Directors of the Ordnance Survey

The following is a list of those in charge of the Ordnance Survey of Great Britain from its inauguration in 1791 to present. The title of the post was originally Superintendent of the Ordnance Survey (under the Board of Ordnance) but it evolved during the tenure of Henry James. He was appointed in 1854 as Superintendent[1] but he had made himself Director by 1863[2] and then Director-General by 1874.[3] More recently, between 1985 and 1991, the title became Director-General and Chief Executive.

1791–1798	Colonel Edward Williams
1798–1820	Major General William Mudge
1820–1847	Major General Thomas Frederick Colby
1847–1854	Colonel Lewis Alexander Hall
1854–1875	Lieutenant General Sir Henry James
1875–1878	Lieutenant General John Cameron
1878	Colonel Alexander Ross Clarke[4]
1878–1883	Major General Anthony C. Cooke
1883–1886	Colonel Richard H. Stotherd
1886–1894	Colonel Sir Charles William Wilson
1894–1899	Colonel John Farquharson
1899–1905	Colonel Sir Duncan A. Johnston
1905–1908	Colonel R.C. Hellard
1908–1911	Colonel Samuel Charles Norton Grant
1911–1922	Colonel Sir Charles Frederick Close
1922–1930	Brigadier Evan MacLean Jack
1930–1934	Brigadier Harold St John Loyd Winterbotham
1935–1943	Major-General Malcolm Neynoe MacLeod
1943–1949	Major-General Geoffrey Cheetham
1949–1953	Major–General Reginald Llewelyn Brown
1953–1957	Major-General John Christopher Temple Willis
1957–1961	Major-General L.F. de Vic Carey
1961–1965	Major-General A.H. Dowson
1965–1969	Major-General R.C.A. Edge
1969–1977	Major-General Brian St-G. Irwin[5]
1977–1985	Walter P. Smith
1985–1991	Peter McMaster
1992–1998	Professor David Rhind
1998–1999	Geoffrey Robinson
1999–2000	David Willey[6]
2000–2014	Vanessa Lawrence[7]
2014–2015	Neil Ackroyd[8]
2015–2018	Nigel Clifford
2018-2019	Neil Ackroyd
2019-	Steve Blair

See also

Ordnance Survey

Notes

1. James is Superintendent on the title page of the Account of the Principal Triangulation
2. James is Director on the title page in of the Extension of the Triangulation . . . to Belgium.
3. James is Director-General on the title page of the Notes on the parallel roads of Lochaber (1874)
4. Clarke was acting head for a short period in 1878 following Cameron’s unexpected death.
5. Irwin’s appointment was originally a military one, but it was changed to a civil one in 1974. Since then the post has been a civil appointment.
6. Willey was Acting Director-General following Robinson’s resignation.
7. Lawrence stepped down from DG role in April 2014 to become Chair at Ordnance Survey International. She then left the civil service at the end of 2014 .
8. Ackroyd became Acting Director General in April 2014 after Lawrence stepped down.