• Title : The Kingdome of Great Britaine and Ireland....Graven by J Hondius and are to be solde by J Sudbury and George Humble in Pope Heads Alley in London cum privilage Regis 1610
• Ref #:  93433
• Size: 21in x 15 3/4in (535mm x 400mm)
• Date : 1611
• Condition: (A) Very Good Condition

Description:
This magnificent, beautifully hand coloured, original copper-plate engraved antique map (a true rare 1st edition - Shirley 316, catch word wee on verso) by John Speed, was engraved by the famous cartographer Jodocus Hondius and published by Sudbury & Humble in Speeds 1611-12 edition of his atlas Theatre of the Empire of Great Britaine.

A beautiful example of the first state of one the most visually striking maps ever produced of the British Isles, embellished with finely detailed views of both London and Edinburgh. The strong printing impression of this example highlights the exquisite engraving of this map, particularly the delicate detail of the two inset views.

General Definitions:
Paper thickness and quality: - Heavy and stable
Paper color : - off white
Age of map color: - Original
Colors used: - Yellow, green, blue, pink
General color appearance: - Authentic
Paper size: - 21 1/2in x 17in (545mm x 435mm)
Plate size: - 18 1/2in x 14in (470mm x 355mm)
Margins: - Min 1/2in (12mm)

Imperfections:
Margins: - All margins professionally restored from printed borders
Plate area: - Small repair to bottom centerfold
Verso: - Centerfold re-enforced.

Background:
John Speed spent 15 years gathering materials for his atlas of the British Isles, in which this map was the first to appear. Moreover, Speed went to considerable lengths to secure a top engraving talent—a fascinating story in itself--to produce this and many of the other maps in this atlas. Speed sent the visual, raw materials for his maps—drafts of the map themselves and design sketches--to Amsterdam to be engraved by Jodocus Hondius, who at the time was one of the most prominent and successful map publishers in all of Europe. Hondius, however, was well known to English map publishers, as he had worked as an engraver for hire in London in the 1580’s, where he had fled due to religious persecution in his homeland. Still, it is surprising that Speed was able to secure the services of Hondius at the height of his career, and, in fact, Hondius died shortly after completing this project. Hondius’ distinctive style can be seen in this map in its stippled seas and in its decorative detail that is rich without being disorganized or distracting.
The map itself of England was based on that of Saxton, who produced some years earlier the very first atlas of Great Britain. Ireland and Scotland were based on maps by Hondius and Mercator, respectively. The view of London was modeled after a c. 1600 drawing by C. J. Visscher, which was not published until 1616. The Edinburgh view is an adaptation of an earlier manuscript showing the city under siege in 1544.

• Title : Midle-sex Described with the most Famous Cities of London and Westminster
• Date : 1676
  
• Size: 21in x 16in (535mm x 405mm)
• Condition: (A) Very Good Condition
• Ref:  35602

Description:
This original hand coloured copper plate engraved antique map & views of London and the English county of Middlesex by John Speed was published in the 1676 Bassett & Chiswell edition of Speeds famous atlas The Theatre of the Empire of Great Britaine.
The map is embellished with the famous birds-eye views of London, Westminster and the churches of St Peters (Westminster Abbey) and old St Pauls before the great fire of London in 1666. English descriptive text of London on the verso.

General Definitions:
Paper thickness and quality: - Heavy and stable
Paper color : - off white
Age of map color: - Original
Colors used: - Blue, yellow, green, pink
General color appearance: - Authentic
Paper size: - 21in x 16in (535mm x 405mm)
Plate size: - 20 1/2in x 15 1/2in (520mm x 395mm)
Margins: - Min 1/2in (10mm)

Imperfections:
Margins: - Light age toning
Plate area: - Re-enforced along centerfold, light uplift
Verso: - Re-enforced along centerfold, two small repair to top of map, no affect to image

Background:
This county map of Middlesex, now greater London, illustrates the market towns of Enfield, Pancras, Osterley and Staines. The map is dominated by four large vignettes with the environs of London and the county situated in the central portion of the map. The actual cartography is based on the surveys performed by John Norden, the earlier English antiquary and map maker, who unsuccessfully attempted to publish an updated county atlas of the United Kingdom before Speed. Norden also lived most of his life in Middlesex, thus becoming an obvious source for the map.
The City of London is clearly shown on the lower right of the map with villages such as Hamsted, Pancras, Kensington and Paddington marked around the city. To the lower centre of the map is an acknowledgement to the original survey by Norden, augmented by Speed himself.
Although the cartography is of some note, it is the vignettes for which this map is justly famous. To the two bottom corners are the famous Churchs of St. Peter (Westminster Abbey) Westminster on the left and St. Pauls to the right. This is the medieval Cathedral of St. Pauls, just after it had lost its spire in 1561 and before the Great Fire of 1666, in which it was destroyed then rebuilt in its present form by Sir Christopher Wren. Above these two church vignettes are two text panels in the form of books, the one on the left describing the two churches and the other on the right with a description of London itself.
Finally, two large vignettes on the upper left and right corners depict the two cities of Westminster and London respectively. It is believed that Speed was not responsible for either of these images, more likely drawing from Norden, although there are no surviving evidence of this, to date yet to be found. There are also theories that these two views may have come from either a German sources or other lost birds-eye views of London by unknown persons.
Due to modern growth of London and border changes, the county of Middlesex no longer exists, but there is little doubt this is the most the best map of London and Middlesex published in the 17th century. English text on verso

• Titles: Map of the Empire of Germany, Including All the States Comprehend under that name: with the Kingdom of Priussia &c.
  Sizes: 48 1/2in x 41in (1.230m x 1.040m)
  
• Condition: (A+) Fine Condition
• Date: 1759
• Ref #:  93418

Description:
This stunning very large, scare and original copper-plate engraved antique 1st edition wall map of Germany, Bohemia, Austria, Prussia, Poland, Hungary, Netherlands and Northern Italy by the English cartographers Louis d arcy Delarochette & Thomas Kitchin (engraver) was published by Robert Sayer in 1759.
Incredibly detailed map of central Europe showing political boundaries as they were in the mid 18th century. Much detail noting roadways, towns, castles, monasteries, forests, swamps, rivers, towns, cities, mountains and much more. An incredible insight into mid 18th century Europe.

General Definitions:
Paper thickness and quality: - Heavy and stable
Paper color : - off white
Age of map color: - Original
Colors used: - Yellow, green, blue, pink
General color appearance: - Authentic
Paper size: - 48 1/2in x 41in (1.230m x 1.040m)
Plate size: - 48 1/2in x 41in (1.230m x 1.040m)
Margins: - Min 1/2in (12mm)

Imperfections:
Margins: - None
Plate area: - None
Verso: - None

Background:
Louis d Arcy Delarochette 1731 - 1802 was a British cartographer active in the mid to late 18th century. Collaborated with many famous British cartographers including Kitchin, Faden, Laurie & Whittle and Thomas Jefferies. Well know for his large scale maps.

Robert Sayers 1724 - 1794 was an important English map publisher and engraver active from the mid to late 18th century. Sayer was born in Sunderland, England, in 1725. He may have clerked as a young man with the Bank of England, but this is unclear. His brother, James Sayer, married Mary Overton, daughter-in-law of John Overton and widow of Philip Overton. Sayer initially worked under Mary Overton, but by December of 1748 was managing the Overton enterprise and gradually took it over, transitioning the plates to his own name. When Thomas Jefferys went bankrupt in 1766, Sayer offered financial assistance to help him stay in business and, in this way, acquired rights to many of the important Jefferys map plates as well as his unpublished research. From about 1774, he began publishing with his apprentice, John Bennett (fl. 1770-1784), as Sayer and Bennett, but the partnership was not formalized until 1777. Bennett retired in 1784 following a mental collapse and the imprint reverted to Robert Sayer. From 1790, Sayer added Robert Laurie and James Whittle to his enterprise, renaming the firm Robert Sayer and Company. Ultimately, Laurie and Whittle partnered to take over his firm. Sayer retired to Bath, where, after a long illness, he died. During most of his career, Sayer was based at 53 Fleet Street, London. His work is particularly significant for its publication of many British maps relating to the American Revolutionary War. Unlike many map makers of his generation, Sayer was a good businessman and left a personal fortune and great estate to his son, James Sayer, who never worked in the publishing business.

• Title : Le Royaume d'Angleterre Distingue en Ses Provinces...1693
• Size: 33in x 24in (840m x 610mm)
• Condition: (A+) Fine Condition
• Date : 1693
• Ref #:  17059

Description:
This large beautifully hand coloured original 1693 1st edition antique map of England & Wales by A H Jaillot - after Nicolas Sanson - was engraved in 1693 - the date is engraved in the title and was published by Jaillot in his large elephant folio Atlas Nouveau.
An original first state of this handsome map of England and Wales, that includes the east coast of Ireland's, southern Scotland, the Channel Islands, and a stretch of French coastline south to Paris. England and Wales are divided into their local counties, with highly detailed information on towns, cities, rivers, and topographical information.
The stunning decorative title cartouche features the United Kingdom coat-of-arms with a banner underneath reading Je Maintiendray ("I will maintain," which is strangely enough the motto of the Netherlands), along with trumpeting angels, mermen, and symbols of military might. A second cartouche flanked by putti encloses the six distance scales. A compass rose capped with a fleur-de-lis appears in the Irish Sea. Jaillot, in partnership with the sons of Nicolas Sanson, re-engraved Nicolas's Sanson's map on a larger scale in the 1680's. This particular map was published a few years later in the 1690's, and while based on Sanson's cartography (who is credited in the cartouche), it is a Jaillot composition. Also included is an alternate title running along the top neatline: Le Royaume d'Angleterre, Distingue en Ses Provinces; Scavoir en Northumberland, Mercie, East-Angles, Essex, Kent, Sussex, West-Sex, et la Principaute de Galles.

