AbstractStream networks used in studies of basin morphometry, network topology, flood hydrology, and sediment production should be defined as precisely as possible. Previous work has drawn attention to the way in which stream network definition varies on maps of different scales, on maps employing different conventions devised in relation to the dynamic network, and according to whether maps, remote sensing or field survey sources are used. Networks also vary in extent according to the date of survey and after considering the instructions to surveyors it is shown that such changes, over periods of 100 years reflect changes in network extent. For three areas of Britain, network change can be identified by comparison of maps of different dates, by comparison of these changes with the results of field survey, and by reference to dateable features such as inclosure boundaries. Changes of drainage networks since the nineteenth century are shown to be significant in extent and they have often occurred as a result of the replacement of flushes by clearly defined stream channels. This transformation has often occurred as a result of new or modified systems of stormwater drainage from roads, tracks or farms, and the planning of the future disposal of road drainage should be considered carefully in relation to such stream network changes. The changes of drainage networks identified from maps of different dates and editions can provide a useful data base for studies of network topology and may also be significant in relation to palaeohydrological investigations.