I wonder if the answer might not have something to do with globes. When the first globes were made most, if not all, of the customers would have been in Europe. It's easier to see something when it's at the top of a globe than when it's at the bottom, especially if the globe is on a stand on the floor. At the time not much was known about the Southern hemisphere so if you put South at the top, you would have lots of embarrassing gaps at the top and all the stuff your customers are interested in down at the bottom where it's difficult to see.

Bingley

Bingley