General Definitions:
Paper thickness and quality: - Heavy and stable
Paper color : - off white
Age of map color: - Original & later
Colors used: - Yellow, green, blue, pink
General color appearance: - Authentic
Paper size: - 33in x 24in (840m x 610mm)
Plate size: - 31 1/4in x 23in (795mm x 585mm)
Margins: - Min 1in (25mm)

Imperfections:
Margins: - None
Plate area: - None
Verso: - None

Background: 
English Cartography: When considering the work of English map makers we tend, perhaps, to think too much in terms of county maps, dominated by the names of Saxton and Speed, but we should not underrate the contribution to the sum of geographical knowledge made in other spheres, such as the sea charts of Edward Wright, Robert Dudley and Greenvile Collins, the discoveries of James Cook, the road maps of Ogilby and Cary, the meteorological and magnetic charts compiled by Edmund Halley, to mention only a few.
In 1558 Queen Elizabeth came to the throne in the midst of a fast changing world. In 1563 a nineteen sheet map, copies of which survive only in manuscript form, was completed by Laurence Nowell, and no doubt, the issue of Mercator's large-scale map of the British Isles in 1564 had an important influence on the thought of the period. A few years later a national survey was commissioned privately, although probably at the instigation of Lord Burghley, the Lord Treasurer, but subsequently was completed with royal encouragement. The outcome was Christopher Saxton's Atlas of EngIand and Wales, started about 1570 and published in 1579 - the first printed set of county maps and the first countrywide atlas on such a splendid scale produced anywhere. A Welsh antiquarian, Humphrey Lhuyd completed a set of surveys that were even more successful than Saxton in which he had produced fine manuscript maps of England and Wales which were used by Ortelius in editions of his Atlas from 1573 onwards.
The earliest maps of the 17th century, attributed to William Smith of the College of Heralds, covered only twelve counties based on Saxton/Norden and were presumably intended to be part of a complete new atlas. They were printed in the Low Countries in 1602-3 and were soon followed by maps for the Latin edition of Camden's Britannia dated 1607. In 1610-11 the first edition of John Speed's famous county Atlas The Theatre of the Empire of Great Britaine was published and immediately replaced Saxton's in popular appeal. Although Speed assembled much of his material from the earlier works of Saxton, Norden and others, a considerable part of the up-to-date information, especially relating to the inset town plans depicted on his maps, was obtained first hand. The maps undoubtedly owed much of their popularity to the splendid engravings of high quality made in the workshops in Amsterdam of Jodocus Hondius to whom Speed sent his manuscripts, the plates subsequently being returned to London for printing.
In 1645, Volume IV of the famous Blaeu World Atlas covering the counties of England and Wales was published in Amsterdam. These maps have always been esteemed as superb examples of engraving and design, the calligraphy being particularly splendid, but nevertheless they were nearly all based on Saxton and Speed and added little to geographical knowledge.
Not until the latter part of the century do we find an English map maker of originality with the capacity to put new ideas into practice. John Ogilby, one of the more colourful figures associated with cartography, started life as a dancing master and finished as King's Cosmographer and Geographic Printer. After publishing a small number of county maps, somewhat on the lines of John Norden he issued in 1675 the Britannia, the first practical series of detailed maps of the post roads of England and Wales on a standard scale of 1,760 yards to the mile. Up to the end of the century and beyond, reprints and revisions of Saxton's and Speed's atlases continued to appear and the only other noteworthy county maps were Richard Blome's Britannia (1673), John Overton's Atlas (c. 1670) and Robert Morden's maps for an English translation of Camden's Britannia published in 1695.
Another noted cartographer of the day was Captain Greenvile Collins, and of his work in surveying the coasts of Great Britain culminating in the issue in 1693 of the Great Britain's Coasting Pilot. Apart from these charts, English cartographers published during the century a number of world atlases. Speed was the first Englishman to produce a world atlas with the issue in 1627 of his A Prospect of the Most Famous Parts of the World. Other atlases appeared later in the century by Peter Heylin, John Seller, William Berry, Moses Pitt and Richard Blome, whilst Ogilby found time to issue maps of Africa, America and Asia. Far more important, from the purely scientific point of view, was the work of Edmund Halley, Astronomer Royal, who compiled and issued meteorological and magnetic charts in 1688 and 1701 respectively.
At the beginning of the eighteenth century the Dutch map trade was finally in decline, the French in the ascendant and the English to a great extent still dominated by Saxton and Speed except, as we have shown, in the spheres of sea charts and road maps. There were atlases by John Senex, the Bowles family, Emanuel and Thomas Bowen, Thomas Badeslade and the unique bird's-eye perspective views of the counties, The British Monarchy by George Bickham. In 1750-60 Bowen and Kitchin's The Large English Atlas containing maps on a rather larger scale than hitherto was published.
In 1759 the Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce offered an award of £100 for the best original surveys on this scale and by the end of the century about thirty counties had been re-surveyed. These maps, many of which formed, in later years, the basis for the first issues of county maps by the Ordnance Survey Office were not only decorative but a tremendous improvement geographically on earlier local maps. As a consequence, the skills and expertise of the new-style cartographers soon enabled them to cover the world as well as the domestic market. Thomas Jefferys was such a man; he was responsible for a number of the new 1 in. to 1 mile county surveys and he issued an edition of Saxton's much battered 200-year-old plates of the county maps, but he is better known for many fine maps of North America and the West Indies. His work was continued on the same lines by William Faden, trading as Faden and Jefferys. Other publishers such as Sayer and Bennett and their successors Laurie and Whittle published a prodigious range of maps, charts and atlases in the second half of the century. A major influence at this time was John Cary who, apart from organizing the first re-survey of post roads since Ogilby and subsequently printing the noted Travellers' Companion, was a prolific publisher of atlases and maps of every kind of all parts of the world. After starting work with Cary, and taking part in the new road survey, Aaron Arrowsmith set up in his own business and went on to issue splendid large-scale maps of many parts of the world. Both Cary's and Arrowsmith's plates were used by other publishers until far into the next century and, in turn, their work was taken up and developed by James Wyld (Elder and Younger) and Tallis and Co.
Later into the 19th century some of the better known cartographers and publishers were by Henry Teesdale (1829-30), Christopher and John Greenwood, surveyors, Thomas Moule, a writer on heraldry and antiques (1830-36) and John Walker (1837) but by about the middle of the century few small-scale publishers survived and their business passed into the hands of large commercial concerns such as Bartholomews of Edinburgh and Philips of London who continue to this day. (Ref: Shirley; Tooley; M&B)

• Title : Midle-sex Described with the most Famous Cities of London and Westminster
• Date : 1676
  
• Size: 20 1/4in x 16 3/4in (515mm x 425mm)
• Condition: (B) Good Condition
• Ref:  35613

Description:
This original hand coloured copper plate engraved antique map & views of London and the English county of Middlesex by John Speed was published in the 1676 Bassett & Chiswell edition of Speeds famous atlas The Theatre of the Empire of Great Britaine.
The map is embellished with the famous birds-eye views of London, Westminster and the churches of St Peters (Westminster Abbey) and old St Pauls before the great fire of London in 1666. English descriptive text of London on the verso.

General Definitions:
Paper thickness and quality: - Heavy and stable
Paper color : - off white
Age of map color: - Original
Colors used: - Blue, yellow, green, pink
General color appearance: - Authentic
Paper size: - 20 1/4in x 16 3/4in (515mm x 425mm)
Plate size: - 20 1/4in x 15 1/2in (515mm x 410mm)
Margins: - Min 1/8in (2mm)

Imperfections:
Margins: - L&R margins cropped to plate-marks
Plate area: - Re-enforced along centerfold very small loss in places, light creasing
Verso: - Re-enforced along centerfold and in several places with transparent archival tape

Background:
This county map of Middlesex, now greater London, illustrates the market towns of Enfield, Pancras, Osterley and Staines. The map is dominated by four large vignettes with the environs of London and the county situated in the central portion of the map. The actual cartography is based on the surveys performed by John Norden, the earlier English antiquary and map maker, who unsuccessfully attempted to publish an updated county atlas of the United Kingdom before Speed. Norden also lived most of his life in Middlesex, thus becoming an obvious source for the map.
The City of London is clearly shown on the lower right of the map with villages such as Hamsted, Pancras, Kensington and Paddington marked around the city. To the lower centre of the map is an acknowledgement to the original survey by Norden, augmented by Speed himself.
Although the cartography is of some note, it is the vignettes for which this map is justly famous. To the two bottom corners are the famous Churchs of St. Peter (Westminster Abbey) Westminster on the left and St. Pauls to the right. This is the medieval Cathedral of St. Pauls, just after it had lost its spire in 1561 and before the Great Fire of 1666, in which it was destroyed then rebuilt in its present form by Sir Christopher Wren. Above these two church vignettes are two text panels in the form of books, the one on the left describing the two churches and the other on the right with a description of London itself.
Finally, two large vignettes on the upper left and right corners depict the two cities of Westminster and London respectively. It is believed that Speed was not responsible for either of these images, more likely drawing from Norden, although there are no surviving evidence of this, to date yet to be found. There are also theories that these two views may have come from either a German sources or other lost birds-eye views of London by unknown persons.
Due to modern growth of London and border changes, the county of Middlesex no longer exists, but there is little doubt this is the most the best map of London and Middlesex published in the 17th century. English text on verso

• Title : Oxonium Comitatus, Vulgo Oxfordshire
• Condition: (A+) Fine Condition
  
• Ref:  92846
• Size: 23 1/2in x 19 1/2in (600mm x 495mm)
• Date : 1647

Description: 
This beautifully hand coloured original copper plate engraved antique map of the English county of Oxfordshire was published in the 1647 Dutch edition of Joan Blaeus Atlas Novus. 
There is also the added bonus on the verso of the map with an early depiction of Stonehenge engraving to text.

Background:
This along with John Speeds map, is one of the most decorative of Oxfordshire. The basic cartographic information is derived from Speed's map, but presented with Blaeu typical elegance & decoration. These include coats-of-arms of the Oxford colleges along the sides, each expertly coloured, as well crests of nobility, the Royal coat-of-arms, and a title cartouche flanked by two Oxford scholars.
Blaeu is one of the most revered map makers of all time and it is easy to see why in this beautiful original map. The high level of the topographical detail, the  quality of the paper, the artistic professionalism of the engraving and the beauty of the original hand colouring combine to produce a work of art that is both functional and of exceptional beauty. (Ref: Koeman; M&B)

General Description:
Paper thickness and quality: - Heavy and stable
Paper color: - off white
Age of map color: - Original
Colors used: - Yellow, pink, red, blue, green
General color appearance: - Authentic
Paper size: - 23 1/2in x 19 1/2in (600mm x 495mm)
Plate size: - 20in x 15 1/4in (510mm x 390mm)
Margins: - Min 1in (25mm)

Imperfections:
Margins: - None
Plate area: - None
Verso: - None

• Title : Cambridgeshire described with the deuision of the hundreds, the Townes situation with the Armes of the Colleges of that famous Vniuersiti...And also the Armes of all such Princes and noble men as have heertofore borne the Honorable tytles & dignities of the Earldome of Cambridge....Performed by John Speede and are to be sold in popes alley by John Sudbury and G Humbell...Cum Privilego 1610.
• Size: 20 1/2in x 15in (510mm x 380mm)
• Condition: (B) Good Condition
• Date : 1610
• Ref #:  80002

Description:
This original hand coloured antique 1st edition map of the English county of Cambridgeshire was engraved in 1610 - dated -and was published by John Sudbury & George Humble in the 1612 1st edition of John Speeds famous atlas The Theatre of the Empire of Great Britaine.
The map has some loss mainly along the borders and a few small areas below both sets of figures. Map has been mounted onto an original index page fro m Speeds atlas.

