The First British Patent Was for Making Maps in 1617

On March 2, 1617, history was made when Aaron Rathborne and Roger Burges received British Patent Number 1—the very first numbered patent in the United Kingdom. Their invention? Not some revolutionary new technology, but rather a clever technique for engraving and printing maps of England's most important cities.

The patent granted them exclusive rights for 21 years to create, carve, and sell detailed maps of London, Westminster, Bristol, Norwich, Canterbury, Bath, Oxford, Cambridge, and Windsor. In an era when accurate maps were rare and valuable, this monopoly was potentially quite lucrative.

Why GB1 Wasn't Actually the "First" Patent

Here's where things get interesting: while Rathborne and Burges hold Patent No. 1, they weren't technically the first people to receive a patent in Britain. Patents existed before 1617, but the numbering system didn't. When the government decided to organize and catalog old patents in the 1850s, they somewhat arbitrarily chose the Rathborne-Burges patent as the starting point—possibly just because it was the first entry in an old docket book.

In fact, if we're talking about chronological firsts, Patent No. 2 was actually granted earlier in 1617 to Nicholas Hillyard, a miniature portrait artist. Due to Britain's later calendar change from Julian to Gregorian in 1752, Hillyard's May 1, 1617 patent would chronologically precede the March 2 date—but GB1 kept its coveted number anyway.

The Modern Patent System Takes Shape

The significance of 1617 goes beyond just numbering. King James I had recently revoked all previous patents and introduced a reformed system that required inventors to provide detailed specifications of their work. This marked the beginning of the "modern" patent system, where innovations had to be properly documented rather than granted through royal whim.

Before 1852, British patents weren't numbered at all and weren't even published. It wasn't until the 1850s that scholar Bennet Woodcroft undertook the massive project of cataloging and publishing 14,359 historical patents, retroactively assigning them numbers starting with 1617.

A 400-Year Legacy

In 2017, the intellectual property community celebrated the 400th anniversary of GB1. The British Library and Science Museum marked the occasion by highlighting how this humble map-making patent launched a system that would eventually protect countless world-changing innovations—from steam engines to smartphones.

So while the fact gets the date wrong (it's 1617, not 1618), the essence is correct: two map makers from London hold the distinction of receiving Britain's first numbered patent, setting in motion a legal framework that continues to shape innovation today.