A Plan of Fort William with the Country Adjacent

Occupying a commanding position at the far southern end of the Great Glen, Fort William, deep in fiercely Jacobite Lochaber, was of decisive importance from a military point of view. Whilst rudimentary, this sketch drawn up by its administrator conveys a vivid sense of the looming mountains that surround it. The need for a better understanding of Scotland’s topography in the interest of military control would soon lead to the commission of more detailed and accurate maps.