A MAP detailing Hertfordshire in the mid-18th Century is to be republished.

The "Topographical Map of Hertfordshire" by Dury and Andrews was first issued in May 1766.

It will be republished by the Hertfordshire Record Society (HRS) in association with Hertfordshire Archives and Local Studies (HALS).

When first published the map was one of the earliest of the large-scale maps of the county to appear, and one of the most accurate at a time when our towns were more like villages, tarmac roads did not exist, and railways were a lifetime away.

At that time nobody had ever seen Hertfordshire from the air it was nearly 20 years (1784) before Vincent Lunardi made the first ever trip over England in a balloon and landed in Standon.

The new edition is a high-fidelity copy of the original and contains for the first time a full index of all the place and personal names included on the map.

Copies of the map, priced at £8.50 (plus postage of £2.50) are available from the society on 01438 350959 or by e-mailing info@hrsociety.org.uk and also from Hertfordshire Archives and Local Studies, County Hall, Hertford, by telephoning 01438 737333.