Murdoch Mackenzie (cartographer) facts for kids

Murdoch Mackenzie (1712–1797) was a clever Scottish mapmaker. He was a hydrographer, meaning he mapped oceans and coasts. He was also a cartographer, someone who draws maps. Mackenzie is famous for mapping the Orkney Islands very accurately. His maps, called the Mackenzie Charts, are still helpful today. He also invented a tool called the station pointer]. This tool helped sailors and surveyors find their exact spot on a map.

Mapping the Coasts

Murdoch Mackenzie was born in the Orkney Islands. He worked for the Royal Navy. He was the first person to map the coast of North Ronaldsay very precisely. Many ships had crashed there before his work.

To make his maps, Mackenzie used a special method. He measured a starting line on the shore. Then he set up points along the coast. From these points, he used math to figure out distances and shapes. This method is called triangulation. Even with old tools, his measurements of how far north or south a place was (latitude) were very good.

His excellent maps led to a lighthouse being built at Dennis Head. This lighthouse is on North Ronaldsay. Mackenzie's charts are still used by ships even now. His survey of Orkney was even shown on a TV show called Map Man in 2005.

The Station Pointer

After he retired, Murdoch Mackenzie invented the station pointer. This tool helped people survey land and make maps. It was used to figure out where a ship was. It worked by looking at three fixed points on the shore.

Two sailors on the ship would use a tool called a Hadley's quadrant. This helped them measure angles to the shore points. Then, they used the station pointer to mark their exact location on the map. This method was used to navigate along coastlines for a long time. It is still kept as a safety backup on big ships today.

Mackenzie also mapped other areas. He surveyed the north coast of Ireland. He also mapped the west coast of Scotland. He published these maps in a book in 1776. It was called "Nautical description of the west coast of Great Britain from Bristol Channel to Cape Wrath".

In 1774, he wrote a book called Treatise on Maritime Surveying. In this book, he first mentioned the station pointer. He described it as a new and useful tool. His nephew, also named Murdoch Mackenzie, used it. His nephew took over his uncle's job as a surveyor.

Life and Legacy

Murdoch Mackenzie became a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1774. This is a very important group for scientists. He left the society in 1796.

He passed away in Minehead, Somerset, in 1797. He was buried there on October 16.