General Definitions:
Paper thickness and quality: - Heavy and stable
Paper color : - off white
Age of map color: - Original
Colors used: - Yellow, green, blue, pink
General color appearance: - Authentic
Paper size: - 20 1/2in x 15in (510mm x 380mm)
Plate size: - 20 1/2in x 15in (510mm x 380mm)
Margins: - Min 1/2in (12mm)

Imperfections:
Margins: - Map cropped to and into borders
Plate area: - Small loss below both sets of figures at the bottom of the map
Verso: - Backed onto original Speed index double page

Background: 
Strong reference is made to Cambridges famous and renowned university with the (twenty five) armourials of the colleges and four scholarly figures. The birds eye view plan of Cambridge city is based on the one done by John Hammond in 1592.

• Title : Pascaarte van Engelant van t' Voorlandt tot aen Blakeney waer in te Sien is de Mont vande Teemse
• Date : 1676
• Condition: (A) Very Good Condition
• Ref:  42012
• Size: 22in x 18in (560mm x 455mm)

Description: 
This large, beautifully hand coloured original antique map, a fine early Dutch sea chart of the Thames River and surrounding English coastline, was published by Pieter Goos in 1676 for the Goos De Zee-Atlas, Ofte Water-Weereld, Atlas. 

This chart is oriented with north to the right includes in the upper right is a large inset of the Thames River and plan of London. Beautifully engraved with original coulouring embellished with rhumb lines, two compass roses and a galleon under sail. (Ref: Tooley; M&B; Koeman)

General Description:
Paper thickness and quality: - Heavy and stable
Paper color: - off white
Age of map color: - Original 
Colors used: - Yellow, green, red, rose madder, red
General color appearance: - Authentic and fresh
Paper size: - 22in x 18in (560mm x 455mm)
Plate size: - 22in x 18in (560mm x 455mm)
Margins: - Min ½in (12mm)

Imperfections:
Margins: - Top L&R margin corner ink spill not affecting image
Plate area: - None
Verso: - Light soiling

• Title : The South Part of Great Britain called England & Wales...by Herman Moll 1710
• Size: 39in x 24in (1.0m x 610mm)
• Condition: (A) Very Good Condition
• Date : 1710
• Ref #:  80662

Description:
This large beautifully hand coloured original copper-plate engraved antique map of England & Wales was engraved in 1710 by Herman Moll - the date is engraved in the title cartouche - and was published by John Bowles of London.

Striking large format, one off published, map of England and Wales. The map is embellished with two large cartouches and an extensive table locating all ye Cities, Market Towns, Boroughs and whateve Places in South Britain have ye Election of Members of Parliament.
The map is elaborately colored by counties, with 5 sailing ships to the right of Northumberland. Includes a dedication to Right Honourable FRANCIS, Lord Viscount Rialton in the cartouche at the right side of the map.

General Definitions:
Paper thickness and quality: - Heavy and stable
Paper color : - off white
Age of map color: - Original
Colors used: - Yellow, green, blue, pink
General color appearance: - Authentic
Paper size: - 39in x 24in (1.0m x 610mm)
Plate size: - 38in x 23in (970mm x 585mm)
Margins: - Min 1/2in (12mm)

Imperfections:
Margins: - None
Plate area: - Light age toning along folds
Verso: - None

Background: 
English Cartography: When considering the work of English map makers we tend, perhaps, to think too much in terms of county maps, dominated by the names of Saxton and Speed, but we should not underrate the contribution to the sum of geographical knowledge made in other spheres, such as the sea charts of Edward Wright, Robert Dudley and Greenvile Collins, the discoveries of James Cook, the road maps of Ogilby and Cary, the meteorological and magnetic charts compiled by Edmund Halley, to mention only a few.
In 1558 Queen Elizabeth came to the throne in the midst of a fast changing world. In 1563 a nineteen sheet map, copies of which survive only in manuscript form, was completed by Laurence Nowell, and no doubt, the issue of Mercators large-scale map of the British Isles in 1564 had an important influence on the thought of the period. A few years later a national survey was commissioned privately, although probably at the instigation of Lord Burghley, the Lord Treasurer, but subsequently was completed with royal encouragement. The outcome was Christopher Saxtons Atlas of EngIand and Wales, started about 1570 and published in 1579 - the first printed set of county maps and the first countrywide atlas on such a splendid scale produced anywhere. A Welsh antiquarian, Humphrey Lhuyd completed a set of surveys that were even more successful than Saxton in which he had produced fine manuscript maps of England and Wales which were used by Ortelius in editions of his Atlas from 1573 onwards.
The earliest maps of the 17th century, attributed to William Smith of the College of Heralds, covered only twelve counties based on Saxton/Norden and were presumably intended to be part of a complete new atlas. They were printed in the Low Countries in 1602-3 and were soon followed by maps for the Latin edition of Camdens Britannia dated 1607. In 1610-11 the first edition of John Speeds famous county Atlas The Theatre of the Empire of Great Britaine was published and immediately replaced Saxtons in popular appeal. Although Speed assembled much of his material from the earlier works of Saxton, Norden and others, a considerable part of the up-to-date information, especially relating to the inset town plans depicted on his maps, was obtained first hand. The maps undoubtedly owed much of their popularity to the splendid engravings of high quality made in the workshops in Amsterdam of Jodocus Hondius to whom Speed sent his manuscripts, the plates subsequently being returned to London for printing.
In 1645, Volume IV of the famous Blaeu World Atlas covering the counties of England and Wales was published in Amsterdam. These maps have always been esteemed as superb examples of engraving and design, the calligraphy being particularly splendid, but nevertheless they were nearly all based on Saxton and Speed and added little to geographical knowledge.
Not until the latter part of the century do we find an English map maker of originality with the capacity to put new ideas into practice. John Ogilby, one of the more colourful figures associated with cartography, started life as a dancing master and finished as Kings Cosmographer and Geographic Printer. After publishing a small number of county maps, somewhat on the lines of John Norden he issued in 1675 the Britannia, the first practical series of detailed maps of the post roads of England and Wales on a standard scale of 1,760 yards to the mile. Up to the end of the century and beyond, reprints and revisions of Saxtons and Speeds atlases continued to appear and the only other noteworthy county maps were Richard Blomes Britannia (1673), John Overtons Atlas (c. 1670) and Robert Mordens maps for an English translation of Camdens Britannia published in 1695.
Another noted cartographer of the day was Captain Greenvile Collins, and of his work in surveying the coasts of Great Britain culminating in the issue in 1693 of the Great Britains Coasting Pilot. Apart from these charts, English cartographers published during the century a number of world atlases. Speed was the first Englishman to produce a world atlas with the issue in 1627 of his A Prospect of the Most Famous Parts of the World. Other atlases appeared later in the century by Peter Heylin, John Seller, William Berry, Moses Pitt and Richard Blome, whilst Ogilby found time to issue maps of Africa, America and Asia. Far more important, from the purely scientific point of view, was the work of Edmund Halley, Astronomer Royal, who compiled and issued meteorological and magnetic charts in 1688 and 1701 respectively.
At the beginning of the eighteenth century the Dutch map trade was finally in decline, the French in the ascendant and the English to a great extent still dominated by Saxton and Speed except, as we have shown, in the spheres of sea charts and road maps. There were atlases by John Senex, the Bowles family, Emanuel and Thomas Bowen, Thomas Badeslade and the unique birds-eye perspective views of the counties, The British Monarchy by George Bickham. In 1750-60 Bowen and Kitchins The Large English Atlas containing maps on a rather larger scale than hitherto was published.
In 1759 the Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce offered an award of £100 for the best original surveys on this scale and by the end of the century about thirty counties had been re-surveyed. These maps, many of which formed, in later years, the basis for the first issues of county maps by the Ordnance Survey Office were not only decorative but a tremendous improvement geographically on earlier local maps. As a consequence, the skills and expertise of the new-style cartographers soon enabled them to cover the world as well as the domestic market. Thomas Jefferys was such a man; he was responsible for a number of the new 1 in. to 1 mile county surveys and he issued an edition of Saxtons much battered 200-year-old plates of the county maps, but he is better known for many fine maps of North America and the West Indies. His work was continued on the same lines by William Faden, trading as Faden and Jefferys. Other publishers such as Sayer and Bennett and their successors Laurie and Whittle published a prodigious range of maps, charts and atlases in the second half of the century. A major influence at this time was John Cary who, apart from organizing the first re-survey of post roads since Ogilby and subsequently printing the noted Travellers Companion, was a prolific publisher of atlases and maps of every kind of all parts of the world. After starting work with Cary, and taking part in the new road survey, Aaron Arrowsmith set up in his own business and went on to issue splendid large-scale maps of many parts of the world. Both Carys and Arrowsmiths plates were used by other publishers until far into the next century and, in turn, their work was taken up and developed by James Wyld (Elder and Younger) and Tallis and Co.
Later into the 19th century some of the better known cartographers and publishers were by Henry Teesdale (1829-30), Christopher and John Greenwood, surveyors, Thomas Moule, a writer on heraldry and antiques (1830-36) and John Walker (1837) but by about the middle of the century few small-scale publishers survived and their business passed into the hands of large commercial concerns such as Bartholomews of Edinburgh and Philips of London who continue to this day. (Ref: Shirley; Tooley; M&B)

• Title : Carte de l entree de la Tamise avec les bancs, passes, isles et costes comprises entre Sandwich et Clay. (Map of the Thames estuary entry with the banks, streets, islands and coasts between Sandwich and Clay)
• Size: 37 1/2in x 25 1/2in (950mm x 650mm)
• Condition: (A+) Fine Condition
• Date : 1693
• Ref #:  93356

Description:
This large beautifully hand coloured original 1693 antique sea-chart, map of SE England from Clay, Norfolk, to Sandwich and the entrance of the Thames Estuary by A H Jaillot was published in his large elephant folio Le Neptune Francois, ou Atlas Nouveau des Cartes Marines

Handsome sea-chart illustrating the importance of this region to Englands dominance by its navy. Shows the Thames Estuary & river to London, showing many sandbars, soundings and coastline, blank verso.

