John Senex (1678-1740) was an English cartographer, engraver, and explorer. Born in Ludlow, Shropshire, he started his apprenticeship with Robert Clavell at the Stationers Company in 1692. He was also an astrologer, geologist, and geographer to Queen Anne of Great Britain. Senex was one of the principal cartographers of the 18th century and is famous for his maps of the world, some of which have added elevations, and which feature minuscule detailed engravings. Many of these maps can be found in museum collections. He worked first with Charles Price, and later in partnership with John Maxwell, at the Globe, in Salisbury Court, Fleet Street. In 1721 he published a new general atlas. He used the work of cartographer Guillaume de L’Isle as an influence. In the 1720s he produced a series of celestial charts in conjunction with Edmond Halley, using Halley’s pirated edition of John Flamsteed's star catalogue. In 1728 Senex was elected into the Fellowship of the Royal Society of London. His cultural impact is significant as his work contributed to the advancement of cartography during the 18th century, particularly in the areas of world maps and celestial charts. His maps became quite famous because they served a function that made his maps easier to read than other maps that were produced in his time. Despite his maps being famous and despite him being appointed the royal mapmaker for royalty, Senex wound up fading away into obscurity and he died in poverty. However, nowadays, some of his original maps, and even prints of his maps, are now worth quite a bit of money.