John Cossins facts for kids
John Cossins (born in 1697 in Brompton-by-Sawdon, died in 1743) was an early cartographer. A cartographer is someone who makes maps. He was famous for his detailed city maps.
His most well-known maps include:
- a plan of Leeds from around 1730, called "A New and Exact Plan of the Town of Leedes"
- a map of York from 1726, titled "New and Exact Plan of the City of York". This map even showed the fancy new houses built around the city's edge!
His Family and Early Life
John Cossins was the older of two sons. He also had three sisters. His father, William Cossins of Brompton, worked as a steward for the Hackness estate from 1707 to 1725. This estate was a large area of land. It included many townships like Hackness, Suffield, Everley, and more.
It was while working on this estate that John first learned how to survey land and draw maps. This early experience helped him become a skilled map-maker.
His Important Notebooks
In 1993, one of Cossins' notebooks was put up for sale. The York City Archives bought it. This notebook was very special. It contained notes about his maps of Scarborough, York, and Leeds. It also had a list of all the people who paid to receive copies of his maps.
Originally, 138 people ordered 192 copies of his Leeds map. Today, only one copy of this map is easy to find. It is kept at the Leeds City Museum. Some people think that a man named Thoresby helped Cossins get hired. A copy of the map is also kept at the Thoresby Society.
