to piece together a comprehensive biography of William Roy. Roy, the son of a Lanarkshire estate factor, was chosen to conduct a rapid survey of Scotland after the Jacobite campaigns, which set him on a military career focused on improving mapping systems. His work in surveying Roman camps in Scotland contributed to the field of field surveying and the understanding of Roman Britain. The book also delves into the political and technological background of Britain in the late eighteenth century, highlighting the importance of Roy's mapping in the military defense of Great Britain. While the reviewer notes that the maps in the book are reproduced at a small scale, overall, the biography is considered helpful and informative. [Extracted from the article]