General Definitions:
Paper thickness and quality: - Heavy and stable
Paper color : - off white
Age of map color: - Original
Colors used: - Yellow
General color appearance: - Authentic
Paper size: - 37 1/2in x 25 1/2in (950mm x 650mm)
Plate size: - 36in x 18in (930mm x 460mm)
Margins: - Min 1in (25mm)

Imperfections:
Margins: - Light age toning
Plate area: - None
Verso: - None

• Title : Plan de la Ville De Londres et Diversee Remarques Sur Ceite Ville
• Ref #:  93423
• Size: 21 1/2in x 17in (545mm x 435mm)
• Date : 1719
• Condition: (A+) Fine Condition

Description:
This large beautifully hand coloured original copper plate engraved antique map of London, England with two large allegorical views, was published by Henri Abraham Chatelain in 1719, in his famous Atlas Historique.

General Definitions:
Paper thickness and quality: - Heavy and stable
Paper color : - off white
Age of map color: - Early
Colors used: - Yellow, green, blue, pink
General color appearance: - Authentic
Paper size: - 21 1/2in x 17in (545mm x 435mm)
Plate size: - 18 1/2in x 14in (470mm x 355mm)
Margins: - Min 1in (25mm)

Imperfections:
Margins: - None
Plate area: - None
Verso: - None

Background:
The 18th century was a period of rapid growth for London, reflecting an increasing national population, the early stirrings of the Industrial Revolution, and Londons role at the centre of the evolving British Empire.
In 1707, an Act of Union was passed merging the Scottish and the English Parliaments, thus establishing the Kingdom of Great Britain. A year later, in 1708 Christopher Wrens masterpiece, St Pauls Cathedral was completed on his birthday. However, the first service had been held on 2 December 1697; more than 10 years earlier. This Cathedral replaced the original St. Pauls which had been completely destroyed in the Great Fire of London. This building is considered one of the finest in Britain and a fine example of Baroque architecture.
Many tradesmen from different countries came to London to trade goods and merchandise. Also, more immigrants moved to London making the population greater. More people also moved to London for work and for business making London an altogether bigger and busier city. Britains victory in the Seven Years War increased the countrys international standing and opened large new markets to British trade, further boosting Londons prosperity.
During the Georgian period London spread beyond its traditional limits at an accelerating pace. This is shown in a series of detailed maps, particularly John Rocques 1741–45 map (see below) and his 1746 Map of London. New districts such as Mayfair were built for the rich in the West End, new bridges over the Thames encouraged an acceleration of development in South London and in the East End, the Port of London expanded downstream from the City. During this period was also the uprising of the American colonies. In 1780, the Tower of London held its only American prisoner, former President of the Continental Congress, Henry Laurens. In 1779, he was the Congresss representative of Holland, and got the countrys support for the Revolution. On his return voyage back to America, the Royal Navy captured him and charged him with treason after finding evidence of a reason of war between Great Britain and the Netherlands. He was released from the Tower on 21 December 1781 in exchange for General Lord Cornwallis.
In 1762, George III acquired Buckingham Palace (then called Buckingham House) from the Duke of Buckingham. It was enlarged over the next 75 years by architects such as John Nash.
A phenomenon of the era was the coffeehouse, which became a popular place to debate ideas. Growing literacy and the development of the printing press meant that news became widely available. Fleet Street became the centre of the embryonic national press during the century.
18th-century London was dogged by crime. The Bow Street Runners were established in 1750 as a professional police force. Penalties for crime were harsh, with the death penalty being applied for fairly minor crimes. Public hangings were common in London, and were popular public events.
In 1780, London was rocked by the Gordon Riots, an uprising by Protestants against Roman Catholic emancipation led by Lord George Gordon. Severe damage was caused to Catholic churches and homes, and 285 rioters were killed.
In the year 1787, freed slaves from London, America, and many of Britains colonies founded Freetown in modern-day Sierra Leone.
Up until 1750, London Bridge was the only crossing over the Thames, but in that year Westminster Bridge was opened and, for the first time in history, London Bridge, in a sense, had a rival. In 1798, Frankfurt banker Nathan Mayer Rothschild arrived in London and set up a banking house in the city, with a large sum of money given to him by his father, Amschel Mayer Rothschild. The Rothschilds also had banks in Paris and Vienna. The bank financed numerous large-scale projects, especially regarding railways around the world and the Suez Canal.
The 18th century saw the breakaway of the American colonies and many other unfortunate events in London, but also great change and Enlightenment. This all led into the beginning of modern times, the 19th century.

• Title : England and Wales Drawn from the Most Accurate Surveys...by John Rocque
• Date : 1761
• Condition: (A) Very Good Condition
• Ref:  92242
• Size: 49in x 37in (1.25m x 1.00m)

Description: 
This very large - 4 sheet joined - famous mid 18th century original antique map of England and Wales by John Rocque was published by Robert Sayer in the large 1761 edition of A General Atlas Describing the Whole Universe.
This map is extremely detailed denoting nearly every town river canal and point of interest. This type of cartography is indicative of the British attention to detail & research that helped Britain become the world power over the next 150 years.

John Rocque c. 1704-62 - Little is known of John Rocque's early life except that he was of Huguenot extraction and was living and working in London as an engraver from about 1734. His early experience in preparing plans of great houses and gardens for the nobility led him to take up large-scale surveying for which he developed a distinctive and effective style involving new ways of indicating land use and hill contours. He is best known for a very large-scale plan of London published in 1746 and for a pocket set of county maps, The English Traveller, issued in the same year. He spent some years in Ireland surveying for estate maps and in 1756 he published a well-known Exact Survey of the City of Dublin.
Rocque was Topographer to the Prince of Wales and attained his new title after the coronation in 1760. He flourished from 1734-62. Sayer, a famous and prolific mapmaker, was taken into partnership by John Overton in 1745. After his death in 1752 Sayer continued on his own forming several associations until his own death in 1792. His association with Rocque began in 1753. (Ref:M&B; Tooley)

General Description:
Paper thickness and quality: - Heavy & stable
Paper color: - White
Age of map color: - Original & later
Colors used: - Blue, brown  
General color appearance: - Authentic  
Paper size: - 49in x 37in (1.25m x 1.00m)
Paper size: - 49in x 37in (1.25m x 1.00m)
Margins: - Min 1/2in (12mm)

Imperfections:
Margins: - Several folds re-enforced and re-joined
Plate area: - Folds as issued, light offsetting, several folds re-enforced and re-joined
Verso: - Several folds re-enforced and re-joined

• Title : London Underground Railways
• Ref #:  17054
• Size: 13 3/4in x 11 1/2in (352mm x 290mm)
• Date : 1908
• Condition: (A+) Fine Condition

Description:
This original early scarce antique folding, pocket map of The London Underground, only the second combined map, by The Underground Electric Railways Company of London (UERL) was published by Johnson, Riddle & co. in 1908.
The first map was published a year earlier by The Evening News in 1907.

This geographic paper edition of the Underground map shows the Railway lines belonging to the Underground Group as well as the Central London Railway and Metropolitan Railway lines. Each line is represented by a different colour, other railways are marked with lighter black lines, London United tramways are shown by lines of crosses and other tramways routes are marked with a broken line. General geographic features such as roads and parks are also included. Earl's Court Exhibition Ground is marked on this map as well as the Franco-British Exhibition at Shepherd's Bush. This map has a green border and the UndergrounD logo is used in the map title.

General Definitions:
Paper thickness and quality: - Heavy and stable
Paper color : - off white
Age of map color: - Original
Colors used: - Yellow, green, blue, pink
General color appearance: - Authentic
Paper size: - 13 3/4in x 11 1/2in (352mm x 290mm)
Plate size: - 13 3/4in x 11 1/2in (352mm x 290mm)
Margins: - Min 1/8in (2mm)

Imperfections:
Margins: - Folds as issued
Plate area: - Folds as issued
Verso: - Folds as issued

Background:
As Londons early transport system was operated by a variety of independent companies, there were no complete maps of the network, just for the individual companies routes. The maps were not typically schematic and were simply the line overlaid on a regular city map. There was no integration of the companies services or any co-operation in advertising.
In 1907, The Evening News commissioned a pocket map, The Evening News London Tube Map. It was the first map to show all of the lines with equal weight being given to each line, and it was the first map to use a different colour for each line.
Another early combined map was published in 1908 by the Underground Electric Railways Company of London (UERL) in conjunction with four other underground railway companies that used the Underground brand as part of a common advertising factor.
The map showed eight routes – four operated by the UERL and one from each of the other four companies:
UERL lines:
Bakerloo Railway – brown
Hampstead Railway – indigo
Piccadilly Railway – yellow
District Railway – green
Other lines:
Central London Railway – blue
City and South London Railway – black
Great Northern and City Railway – orange
Metropolitan Railway – red
A geographical map presented restrictions since for sufficient clarity of detail in the crowded central area of the map required the extremities of the District and Metropolitan lines to be omitted and so a full network diagram was not provided. The problem of truncation remained for nearly half a century. Although all of the western branches of the District and Piccadilly lines were included for the first time in 1933 with Harry Becks first proper Tube map, the portion of the Metropolitan line beyond Rickmansworth did not appear until 1938, and the eastern end of the District line did not appear until the mid-1950s.
The route map continued to be developed and was issued in various formats and artistic styles until 1920, when, for the first time, the geographic background detail was omitted in a map designed by MacDonald Gill. That freed the design to enable greater flexibility in the positioning of lines and stations. The routes became more stylised but the arrangement remained, largely, geographic in nature. The 1932 edition was the last geographic map to be published before Becks diagrammatic map was introduced.
The first diagrammatic map of Londons rapid transit network was designed by Harry Beck in 1931. He was a London Underground employee who realised that because the railway ran mostly underground, the physical locations of the stations were largely irrelevant to the traveller wanting to know how to get from one station to another; only the topology of the route mattered. That approach is similar to that of electrical circuit diagrams although they were not the inspiration for Becks map. His colleagues pointed out the similarities, however, and he once produced a joke map with the stations replaced by electrical circuit symbols and names, with terminology such as Bakerlite for the Bakerloo line.
To that end, Beck devised a simplified map with stations, straight-line segments connecting them, and the River Thames; and lines running only vertically, horizontally, or on 45° diagonals. To make the map clearer and to emphasise connections, Beck differentiated between ordinary stations, marked with tick marks, and interchange stations, marked with diamonds. London Underground was initially sceptical of his proposal since it was an uncommissioned spare-time project and was tentatively introduced to the public in a small pamphlet in 1933. However, it immediately became popular, and the Underground has used topological maps to illustrate the network ever since.
Despite the complexity of making the map, Beck was paid just ten guineas for the artwork and design of the card edition (five guineas for the poster). After its initial success, he continued to design the Tube map until 1960, a single (and unpopular) 1939 edition by Hans Scheger being the only exception. Meanwhile, as well as accommodating new lines and stations, Beck continually altered the design, such as changing the interchange symbol from a diamond to a circle and altering the line colours of the Central line from orange to red and of the Bakerloo line from red to brown. Becks final design, in 1960, bears a strong resemblance to the current map. Beck lived in Finchley, North London, and one of his maps is still preserved on the southbound platform at Finchley Central station, on the Northern line.
In 1997, Becks importance was posthumously recognised, and as of 2021, this statement is printed on every Tube map: This diagram is an evolution of the original design conceived in 1931 by Harry Beck.

