On the Move - Cossin's Map 1730

'A New & Exact PLAN of the Town of LEEDES' by John Cossins published in 1730.

In 1993 Sothebys offered for sale a notebook written by John Cossins. It contained notes on his maps of Scarborough, York and Leeds and also a list of the people who subscribed to those maps. This was bought by the City Archivist for York. Originally 138 people subscribed in Leeds to 192 copies; only one copy is now accessible, in Leeds City Museum. It has been suggested that Thoresby was instrumental in hiring Cossins, and a copy of the map is kept at the Thoresby Society.

I don't think any of the houses shown in the margins are still standing, or any of the buildings on the map. St Peter's was rebuilt in 1838. BUT is the White Cloth Hall on the map the same building which is currently shored up with scaffolding in Kirkgate?

Joan Holah spent 100 hours hand stitching on this printed fabric. It's fabulous.

Local Faces - The Thoresby Society

The Thoresby Society is the historical society for Leeds and was founded in 1889. They are based in Clarendon Road and have a huge list of publications on the history of Leeds.

The piece is hand stitched on printed fabric by Eileen Wilson and took 30 hours to complete.

Local Faces - Ralph Thoresby (1658-1725)

Ralph Thoresby’s father, John, was a cloth merchant and in 1679 his son inherited his house in Kirkgate along with a collection of coins & medals which were to form the basis of his famous museum. He was not a success in business but instead devoted much of his time to antiquarian interests, writing a diary (from 1677-1724 and published in the 1830s) and also the first published history of Leeds Ducatus Leodiensis (1715), which contains a street by street description of Georgian Leeds with plans and prospects.

He was born at the house that stood at 15 Kirkgate, which is now a card shop opposite the northeast corner of House of Fraser. A Blue Plaque was put on the present building in 1992, sponsored by the Thoresby Society and unveiled by their then president.

The piece was hand stitched on painted fabric, either by Denise Teed or Barbara Gray.