John Cary

Cary served his apprenticeship as an engraver in London, before setting up his own business in the Strand in 1783.

He soon gained a reputation for his maps and globes, his atlas, The New and Correct English Atlas published in 1787, becoming a standard reference work in England.

In 1794 Cary was commissioned by the Postmaster General to survey England's roads.

This resulted in Cary's New Itinerary (1798), a map of all the major roads in England and Wales.

In his later life he collaborated on geological maps with the geologist William Smith.