The Underground Electric Railways Company of London Limited (UERL)
The Underground Electric Railways Company of London Limited (UERL), known operationally as the Underground for much of its existence, was established in 1902. It was the holding company for the three deep-level tube underground railway lines opened in London during 1906 and 1907: the Baker Street and Waterloo Railway, the Charing Cross, Euston and Hampstead Railway and the Great Northern, Piccadilly and Brompton Railway. It was also the parent company from 1902 of the District Railway, which it electrified between 1903 and 1905. The UERL is a precursor of today's London Underground; its three tube lines form the central sections of today's Bakerloo, Northern and Piccadilly lines.
The UERL struggled financially in the first years after the opening of its lines and narrowly avoided bankruptcy in 1908 by restructuring its debt. A policy of expansion by acquisition was followed before World War I, so that the company came to operate the majority of the underground railway lines in and around London. It also controlled large bus and tram fleets, the profits from which subsidised the financially weaker railways. After the war, railway extensions took the UERL's services out into suburban areas to stimulate additional passenger numbers, so that, by the early 1930s, the company's lines stretched beyond the County of London and served destinations in Middlesex, Essex, Hertfordshire and Surrey.
In the 1920s, competition from small unregulated bus operators reduced the profitability of the road transport operations, leading the UERL's directors to seek government regulation. This led to the establishment of the London Passenger Transport Board in 1933, which absorbed the UERL and all of the independent and municipally operated railway, bus and tram services in the London area.

• Title : The London Directory or a New & Improved Plan of London, Westminster & Southwark; with the adjacent Country, the New Buildings, the New Roads and the late alterations by Opening of New Streets, & Widening of others 1782.
• Size: 20 1/2in x 16in (510mm x 410mm)
• Condition: (A) Very Good Condition
• Date : 1782
• Ref #:  93047

Description:
This original copper-plate engraved antique segmented map laid on linen of London was engraved in 1782 - dated - and published by Robert Sayer and John Bennett, London.

General Definitions:
Paper thickness and quality: - Heavy and stable
Paper color : - off white
Age of map color: - Original
Colors used: - Green, brown
General color appearance: - Authentic
Paper size: - 20 1/2in x 16in (510mm x 410mm)
Plate size: - 20 1/2in x 16in (510mm x 410mm)
Margins: - Min 1/2in (12mm)

Imperfections:
Margins: - Age toning
Plate area: - Age toned
Verso: - Linen backed

Background: 
A highly appealing 1783 map centered on the Thames River. The map details central London from Islington to Shadwell and from Newington Butts to Tyburn. Only three bridges are shown, across the Thames: Westminster Bridge, London Bridge, and Blackfriars (B.L. Fryers). The portions of the city devastated by the 1666 Great Fire of London is marked. A street index and public building index appears below the map proper. The earliest edition of this map was published by Sayer in 1765, with numerous updates to about 1800 – all states are rare, this being the 7th of 1783. Another, almost identical version of this map was issued by John Carrington and, having a slightly longer lifespan, was published and updated until about 1811.

Sayer, Robert 1725 - 1794
Sayer was an important English map publisher and engraver active from the mid to late 18th century. Sayer was born in Sunderland, England, in 1725. He may have clerked as a young man with the Bank of England, but this is unclear. His brother, James Sayer, married Mary Overton, daughter-in-law of John Overton and widow of Philip Overton. Sayer initially worked under Mary Overton, but by December of 1748 was managing the Overton enterprise and gradually took it over, transitioning the plates to his own name. When Thomas Jefferys went bankrupt in 1766, Sayer offered financial assistance to help him stay in business and, in this way, acquired rights to many of the important Jefferys map plates as well as his unpublished research. From about 1774, he began publishing with his apprentice, John Bennett (fl. 1770-1784), as Sayer and Bennett, but the partnership was not formalized until 1777. Bennett retired in 1784 following a mental collapse and the imprint reverted to Robert Sayer. From 1790, Sayer added Robert Laurie and James Whittle to his enterprise, renaming the firm Robert Sayer and Company. Ultimately, Laurie and Whittle partnered to take over his firm. Sayer retired to Bath, where, after a long illness, he died. During most of his career, Sayer was based at 53 Fleet Street, London. His work is particularly significant for its publication of many British maps relating to the American Revolutionary War. Unlike many map makers of his generation, Sayer was a good businessman and left a personal fortune and great estate to his son, James Sayer, who never worked in the publishing business.

• Titles: England and Wales Drawn from the Most Accurate Surveys...by John Rocque...Laurie & whittle...1794
  Sizes: 47 1/2in x 39 1/2in (1.21m x 1.050m)
  
• Condition: (A) Very Good Condition
• Date: 1794
• Ref #:  93417-1

Description:
This very large - 4 sheet joined - famous mid 18th century original hand coloured copper-plate engraved antique map of England and Wales, by John Rocque, was published by Laurie & Whittle in the large 1794 - dated - of A General Atlas Describing the Whole Universe.

General Definitions:
Paper thickness and quality: - Heavy and stable
Paper color : - off white
Age of map color: - Original
Colors used: - Yellow, green, blue, pink
General color appearance: - Authentic
Paper size: - 47 1/2in x 39 1/2in (1.21m x 1.050m)
Plate size: - 47 1/2in x 39 1/2in (1.21m x 1.050m)
Margins: - Min 1/2in (10mm)

Imperfections:
Margins: - None
Plate area: - Folds as issued, offsetting, uplift and creasing along some folds
Verso: - Folds as issued

Background:
The map exemplifies the strong graphic presence of Rocques signature topographic detail as well as an elaborate cartouche, here uncolored as issued. Rocque is recognized as an innovator of the British town plan and a master of large-scale cartographic style. The map of England and Wales was conceived during the high point of the map makers career and seems to have been completed as a part of a series of four-sheet British Isles maps.
A wonderfully detailed four-sheet map with title contained within a large decorative allegorical cartouche depicting the artistic, scientific, and commercial accomplishments of the English. Abbeys and castles are duly noted. Small inset of the Isles of Scilly. Tall ships sailing solo and as part of fleets decorate the seas around the islands.

• Titles: Carte von England und Wallli...Herren Thomas Kitchin Augsburg in Verlag bey Johannes Walch 1803
  Sizes: 53in x 45in (1.345m x 1.120m)
  
• Condition: (A+) Fine Condition
• Date: 1803
• Ref #:  93420

Description:
This very large original copper plate engraved antique wall map of England & Wales after the English cartographer Thomas Kitchin was engraved and published by the German publisher Johannes Walch in 1803, dated.

First published by Kitchin in London in 1760, this incredibly large, detailed & scarce map is a credit to Kitchin, one of the foremost cartographers of the 18th century.

General Definitions:
Paper thickness and quality: - Heavy and stable
Paper color : - off white
Age of map color: - Original
Colors used: - Blue, pink, red, green, yellow
General color appearance: - Authentic
Paper size: - 53in x 45in (1.345m x 1.120m)
Plate size: - 50 1/2in x 43in (1.280m x 1.090m)
Margins: - Min 1in (25mm)

Imperfections:
Margins: - None
Plate area: - None
Verso: - None

Background:
Johann Walch 1757 - 1815 was a German painter, draftsman, engraver, cartographer and publisher. Walch was the son of the merchant and amateur painter and copper engraver Sebastian Walch (1721–1788) and his wife Katharina Zorn, daughter of the butcher Martin Zorn. He received training as a miniature painter in Augsburg, Geneva and three years at the Vienna Art Academy . This was followed by a two-year trip to Italy. Before 1785 he settled in Augsburg, where on January 16, 1786 he married Anna Regina Will the eldest daughter of the copper engraver and publisher Johann Martin Will , who was based in Augsburg, and was married in the publishing house worked with his father-in-law. As a result, the publisher increasingly turned to map production .
In 1789 he inherited from Gustav Conrad Lotter (1746–1776) map material from the map publishers Matthäus Seutter and Tobias Conrad Lotter, almost 25,000 individual map sheets and 208 copper plates. After Wills death in 1806, he inherited Willschen Verlag , which he developed into a major map publisher (Joh. Walchsche Landkarte Handlung). This gave rise to the print shop named Joh. Walch . His son Johann Sebastian Walch (1787-1840) continued the publishing house.

• Title : Episcopatus Dunelmensis Vulgo The Bishoprike of Durham
• Ref #:  60009
• Size: 24in x 20in (610mm x 510mm)
• Date : 1647
• Condition: (A+) Fine Condition

Description:
This beautifully hand coloured original antique map of the English county of Durham was published in the 1647 Dutch edition of Joan Blaeus Atlas Novus. 

Blaeu's reference for the topographical data for this map derive from John Speeds maps of Great Britain from the 1611 Empire of Great Britaine - the beautiful decoration, though, is distinctly Blaeus.

Background: Blaeu is one of the most revered map makers of all time and it is easy to see why in this beautiful original map. 
The high level of the topographical detail, the quality of the paper, the artistic professionalism of the engraving and the beauty of the original hand colouring combine to produce a work of art that is both functional and of exceptional beauty. (Ref: Koeman; M&B) 

General Description:
Paper thickness and quality: - Heavy and stable
Paper color: - off white
Age of map color: - Original
Colors used: - Yellow, pink, red, blue, green
General color appearance: - Authentic
Paper size: - 24in x 20in (610mm x 510mm)
Plate size: - 20in x 15 1/2in (510mm x 395mm)
Margins: - Min 1in (25mm)

Imperfections:
Margins: - None
Plate area: - None
Verso: - None

• Title : Insula Sacra Vulgo Holy Isand et Farne
• Ref #:  60007
• Size: 24in x 20in (610mm x 510mm)
• Date : 1647
• Condition: (A+) Fine Condition

Description:
This beautifully hand coloured original antique map of the Holy & Farne Islands off the east coast of Northumberland, England was published in the 1647 Dutch edition of Joan Blaeus Atlas Novus. 
Blaeu's reference for the topographical data for this map derive from John Speeds maps of Great Britain from the 1611 Empire of Great Britaine - the beautiful decoration, though, is distinctly Blaeus.

Background: Blaeu is one of the most revered map makers of all time and it is easy to see why in this beautiful original map. 
The high level of the topographical detail, the quality of the paper, the artistic professionalism of the engraving and the beauty of the original hand colouring combine to produce a work of art that is both functional and of exceptional beauty. (Ref: Koeman; M&B) 

General Description:
Paper thickness and quality: - Heavy and stable
Paper color: - off white
Age of map color: - Original
Colors used: - Yellow, pink, red, blue, green
General color appearance: - Authentic
Paper size: - 24in x 20in (610mm x 510mm)
Plate size: - 20in x 15 1/2in (510mm x 395mm)
Margins: - Min 1in (25mm)

Imperfections:
Margins: - None
Plate area: - None
Verso: - None

• Title : Orbis Romani Pars Orientalis...Auctor D Anville...MDCCLXIV (1764)
• Size: 29in x 22in (740mm x 560mm)
• Condition: (A) Very Good Condition
• Date : 1764
• Ref #:  92295

Description:
This large hand coloured original copper-plate engraved antique map of the Eastern part of the post Roman Empire, from Eastern Europe to the Holy Land by Jean Baptiste Bourguignon D Anville was engraved in 1764 - dated in the tile cartouche - and was published in Jean-Baptiste Bourguinon D Anvilles large elephant folio atlas Atlas Generale. (Ref: Tooley, M&B)

General Definitions:
Paper thickness and quality: - Heavy and stable
Paper color : - off white
Age of map color: - Original
Colors used: - Yellow, Green, pink
General color appearance: - Authentic
Paper size: - 29in x 22in (740mm x 560mm)
Plate size: - 28in x 22in (730mm x 560mm)
Margins: - Min 1/4in (3mm)

Imperfections:
Margins: - Soiling in margins, L&R margins cropped close to border
Plate area: - Soiling bottom & top left
Verso: - Soiling

The Roman Empire was the post-Roman Republic period of the ancient Roman civilization, with a government headed by emperors and large territorial holdings around the Mediterranean Sea in Europe, Africa and Asia. The city of Rome was the largest city in the world c. 100 BC – c. AD 400, with Constantinople (New Rome) becoming the largest around AD 500, and the Empire\\\'s population grew to an estimated 50 to 90 million inhabitants (roughly 20% of the world\\\'s population at the time) The 500-year-old republic which preceded it had been severely destabilized in a series of civil wars and political conflict, during which Julius Caesar was appointed as perpetual dictator and then assassinated in 44 BC. Civil wars and executions continued, culminating in the victory of Octavian, Caesar\\\'s adopted son, over Mark Antony and Cleopatra at the Battle of Actium in 31 BC and the annexation of Egypt. Octavian\\\'s power was then unassailable and in 27 BC the Roman Senate formally granted him overarching power and the new title Augustus, effectively marking the end of the Roman Republic.

• Title : An Accurate Map of Dorsetshire, Divided into its Hundreds. Drawn from the best Authorities, assisted by the most approved Maps and Charts with various Improvements illustrated with Historical Extracts relative to its Natural Produce, Manufactures, Trade, present state of it’s principal Towns and Sea Ports, by Eman Bowen geographer to His Majesty. 
• Date : 1760
  
• Size: 29in x 22 1/2in (750mm x 570mm)
• Condition: (A+) Fine Condition
• Ref:  35614

Description:
This large original beautifully hand coloured antique map of the English County of Dorset Shire by Emmanuel Bowen was published by Carrington Bowles in the 1760 edition of The Large English Atlas. (Ref: Tooley; M&B)

General Definitions:
Paper thickness and quality: - Heavy and stable
Paper color : - off white
Age of map color: - Original
Colors used: - Pink, blue, green, yellow
General color appearance: - Authentic
Paper size: - 29in x 22 1/2in (750mm x 570mm)
Plate size: - 27 1/2in x 21 1/2in (700mm x 545mm)
Margins: - Min 1/2in (12mm)

Imperfections:
Margins: - Light age toning in margins
Plate area: - None
Verso: - None

Background:
The Large English Atlas was, as its name suggests, a large folio series of county maps conceived in about 1749 but, because of financial problems, not completed until 1760. Hodson describes the atlas as by far the most important eighteenth-century English atlas to be published before the appearance of John Carys New And Correct English Atlas in 1787. Earlier county atlases were predominantly derivative, using old survey work, many in fact, traceable back to Saxtons work of the sixteenth century. The Large English Atlas maps were drawn from the most up-to-date surveys, and so mark an important stage in the development of the county atlas (Hodson). Through its commercial success, this atlas encouraged a new generation of county atlases, of both large and small scales, but of greater precision than before. The maps, drawn either by Emanuel Bowen or Thomas Kitchin, are finely produced. A particular feature is the vast amount of additional detail engraved in the blank areas around the map, lists of the landed gentry, descriptions of the towns, produce and other notable features of each county, and in some cases, fine insets of the county town. All have elaborate title cartouches, illustrating the produce of the county, rural scenes and so on, many signed by Antony Walker Jr. Besides the separately published multi-sheet maps of various counties these are the most detailed and most interesting county maps of the eighteenth century.

• Title : Nouvelle Carte De L Angleterre Dans Laquelle Lon Observe Lez Comtez Les Archives
• Ref #:  16370
• Size:  25 1/2in x 20 1/2in (650m x 430m)
• Date : 1720
• Condition: (A+) Fine Condition

Description: 
This large fine beautifully hand coloured original antique map of England & Wales - with side text on all the different counties - by Henri Abraham Chatelain in 1720 was published in his famous Atlas Historique.
This is a magnificent map with bright hand colouring, clean strong sturdy paper and a heavy clear impression.

The Atlas Historique published by Henri Chatelain was part of a major work of its time, an encyclopedia in seven volumes, including geography as one of its main subjects. The text was by Nicholas Gueudeville and the maps by Chatelain. The Atlas included one of the finest map of America (four sheets) surrounded by vignettes and decorative insets. The Atlas Historique was completed between 1705 and 1720, further issues were published up to 1739. The series was published in Amsterdam, with Chatelain’s maps based on those of G. Delisle. (Ref: M&B; Tooley) 

General Description:
Paper thickness and quality: - Heavy and stable
Paper color: - White
Age of map color: - Early
Colors used: - Pink, green, yellow, blue
General color appearance: - Authentic  
Paper size: - 25 1/2in x 20 1/2in (650m x 430m)
Plate size: - 25in x 19 1/2in (635m x 495mm)
Margins: - min. 1/2in (10mm)

Imperfections:
Margins: - None
Plate area: - Folds as issued
Verso: - None

• Title : England Northern Part....Published March 25th 1811 by Cadell & Davies
• Ref #:  93422
• Size: 33 1/2in x 22 1/2in (850mm x 570mm)
• Date : 1811
• Condition: (A+) Fine Condition

Description:
This large & magnificent, beautifully hand coloured original copper-plate engraved antique map of Northern England by John Pinkerton was engraved by Samuel Neele in 1811 - dated at the foot of the map - and published in the large elephant folio Pinkertons Modern Atlas, published between 1809 & 14. (Ref: Tooley, M&B)

General Definitions:
Paper thickness and quality: - Heavy and stable
Paper color : - off white
Age of map color: - Original
Colors used: - Yellow, green, blue, pink
General color appearance: - Authentic
Paper size: - 33 1/2in x 22 1/2in (850mm x 570mm)
Plate size: - 30 1/2in x 22 1/2in (775mm x 570mm)
Margins: - Min 2in (50mm)

Imperfections:
Margins: - None
Plate area: - None
Verso: - None

• Title : Prospectus majoris viae, et Ecclesiae Sanctae Mariae in Londino; 25c Vue D Optique Representatnt; Le Grande Rue, et L Englise St Marie de Londres
• Ref  :  43197
• Size: 18in x 13in (460mm x 330mm)
• Date : 1756
• Condition: (A) Very Good Condition

Description:
This hand coloured original antique print, a view of Cheapside and St Marys Le Bow, London was published as part of the Vues d’Optique in 1760.

St Mary-le-Bow is an historic church rebuilt after the Great Fire of 1666 by Sir Christopher Wren in the City of London on the main east–west thoroughfare, Cheapside. According to tradition a true Cockney must be born within earshot of the sound of Bow Bells (which refers to this church's bells rather than St Mary and Holy Trinity, Bow Road, in Bow, an outlying village until the 19th century.

