Archaeology@Waterloo
The most accurate early map?
In oder to assess which early map of Hougoumont Farm is the most accurate it is necessary to compare each map with real features that are evident either on the ground or in archaeological surveys or other methods of assessment. By superimposing each map over real features, such as on an areial photograph of the farm it is possible to check certain features on any given map with archaeological evidence in one form or another. For example, near the southern limits of the farm there was once, until relatively recently, a small boundary in the field, orientated at an odd angle (left, in black). This line was then superimposed over each map (shown between red dots).
Only one map fitted exactly, the Craan map 0f 1816. If this map is then checked with other features it can be seen to fit more precisely than other maps. This means that this can then be used as a base map for other features for which there is no evidence currently available.
Other maps, such the Sibourne version (which is not as accurate) can then be used to see what features might have been evident at the time of the battle. The Siborne map can be shown to lack accurate detail. For example, the enclosure of the farm itself is shown as having parallel sides whereas the actual shape is rhomboid. The map does show the track leading south out of the southern gate and through the woods. Sibourne's map therefore appears to show what was there but not precisely where these features were located.
The Track Through the Woods
Archaeological traces of the former track through the former woods to the south of Hougoumont Farm as identified on one of the aerial photographs and the LIDAR survey (http://geoportail.wallonie.be/). It does not match the orientation and location of the track as marked on the Sibourne Survey, highlighting the inaccuracy of Sibourne's map. The 1816 Craan map is the most accurate of the period.
