Land surveyors are responsible for measuring and mapping land, and they play an important role in many different industries, including construction, engineering, planning, design and real estate. Here are the top 15 historical land surveyors in the UK and USA.
1) John Ogilby (1600-1676) was a cartographer and surveyor who is credited with mapping the roads of England and Wales. His maps were used by travellers and merchants for many years.
Book: The Nine Lives of John Ogilby: Britain’s Master Mapmaker and His Secrets
Homer and John Ogilby, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
2) William Roy (1742-1790) was a military engineer and surveyor who founded the Ordnance Survey, which is the national mapping agency of the United Kingdom. He is credited with developing the triangulation method of surveying, which is still used today. You can view the William Roy Map and Search the Gazetteer online on the National Library of Scotland website
William Roy, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
3) Thomas Telford (1757-1834) was a Scottish civil engineer and surveyor who was responsible for building many of the major roads and bridges in the United Kingdom, including the Caledonian Canal and the Menai Suspension Bridge. He was the County Surveyor for Shropshire and was the first president of the Institution of Civil Engineers. The Shropshire ‘new town’ called Telford is named after him.
Dumelow at English Wikipedia.(Original text: W Raddon), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
4) John Smeaton (1724-1792) was a civil engineer and surveyor who is known for his work on the Eddystone Lighthouse, which is considered to be one of the most important engineering achievements of the 18th century.
User Magnus Manske on en.wikipedia, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
5) James Brindley (1716-1772) was a civil engineer and surveyor who is known for his work on the Bridgewater Canal, which was one of the first canals in the United Kingdom. He also designed many other canals and waterworks in the country.
National Portrait Gallery, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
6) George Everest (1790-1866) was a surveyor and geographer who was the Surveyor General of India from 1830 to 1843. He is best known for his work on the Great Trigonometrical Survey of India, which was a major surveying project that helped to map the Indian subcontinent.
Maull & Polyblank, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
7) William Fairbairn (1789-1874) was a civil engineer and surveyor who is known for his work on bridges, railways, and steam engines. He was also a pioneer in the use of iron and steel in construction.
Royal Society, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
8) Isambard Kingdom Brunel (1806-1859) was a civil engineer and surveyor who is known for his work on bridges, railways, and steamships. He was one of the most innovative engineers of the 19th century.
Robert Howlett (British, 1831–1858) Restored by Bammesk, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
9) Joseph Bazalgette (1819-1891) was a civil engineer and surveyor who is known for his work on the London sewer system, which is one of the most extensive sewer systems in the world.
Lock & Whitfield, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
10) Charles Mason (1728-1786) was an English astronomer and surveyor who was one of the two surveyors who helped to establish the Prime Meridian of the United States. He also surveyed much of the land in the American colonies, including the Ohio River Valley and the Great Lakes region.
English: Illustrator unknown; published by Ginn and Company., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
11) Jeremiah Dixon (1733-1779) was an English surveyor who was the other surveyor who helped to establish the Prime Meridian of the United States. He also surveyed much of the land in the American colonies, including the Mason-Dixon Line, which is the border between Pennsylvania and Maryland.
English: Illustrator unknown; published by Ginn and Company., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
12) George Washington (1732-1799) was the first president of the United States, and he was also a land surveyor. He began surveying at the age of 17 and quickly became one of the most skilled surveyors in Virginia. His surveying skills were essential to the development of the United States, as he helped to survey much of the land in the new country.
Gilbert Stuart, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
13) Daniel Boone (1734-1820) was a frontiersman and explorer who was also a skilled land surveyor. He used his surveying skills to help settlers claim land on the American frontier. He also surveyed the route for the Wilderness Road, which was an important route for settlers travelling west.
Chester Harding, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
14) William Emory (1806-1887) An American soldier and surveyor, Emory was the leader of the Mexican Boundary Survey, which was a major surveying project that helped to define the border between Mexico and the United States. He also served as the superintendent of the United States Coast Survey and the chief of engineers of the United States Army.
Mathew Benjamin Brady, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
15) Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) The third president of the United States, Jefferson was also a skilled land surveyor. He surveyed much of the land in Virginia and used his knowledge of surveying to help design the state capital of Richmond. He also sent Lewis and Clark on their expedition to explore the Louisiana Purchase, which was a major surveying project.
In more ancient times the distinction between a surveyor and a civil engineer didn’t exist. In more recent times the specialisms have grown in their own right. Read about the difference between a civil engineer, a land surveyor and a civil engineering surveyor here. I will add a list of influencers for the modern era for land surveying and drone sureying in due course but if you have any suggestions for who should be on this list let us know and we can update the list accordingly.
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