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 example bears the imprint of Henry Overton, who probably acquired the Speed plates in c 1713. Imprints began to be changed from c 1716, all being revised by c 1720. The maps were issued as a complete Speed atlas under the title indicated, but also used with other stock in the collation of "made-up" county atlases. the Speed plates were acquired by Dicey by 1754 when again issued with his imprint. Repair to centrefold.

This map was first published in the November 1749 edition of the London Magazine, which between 1747 and 1754 issued a complete set of English county maps by Thomas Kitchin. The maps were later re-published by Alexander Hogg in Boswell's Antiquities of England & Wales, initially in partwork from c 1787-9, and then in several complete editions of the work up to 1798. This example of the Kent map is from the first complete edition of Boswell's Antiquities dating from c1789.

John Aikin (or Aiken) wrote this topographical work for children in order "to make my young countrymen better acquainted than they are usually found to be with their native land". The first edition of 1788 did not include county maps, but these were added for the second edition of 1790, from which this example comes. The work was published by Joseph Johnson, but the maps are unsigned. There were four later editions of the book with the maps, and one without. The Kent map is fairly simple, befitting the needs of its target audience. Modern hand colouring. Supplied mounted and with the original, accompanying text pages from the work.

This detailed and well engraved map was one of a set first published around 1812-14 by Robert Rowe, who was probably also their draftsman and engraver. The maps were initially sold singly in folding format until their collective issue in 1816 as The English Atlas. The plates were later acquired by Henry Teesdale, who amended titles and imprints and re-issued the work as the New British Atlas in 1829, with several re-issues up to 1842. The plates were later acquired and used by H.G. Collins and then by G. Philip and Son, who both used them as the base for lithographic transfers for a variety of works up to c1860. This example is from the 1830 second edition of Teesdale's atlas. Original wash colour. A few short, repaired, marginal tears, not affecting the printed image.

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.

Thomas Moule's antiquarian leanings are evident in this series of highly decorative county maps - a stylistic throwback in an age when cartographic work had become much plainer and more utilitarian. The maps were engraved by W. Smollinger, J. Bingley and J. Dower, and first appeared in Moule's English Counties Delineated, a partwork with text issued from 1830-32. They were subsequently made available as a complete work in 1837 under the same title, and were later re-issued in Barclay's Universal English Dictionary between 1842 and 1852. This latter work ran to several editions and the maps were often updated between editions to show the latest growth of the railway network. This example in modern colour is from the 1852 edition of Barclay's Dictionary. It is supplied mounted and ready for framing.

The Walker's British Atlas was first issued in 1837, and ran to many subsequent editions with frequent updates to railways and other information. This example is from the editions of 1854 or 1856 - so dated from the railways shown, the publisher's imprints, and the population figures quoted. Full wash colour.

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 attractively coloured example is from one of the Gibson editions and comes in a modern light brown frame.

Jacques Nicholas Bellin spent over 50 years working for the French Hydrographic Service. He was commissioned to produce new surveys of coastal waters throughout the world, and produced a large number of attractive charts of high quality. These appeared in various editions of his several published works, and were also often sold individually. This chart entitled "Carte du Compte de Kent et du Pas de Calais" is dated 1759, and shows full inland details of Kent, and the western parts of Sussex and Surrey, together with detail of the Picardy coast from Dunkerque to Etaples.

James Wallis's New British Atlas was first published in 1813 by S.A. Oddy. There was a second edition in 1816. This example is from the first edition and is dated 1812 on the imprint. It is in attractive, original, full wash colour, and in good condition.

The title page of Murray's county atlas states that the maps were "Projected on the basis of the Trigonometrical Survey by order of the hon.ble The Board of Ordnance, under the superindendance of T.L. Murray". This might seem to imply the project had at least the official blessing, if not the active involvement of the Ordnance Survey, but is more likely to be a marketing puff. D. Hodson has suggested that the maps were copied from those of William Ebden published from 1825-8, both sets also being engraved by the same firm of Hoare & Reeves. Murray's Atlas was first published in 1830, with second and third editions in 1831 and 1832, the latter with the adddition of electoral data. by 1838 the plates had been acquired by W. Robson & Co. who published and sold the maps individually, and also used them in their commercial directories. This example is from the first edition of 1830. Original colour.

These maps (without the decorative borders) were first issued in 1821 in Miller's New Miniature Atlas. The plates were later acquired by William Darton who re-issued them as a miniature atlas, but also used the maps, now further embellished by country scenes, in this children's work. Reuben Ramble is an invented character. Original colour to the illustrations.

Blome's smaller series of county maps have a puzzling history. They seem to have been initiated before his larger maps for Britannia, but were not published until 1681 when they appeared under the title Speed's Maps Epitomiz'd. Blome re-issued them twice before his death in 1705. The plates were subsequently acquired by Thomas Taylor who brought out a new edition in 1715 titled England Exactly Described. There were further editions in 1715 (by Taylor), and in c1731 (by Thomas Bakewell). These later editions had roads added to the maps. This example of the map of the county of Kent is from the 1715 edition of the work. Original hand colour.

This map first appeared in the October 1756 number of Benjamin Martin's General Magazine of Arts and Sciences, a monthly partwork which between 1755 and 1762 included a series of county maps. The magazine's format was novel, each issue covering 5 (later 6) subject areas. The intention was that all those parts relating to any one subject could later be rebound into subject volumes, for which individual title pages would be issued. In 1763 title pages for a two volume set were issued for those parts relating to natural history. Subscribers could then, if so desired, rebind their original partworks, and new purchasers could purchase the completed work under the title, The Natural History of England. There were no later re-issues and the maps are today not common.