9th February 2009, 04:38 PM
Map regression actually means something slightly more specific to historical geographers and landscape historians than just comparing maps over time. It is the concept of projecting back features in time from the present but in practice often from the 25ins 1st edition in the UK. Maitland in Domesday Book and beyond is an early exposition of the concept which was also used by people like Marc Bloch and Hoskins. The problem with the method is determining how far back you can project any feature. A parish church was probably there in c.1300 but was a road - slightly more difficult. Is a parish boundary modern or ancient, does it reflect a Saxon estate or a medieval modification. We tend to be much more critical these days than in the past but the method is still critical to landscape analysis and at the centre of many debates.