Vues d'Optique or Perspective Views: Perspective views, or "vues d'optique," are a special type of popular print published in Europe during the 18th century. These prints provided a form of entertainment when viewed through a device called an "optical machine" or an "optique." The most characteristic feature of the perspective views is their emphasized linear perspective, done to further intensify the enhanced appearance of depth and illusionistic space in the prints when viewed through an optique. When displayed in the optique, the prints might transport the viewer into a far away place---an unknown city, or perhaps into the midst of a dramatic bit of contemporary history. Another attribute of these prints is their bright, often heavy hand coloring, applied boldly so as to show the tints when viewed through the lens. 
A number of perspective prints depicted American scenes at the time of the Revolution for a European audience hungry for news of the events in the British colonies. As documents of American history and European printmaking, these are unusual and appealing eighteenth-century prints. (Ref: M&B; Tooley)

General Description:
Paper thickness and quality: - Heavy & stable
Paper color: - White
Age of map color: - Original
Colors used: - Blue, yellow, green, red
General color appearance: - Authentic & bright
Paper size: - 18in x 13in (460mm x 330mm)
Plate size: - 16 1/2in x 10in (420mm x 255mm)
Margins: - Min 1in (25mm)

Imperfections:
Margins: - Repair to top margin, no loss
Plate area: - None
Verso: - None

• Title : Lees Court the Seat of the Rt Hon.ble the Lord Sondes
• Size: 17 1/2in x 15in (445mm x 365mm)
• Condition: (B) Good Condition
• Date : 1719
• Ref #:  93116

Description:
This original copper plate engraved antique print a view of Lees Court and surrounding gardens, home of the Sondes family since the mid 17th century, located in the Swale district in the county of Kent, England was published in the 1719 Johannes Kips publication Britannia Illustrata or Views of Several of the Queens Palaces also of the Principal Seats of the Nobility and Gentry of Great Britain

Lees Court was built in 1652 on the site of an earlier house, by Sir George Sondes whose family had bought the estate in 1600. The front of the house is said to have been after a design by Inigo Jones. Sir George was made Earl of Feversham shortly before his death in 1677, and was succeeded in the estate and title by his son-in-law, Louis, Lord Duras of Holdenby. By the early 18c the house had been surrounded by an extensive arrangement of formal gardens, presumably at the direction of Duras, and these are recorded in engravings by Kip and by Badeslade (both in Harris 1719). When Duras died in 1709, the Lees Court estate passed to his late wife\'s sister, Sir George Sondes\' younger daughter. She was married to Lewis Watson, Lord Rockingham, who was created Earl of Rockingham in 1714. On his grandson Thomas Watson, 3rd Earl of Rockingham\'s death in 1746 Lees Court was inherited by a cousin, Lewis Monson, who took the additional name of Watson and was later raised to the peerage as Baron Sondes. Towards the end of the C18 Sir John Soane was commissioned to build new stables, estate offices, and a dairy at a time when changes were underway in the park. In the first decade of the C20 the C17 house was badly damaged by a fire and the Sondes family employed the architects Edward Hoare and Montagu Wheeler to rebuild it. In 1908 Mrs Gerald Leigh, who had leased the estate from Lord Sondes, commissioned Thomas H Mawson (1861-1933), assisted by Robert Atkinson to lay out formal gardens beneath the south-east front. Although leased at times throughout its history, Lees Court remained in the ownership of the Sondes family until the mid 1970s

General Definitions:
Paper thickness and quality: - Heavy and stable
Paper color : - off white
Age of map color: -
Colors used: -
General color appearance: -
Paper size: - 17 1/2in x 15in (445mm x 365mm)
Plate size: - 17 1/2in x 15in (445mm x 365mm)
Margins: - Min 1/2in (12mm)

Imperfections:
Margins: - None
Plate area: - Print backed with contemporary paper on top left verso
Verso: - Repair as noted

Background: 
Britannia Illustrata, also known as Views of Several of the Queens Palaces and also of the Principal Seats of the Nobility & Gentry of Great Britain is a 1707–09 map plate folio of parts of Great Britain, arguably the most important work of Dutch draughtsman Jan Kip, who collaborated with Leonard Knijff. The folio consisted of a range of large, detailed folded colored and black and white drawings which today provides a valuable insight into land and buildings at country estates at the time.
The volume is among the most important English topographical publications of the 18th century. Architecture is rendered with care, and the settings of parterres and radiating avenues driven through woods or planted across fields, garden paths gates and toolsheds are illustrated in detail, and staffed with figures and horses, coaches pulling into forecourts, water-craft on rivers, in line with the traditions of the Low Countries. Some of the plates are in the Siennese map perspective. At Althorp in Northamptonshire, the map revealed in detail the changes to the gardens by André Le Nôtre from earlier maps and depictions. Kip updated the plates in the 1720s.

• Title : Cambridgeshire...Sold by Abel Swal and Awsham& John Churchill Sutton Nicholls sculp.
• Size: 16 1/4in x 15in (460mm x 380mm)
• Condition: (A+) Fine Condition
• Date : 1722
• Ref #:  40181

Description:
This fine original copper-plate engraved antique map of the English county of Cambridgeshire by Robert Morden was published in the 1722 edition of Camdens Britannia.

General Definitions:
Paper thickness and quality: - Heavy and stable
Paper color : - off white
Age of map color: -
Colors used: -
General color appearance: -
Paper size: - 16 1/4in x 15in (460mm x 380mm)
Plate size: - 15 1/2in x 14 1/2in (450mm x 370mm)
Margins: - Min 1/2in (12mm)

Imperfections:
Margins: - None
Plate area: - None
Verso: - None

Background: 
William Camden 1551 – 1623 was an English antiquarian, historian, topographer, and herald, best known as author of Britannia, the first chorographical survey of the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, and the Annales, the first detailed historical account of the reign of Elizabeth I of England.
In 1577, with the encouragement of Abraham Ortelius, Camden began his great work Britannia, a topographical and historical survey of all of Great Britain and Ireland. His stated intention was to restore antiquity to Britaine, and Britain to his antiquity. The first edition, written in Latin, was published in 1586. It proved very popular, and ran through five further editions, of 1587, 1590, 1594, 1600 and 1607, each greatly enlarged from its predecessor in both textual content and illustrations. The 1607 edition included for the first time a full set of English county maps, based on the surveys of Christopher Saxton and John Norden, and engraved by William Kip and William Hole (who also engraved the fine frontispiece). The first English language edition, translated by Philemon Holland, appeared in 1610, again with some additional content supplied by Camden.
Britannia is a county-by-county description of Great Britain and Ireland. It is a work of chorography: a study that relates landscape, geography, antiquarianism, and history. Rather than write a history, Camden wanted to describe in detail the Great Britain of the present, and to show how the traces of the past could be discerned in the existing landscape. By this method, he produced the first coherent picture of Roman Britain.
He continued to collect materials and to revise and expand Britannia throughout his life. He drew on the published and unpublished work of John Leland and William Lambarde, among others, and received the assistance of a large network of correspondents with similar interests. He also travelled throughout Great Britain to view documents, sites, and artefacts for himself: he is known to have visited East Anglia in 1578, Yorkshire and Lancashire in 1582, Devon in 1589, Wales in 1590, Salisbury, Wells and Oxford in 1596, and Carlisle and Hadrians Wall in 1599. His fieldwork and firsthand research set new standards for the time. He even learned Welsh and Old English for the task: his tutor in Old English was Laurence Nowell.
In 1593 Camden became headmaster of Westminster School. He held the post for four years, but left when he was appointed Clarenceux King of Arms. By this time, largely because of the Britannias reputation, he was a well-known and revered figure, and the appointment was meant to free him from the labour of teaching and to facilitate his research. The College of Arms at that time was not only a centre of genealogical and heraldic study, but also a centre of antiquarian study. The appointment, however, roused the jealousy of Ralph Brooke, York Herald, who, in retaliation, published an attack on Britannia, charging Camden with inaccuracy and plagiarism. Camden successfully defended himself against the charges in subsequent editions of the work.
Britannia was recognised as an important work of Renaissance scholarship, not only in England, but across the European Republic of Letters. Camden considered having the 1586 Britannia printed in the Low Countries, and although that did not happen, the third edition of 1590, in addition to its London printing, was also published the same year in Frankfurt, and reprinted there in 1616. In 1612 parts were condemned by the Spanish Inquisition. An abridgement was published in Amsterdam in 1617 and reprinted in 1639; and versions of the text were also included in Joan Blaeus Theatrum Orbis Terrarum (published in Amsterdam in 1645) and in Jan Janssoniuss Novus Atlas (again published in Amsterdam, in 1646)

• Title : Huntington Shire by Robt. Morden...Sold by Abel Swale Awsham & John Churchill
• Size: 17 1/4in x 14 1/2in (435mm x 370mm)
• Condition: (A+) Fine Condition
• Date : 1722
• Ref #:  50149

Description:
This fine original copper-plate engraved antique map of the English region of Huntingdonshire, in the county of Cambridgeshire by Robert Morden was published in the 1722 edition of Camdens Britannia.

General Definitions:
Paper thickness and quality: - Heavy and stable
Paper color : - off white
Age of map color: - 
Colors used: - 
General color appearance: - 
Paper size: - 17 1/4in x 14 1/2in (435mm x 370mm)
Plate size: - 17 1/4in x 14 1/2in (435mm x 370mm)
Margins: - Min 1/2in (6mm)

Imperfections:
Margins: - Light age toning
Plate area: - Light age toning
Verso: - Light age toning

Background: 
William Camden 1551 – 1623 was an English antiquarian, historian, topographer, and herald, best known as author of Britannia, the first chorographical survey of the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, and the Annales, the first detailed historical account of the reign of Elizabeth I of England.
In 1577, with the encouragement of Abraham Ortelius, Camden began his great work Britannia, a topographical and historical survey of all of Great Britain and Ireland. His stated intention was to restore antiquity to Britaine, and Britain to his antiquity. The first edition, written in Latin, was published in 1586. It proved very popular, and ran through five further editions, of 1587, 1590, 1594, 1600 and 1607, each greatly enlarged from its predecessor in both textual content and illustrations. The 1607 edition included for the first time a full set of English county maps, based on the surveys of Christopher Saxton and John Norden, and engraved by William Kip and William Hole (who also engraved the fine frontispiece). The first English language edition, translated by Philemon Holland, appeared in 1610, again with some additional content supplied by Camden.
Britannia is a county-by-county description of Great Britain and Ireland. It is a work of chorography: a study that relates landscape, geography, antiquarianism, and history. Rather than write a history, Camden wanted to describe in detail the Great Britain of the present, and to show how the traces of the past could be discerned in the existing landscape. By this method, he produced the first coherent picture of Roman Britain.
He continued to collect materials and to revise and expand Britannia throughout his life. He drew on the published and unpublished work of John Leland and William Lambarde, among others, and received the assistance of a large network of correspondents with similar interests. He also travelled throughout Great Britain to view documents, sites, and artefacts for himself: he is known to have visited East Anglia in 1578, Yorkshire and Lancashire in 1582, Devon in 1589, Wales in 1590, Salisbury, Wells and Oxford in 1596, and Carlisle and Hadrians Wall in 1599. His fieldwork and firsthand research set new standards for the time. He even learned Welsh and Old English for the task: his tutor in Old English was Laurence Nowell.
In 1593 Camden became headmaster of Westminster School. He held the post for four years, but left when he was appointed Clarenceux King of Arms. By this time, largely because of the Britannias reputation, he was a well-known and revered figure, and the appointment was meant to free him from the labour of teaching and to facilitate his research. The College of Arms at that time was not only a centre of genealogical and heraldic study, but also a centre of antiquarian study. The appointment, however, roused the jealousy of Ralph Brooke, York Herald, who, in retaliation, published an attack on Britannia, charging Camden with inaccuracy and plagiarism. Camden successfully defended himself against the charges in subsequent editions of the work.
Britannia was recognised as an important work of Renaissance scholarship, not only in England, but across the European Republic of Letters. Camden considered having the 1586 Britannia printed in the Low Countries, and although that did not happen, the third edition of 1590, in addition to its London printing, was also published the same year in Frankfurt, and reprinted there in 1616. In 1612 parts were condemned by the Spanish Inquisition. An abridgement was published in Amsterdam in 1617 and reprinted in 1639; and versions of the text were also included in Joan Blaeus Theatrum Orbis Terrarum (published in Amsterdam in 1645) and in Jan Janssoniuss Novus Atlas (again published in Amsterdam, in 1646)

• Title : Huntington Shire by Robt. Morden...Sold by Abel Swale Awsham & John Churchill
• Size: 17 1/4in x 14 1/2in (435mm x 370mm)
• Condition: (A+) Fine Condition
• Date : 1722
• Ref #:  92680

Description:
This fine original copper-plate engraved antique map of the English region of Huntingdonshire, in the county of Cambridgeshire by Robert Morden was published in the 1722 edition of Camdens Britannia.

