William Roy

Major-General William Roy FRS, FSA FRSE (1726 - 1790) was a Scottish military engineer, surveyor, and antiquarian. He was an innovator who applied new scientific discoveries and newly emerging technologies to the accurate geodetic mapping of Britain. His masterpiece is usually referred to as Roy's Map of Scotland.

It was Roy's advocacy and leadership that led to the creation of the Ordnance Survey in 1791, the year after his death. His technical work in the establishment of a surveying baseline won him the Copley Medal in 1785. His maps and drawings of Roman archaeological sites in Scotland were the first accurate and systematic study of the subject, and have not been improved upon even today. Roy was a fellow of the Royal Society and a member of the Society of Antiquaries of London.…more

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Books with William Roy

	Map of a Nation: A Biography of the Ordnance Survey by Rachel Hewitt 3.72 avg rating — 541 ratings — published 2010 add/edit characters	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Scottish Clearances: A History of the Dispossessed, 1600 - 1900 by T.M. Devine 4.04 avg rating — 440 ratings — published 2018 add/edit characters	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Scotland: The Global History: 1603 to the Present by Murray Pittock 3.79 avg rating — 56 ratings — published 2022 add/edit characters	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Drove Roads of Scotland by A.R.B. Haldane 3.95 avg rating — 43 ratings — published 1952 add/edit characters	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Reading the Gaelic Landscape: Leughadh Aghaidh na Tire by John Murray 4.25 avg rating — 28 ratings — published 2014 add/edit characters	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Antonine Wall by David J. Breeze 3.65 avg rating — 26 ratings — published 2004 add/edit characters	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Walking the Antonine Wall: A Journey from East to West Scotland by Alan Montgomery (Goodreads Author) 4.20 avg rating — 10 ratings — published 2022 add/edit characters	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Scotland's Sacred Goddess: Hidden in Plain Sight by Stuart McHardy 4.40 avg rating — 5 ratings — published 2025 add/edit characters	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Old Ways New Roads: Travels in Scotland 1720 - 1832 by John Bonehill (Editor) 3.75 avg rating — 4 ratings — published 2021 add/edit characters	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Scotland: Defending the Nation: Mapping the Military Landscape by Carolyn Anderson 4.50 avg rating — 2 ratings — published 2018 add/edit characters	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars