Copperplate

John Speed's maps of the English and Welsh counties are amongst the most decorative of early, British cartographic work, and are eagerly sought after today. They were first published in 1612 in The Theatre of the Empire of Great Britaine, designed as a companion volume to Speed's History of Great Britaine. The maps were based on the earlier surveys of Saxton, Norden and a few others, with engraving contracted to Jodocus Hondius whose signature appears on 33 of the maps. Speed's greatest innovation was the inclusion of inset plans of major towns and cities. Although some were copied from earlier work, for many towns this was first plan ever published. Speed's county atlas was re-issued a number of times for a period of around 160 years, with new publishers making various small changes and updates to the maps over time. This copy is an early example from the 1616 Latin text edition of the work, in which the descriptive text on the verso is in Latin rather than the usual English.

Camden's Britannia - a history and topography of Britain - was first published in 1586 and had a long and successful publication history. County maps by Kip and Hole were addded in 1607, and these also appeared in the editions of 1610 and 1637. Over 50 year's later it was decided to issue a new and updated edition. The original Latin text was re-translated by Edmund Gibson, and Robert Morden was commissioned to provide a new set of county and general maps in a more modern style. The revised work was issued in 1695. There were 4 further editions of the Gibson/Morden work, the last in 1772, before a further updated version by Richard Gough was launched in 1789, with new maps by John Cary. This example of Morden's Huntingdonshire map is in attractive modern hand colour, and is from the edition of 1722.

Britannia Depicta was one of 3 pocket-sized reductions of Ogilby's road book that appeared within an 18 month timeframe between 1719 and 1720. It was more innovative than the others in including much additional topographical and historical information (researched by John Owen) on the maps. The work was a commercial success and ran to many later editions.

This map was originally designed as one of the series which accompanied Thomas Read's weekly topographical partwork, The English Traveller, published from 1743-46.The map plates were subsequently acquired by John Rocque and re-issued under the title The Small British Atlas in c 1753. The atlas was re-issued in 1762 and 1764, before the final appearance of some of the maps in the topographical work England Displayed in 1769. The maps are generally described as "Rocques", irrespective of the source publication from which they emanate. This example is from England Displayed.

Joseph Ellis's English Atlas was an entry into the market for small county atlases by its publishers Robert Sayer and Carington Bowles. The county maps were closely based upon those drawn by Thomas Kitchin for the 1763 topographical work England Illustrated, the major difference being the attractive vignettes which replaced Kitchin's rococco cartouches. The atlas was first published in 1765, and soon became a commercial success, running to many later editions. It was promoted as a travelling atlas, and made available in various formats. These included a version with the maps printed back to back on each page, as with this example from a 1766 edition which has a map of Herefordshire on the reverse.

Charles Smith was a successful London publisher and map-seller, whose work is stylistically very similar to that of John Cary. His large format New English Atlas first came to market in 1804, but many of the maps have also been found in folding format and may have been sold individually before the publication of the atlas. Smith's maps were well designed and accurate, making use of the large scale county surveys of the previous half-century. The atlas was a commercial success and was up-dated and re-published regularly until c1865 (the latter editions produced by lithographic transfer). This example is from the 1808 second edition, and is in bright and original full colour.

It is suprising that Cary's large county atlas was issued as late as 1809, as individual maps from it seem to have been sold singly from 1801. The atlas format was perhaps to compete with the similarly sized atlas of Charles Smith, which went under the same title and was published in 1804. It is perhaps Cary's finest production, the maps being notable for their fine design, detail and engraving. The atlas ran to several later editions by Cary, and the plates were later used for a variety of lithographic transfers by G.F. Cruchley. This example is from the second edition of 1811, and is in original full colour.

James Pigot & Co's county maps were issued in their British Atlas (from c1829), in several of their national and local business directories (from 1826 for the "home counties", at least), and singly in folding form as travelling maps. They were amongst the first maps to be printed from steel instead of copper plates, allowing more accurate fine detail and less wear to the plates over time. Atlas and directories went through several editions up to around 1857, later editions from 1846 being re-named Slater's New British Atlas, with imprints changed accordingly. On the basis of the 2 horizontal folds this specimen is likely to derive from one of Pigot's commercial directories.Some partial browing. Repair to splits at folds, one impinging c 1 cm inside the printed area.

These maps, by an unknown hand, were first published by J.B. Nichols and Son in 1831 to support a series of volumes on the legal circuits. In 1832 they were re-issued in The Family Topographer, with text written by Samuel Tymms. They also later appeared in 1842 in Camden's Britannia Epitomized and Continued, with text again by Tymms. Uncommon.

Coloured. These maps were first published in 1825, and probably sold singly. In 1833 they were re-published by James Duncan in a thematic atlas to illustrate the representative changes brought about by the 1832 Reform Act. There were later re-issues in 1840 and 1845 with the addition of railways, and this map dates from one of these editions. A little light offsetting.

Cowley's work was a topographical guide to England and Wales with text and county maps. The title page is dated 1744, though other evidence suggests an actual publication date of November 1743. The 52 maps were re-issued in 1745 as a county atlas without text under the title A New Sett of Pocket Maps of all the Counties of England and Wales. The maps are uncommon. Supplied mounted and ready to frame.

The text for this French topographical work on Britain was written by George Depping, the maps being drawn by Aristide Perrot and engraved by A. Migneret. It was first published in 1824, with subsequent editions in 1828 and 1835. The maps often cover more than one county as in this example which also includes Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire. The surrounding decorative border shows the typical produce and wares of the counties. Original outline colour

This set of maps was engraved by Samuel Neele for James Dugdale's The New British Traveller, a topographical partwork issued from 1812-14, and later also sold complete, collected into four volumes. Maps from early editions, as with this example dated 1813, may have the imprint of James Cundee, but this is later changed to that of James Robins. The maps were also used in Robins' Atlas of England and Wales, published in 1819. Narrow margins.

This work was published in 1835 as a companion volume to Lewis's Topographic Dictionary. It contains county and borough maps, drawn by R. Creighton and engaved by J.& C. Walker, and was designed to show the electoral and boundary changes effected by the 1832 Reform Act. There were 2 issues of the work in 1835 and 1840, this example of the county map being from the 1835 first edition. Original outline colour.

Lett's Popular County Atlas has its roots in Walkers British Atlas, first published in 1835. From around 1849 onwards lithographic transfers were taken from the intaglio plates, firstly for the Hobson/Walker foxhunting atlases, and then in 1884 for this new county atlas under the Lett's branding. The maps inderwent various modifications and additions, and were also overprinted to produce colours in green, yellow, pink, blue and red. There was a further edition of the atlas in 1887, with some further changes to the maps, and, although still under the Letts branding, now published by Mason & Payne who had taken over the Letts business. Maps were also sold singly, dissected on linen, and folding into card covers. This example is from the 1887 edition of the atlas.

Pinnock's Guide to Knowledge was a serialised partwork which included a series of county and other maps by Joshua Archer. The maps are most unusual in being printed by a relief process from wood blocks so the lettering and detail is shown as white out of black. This Huntingdonshire map was included in volume XLIV issued in March 1833.

From 1858-60 the Weekly Dispatch Newspaper issued a series of county and other maps, including this one of Huntingdonshire (issued 1859). The maps were subsequently re-published in 1863 as a complete atlas titled The Dispatch Atlas. In that same year Cassell, Fetter and Galpin purchased the printing plates, and re-issued the maps in various formats. This example is from Cassell's British Atlas of 1867. By 1869 the plates had been acquired by G.W.Bacon and Co. who continued to use them in their atlases for a further 30 years. Original outline colour. Some repaired marginal tears, not imoinging the printed area.

James Wallis engraved and published this set of small maps under the title stated, which was first issued in c1812. This example is from the atlas's second edition of c1814, so distinguished by the addition of a plate number to the maps. There were later editions of the work between 1818 and 1836 inder the titles of Martin's Sportsman's Almanack, Kalender, and Traveller's Guide, and subsequently as Lewis's New Traveller's Guide. For both these latter issues the map imprints were changed.

The 1888 report of the Local Government Boundary Commission proposed a number of changes to local jurisdictions, transferring many parishes out of their existing counties to adjoining counties. The Report, with supporting maps by Robert Owen Jones, was submitted to Parliament, which ordered its publication. Although the proposals often reflected a sensible "tidying up", local opposition ensured that many were not implemented.

Thomas Dix initiated this atlas project some time around 1816, but after his death it was carried on to completion by the publisher William Darton. The Atlas was issued in 1822, though individual maps from the first edition bear various dates between 1816 and 1821. Apart from the atlas format the maps were also sold individually, usually dissected and linen-backed and folding into boards. This example is unusual. It is an early issue, dated 1819, and is linen-backed but not dissected. It would appear to have been sold singly, and although there are old, probably original folds, there is no sign of boards. It was purchased with six other Dix county maps similarly presented, one of which bears the manuscript signature of J. Walker and the date 13th Jan 1825. The set were of contiguous eastern counties, and may have been bought by Mr Walker to assist his travels in this area. As is usually the case, the map is in attractive and original full wash colour, and all editions are relatively scarce. A light-brown waterstain to the lower few centimetres of the map.

First published 1769 in Kitchin's Pocket Atlas, which was based on the novel concept of drawing all the county maps to a common scale. Whilst this provided a better illustation of counties' relative sizes, it meant that the overall sizes of the maps varied considerably. Smaller maps shared pages where this was practical within an alphabetical county arrangement, Huntingdonshire appearing on the same page as the map of Hertfordshire. The atlas was not commercially successful and Kitchin issued no further editions, although the plates were later acquired by Carington Bowles who re-issued the work as Bowles's Pocket Atlas around 1778. This example is from the latter work. Today maps from either atlas are quite scarce.

Morden's set of smaller maps may originally have been drawn and engraved for Camden's Britannia, but rejected as too small. They were first published in 1701 in The New Description and State of England. This example is from Magna Britannia et Hibernia, originally issued as a 92 part topographical work between 1714 and 1731, but gradually also made available in 6 finished, bound volumes. The text and map of Huntingdonshire first appeared in 1718, but further editions were issued up to 1739 with the maps unchanged. Modern colour. Supplied mounted.