One of the popular cartographers of the 18th century is John Rocque. He was a French Huguenot Migration who arrived at London by 1709 and settled there with his family. John Rocque was famous for depicting the towns and cities of England and Ireland on maps.
John Rocque worked as a designer of gardens in the beginning of his career. He designed the landscapes for the noblemen of England. Some of his designs were done for the Crown itself. Kensington Palace, Richmond Garden, Windsor Castle, Sion House, Kew Gardens and Chiswick House were some of the plans engraved by John Rocque. His association with the famed noblemen of England helped him in his career as a map maker. The other map makers of the age were financially burdened with the cost of surveying and map making.
John Rocque collaborated with John Pine in 1937 to survey the city of London. Gathering the adequate information, John Tinney, John Pine and John Rocque published the 24 sheet map of London in 1746. In the same year, John Rocque published 16 maps of the environs of London gathering information from the survey conducted between 1741 and 1745. John Rocque received acknowledgment from the Crown for his work when he was appointed the official Cartographer to the Prince of Wales in 1751.
A ravaging fire in 1590 broke out in John Rocque’s house in Whitehall consuming most of his survey work. Undaunted by the disaster, he employed ten draughtsmen to produce The Small British Atlas: Being a New set of Maps of all the Counties of England and Wales.
After his death, John Rocque’s wife, Mary Ann Rocque continued his business with the help of Andrew Dury. Their efforts aided in the posthumous publication of Rocque’s Set Of Plans And Harbors.