General Definitions:
Paper thickness and quality: - Heavy and stable
Paper color : - off white
Age of map color: - 
Colors used: - 
General color appearance: - 
Paper size: - 17 1/4in x 14 1/2in (435mm x 370mm)
Plate size: - 17 1/4in x 14 1/2in (435mm x 370mm)
Margins: - Min 1/2in (6mm)

Imperfections:
Margins: - None
Plate area: - None
Verso: - None

Background: 
William Camden 1551 – 1623 was an English antiquarian, historian, topographer, and herald, best known as author of Britannia, the first chorographical survey of the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, and the Annales, the first detailed historical account of the reign of Elizabeth I of England.
In 1577, with the encouragement of Abraham Ortelius, Camden began his great work Britannia, a topographical and historical survey of all of Great Britain and Ireland. His stated intention was to restore antiquity to Britaine, and Britain to his antiquity. The first edition, written in Latin, was published in 1586. It proved very popular, and ran through five further editions, of 1587, 1590, 1594, 1600 and 1607, each greatly enlarged from its predecessor in both textual content and illustrations. The 1607 edition included for the first time a full set of English county maps, based on the surveys of Christopher Saxton and John Norden, and engraved by William Kip and William Hole (who also engraved the fine frontispiece). The first English language edition, translated by Philemon Holland, appeared in 1610, again with some additional content supplied by Camden.
Britannia is a county-by-county description of Great Britain and Ireland. It is a work of chorography: a study that relates landscape, geography, antiquarianism, and history. Rather than write a history, Camden wanted to describe in detail the Great Britain of the present, and to show how the traces of the past could be discerned in the existing landscape. By this method, he produced the first coherent picture of Roman Britain.
He continued to collect materials and to revise and expand Britannia throughout his life. He drew on the published and unpublished work of John Leland and William Lambarde, among others, and received the assistance of a large network of correspondents with similar interests. He also travelled throughout Great Britain to view documents, sites, and artefacts for himself: he is known to have visited East Anglia in 1578, Yorkshire and Lancashire in 1582, Devon in 1589, Wales in 1590, Salisbury, Wells and Oxford in 1596, and Carlisle and Hadrians Wall in 1599. His fieldwork and firsthand research set new standards for the time. He even learned Welsh and Old English for the task: his tutor in Old English was Laurence Nowell.
In 1593 Camden became headmaster of Westminster School. He held the post for four years, but left when he was appointed Clarenceux King of Arms. By this time, largely because of the Britannias reputation, he was a well-known and revered figure, and the appointment was meant to free him from the labour of teaching and to facilitate his research. The College of Arms at that time was not only a centre of genealogical and heraldic study, but also a centre of antiquarian study. The appointment, however, roused the jealousy of Ralph Brooke, York Herald, who, in retaliation, published an attack on Britannia, charging Camden with inaccuracy and plagiarism. Camden successfully defended himself against the charges in subsequent editions of the work.
Britannia was recognised as an important work of Renaissance scholarship, not only in England, but across the European Republic of Letters. Camden considered having the 1586 Britannia printed in the Low Countries, and although that did not happen, the third edition of 1590, in addition to its London printing, was also published the same year in Frankfurt, and reprinted there in 1616. In 1612 parts were condemned by the Spanish Inquisition. An abridgement was published in Amsterdam in 1617 and reprinted in 1639; and versions of the text were also included in Joan Blaeus Theatrum Orbis Terrarum (published in Amsterdam in 1645) and in Jan Janssoniuss Novus Atlas (again published in Amsterdam, in 1646)

• Title : England
• Size: 17in x 11in (430mm x 280mm)
• Ref #:  31112
• Date : 1836
• Condition: (A) Very Good Condition

Description:
This original steel-plate engraved antique map of England was engraved for the 1836 edition of Thomas Moules English Counties Delineatedby W. Schmollinger.
Inset plan of Metorpolitan Boroughs of London.

General Definitions:
Paper thickness and quality: - Heavy and stable
Paper color : - off white
Age of map color: -
Colors used: -
General color appearance: -
Paper size: - 17in x 11in (430mm x 280mm)
Plate size: - 17in x 11in (430mm x 280mm)
Margins: - Min 0in (0mm)

Imperfections:
Margins: - Left margin cropped to border
Plate area: - Folds as issued, repair to bottom border & left bottom fold
Verso: - Re-enforced along folds

Background: 
When considering the work of English map makers we tend, perhaps, to think too much in terms of county maps, dominated by the names of Saxton and Speed, but we should not underrate the contribution to the sum of geographical knowledge made in other spheres, such as the sea charts of Edward Wright, Robert Dudley and Greenvile Collins, the discoveries of James Cook, the road maps of Ogilby and Cary, the meteorological and magnetic charts compiled by Edmund Halley, to mention only a few.
In 1558 Queen Elizabeth came to the throne in the midst of a fast changing world. In 1563 a nineteen sheet map, copies of which survive only in manuscript form, was completed by Laurence Nowell, and no doubt, the issue of Mercator\'s large-scale map of the British Isles in 1564 had an important influence on the thought of the period. A few years later a national survey was commissioned privately, although probably at the instigation of Lord Burghley, the Lord Treasurer, but subsequently was completed with royal encouragement. The outcome was Christopher Saxton\'s Atlas of EngIand and Wales, started about 1570 and published in 1579 - the first printed set of county maps and the first countrywide atlas on such a splendid scale produced anywhere. A Welsh antiquarian, Humphrey Lhuyd completed a set of surveys that were even more successful than Saxton in which he had produced fine manuscript maps of England and Wales which were used by Ortelius in editions of his Atlas from 1573 onwards.
The earliest maps of the 17th century, attributed to William Smith of the College of Heralds, covered only twelve counties based on Saxton/Norden and were presumably intended to be part of a complete new atlas. They were printed in the Low Countries in 1602-3 and were soon followed by maps for the Latin edition of Camden\'s Britannia dated 1607. In 1610-11 the first edition of John Speed\'s famous county Atlas The Theatre of the Empire of Great Britaine was published and immediately replaced Saxton\'s in popular appeal. Although Speed assembled much of his material from the earlier works of Saxton, Norden and others, a considerable part of the up-to-date information, especially relating to the inset town plans depicted on his maps, was obtained first hand. The maps undoubtedly owed much of their popularity to the splendid engravings of high quality made in the workshops in Amsterdam of Jodocus Hondius to whom Speed sent his manuscripts, the plates subsequently being returned to London for printing.
In 1645, Volume IV of the famous Blaeu World Atlas covering the counties of England and Wales was published in Amsterdam. These maps have always been esteemed as superb examples of engraving and design, the calligraphy being particularly splendid, but nevertheless they were nearly all based on Saxton and Speed and added little to geographical knowledge.
Not until the latter part of the century do we find an English map maker of originality with the capacity to put new ideas into practice. John Ogilby, one of the more colourful figures associated with cartography, started life as a dancing master and finished as King\'s Cosmographer and Geographic Printer. After publishing a small number of county maps, somewhat on the lines of John Norden he issued in 1675 the Britannia, the first practical series of detailed maps of the post roads of England and Wales on a standard scale of 1,760 yards to the mile. Up to the end of the century and beyond, reprints and revisions of Saxton\'s and Speed\'s atlases continued to appear and the only other noteworthy county maps were Richard Blome\'s Britannia (1673), John Overton\'s Atlas (c. 1670) and Robert Morden\'s maps for an English translation of Camden\'s Britannia published in 1695.
Another noted cartographer of the day was Captain Greenvile Collins, and of his work in surveying the coasts of Great Britain culminating in the issue in 1693 of the Great Britain\'s Coasting Pilot. Apart from these charts, English cartographers published during the century a number of world atlases. Speed was the first Englishman to produce a world atlas with the issue in 1627 of his A Prospect of the Most Famous Parts of the World. Other atlases appeared later in the century by Peter Heylin, John Seller, William Berry, Moses Pitt and Richard Blome, whilst Ogilby found time to issue maps of Africa, America and Asia. Far more important, from the purely scientific point of view, was the work of Edmund Halley, Astronomer Royal, who compiled and issued meteorological and magnetic charts in 1688 and 1701 respectively.
At the beginning of the eighteenth century the Dutch map trade was finally in decline, the French in the ascendant and the English to a great extent still dominated by Saxton and Speed except, as we have shown, in the spheres of sea charts and road maps. There were atlases by John Senex, the Bowles family, Emanuel and Thomas Bowen, Thomas Badeslade and the unique bird\'s-eye perspective views of the counties, The British Monarchy by George Bickham. In 1750-60 Bowen and Kitchin\'s The Large English Atlas containing maps on a rather larger scale than hitherto was published.
In 1759 the Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce offered an award of £100 for the best original surveys on this scale and by the end of the century about thirty counties had been re-surveyed. These maps, many of which formed, in later years, the basis for the first issues of county maps by the Ordnance Survey Office were not only decorative but a tremendous improvement geographically on earlier local maps. As a consequence, the skills and expertise of the new-style cartographers soon enabled them to cover the world as well as the domestic market. Thomas Jefferys was such a man; he was responsible for a number of the new 1 in. to 1 mile county surveys and he issued an edition of Saxton\'s much battered 200-year-old plates of the county maps, but he is better known for many fine maps of North America and the West Indies. His work was continued on the same lines by William Faden, trading as Faden and Jefferys. Other publishers such as Sayer and Bennett and their successors Laurie and Whittle published a prodigious range of maps, charts and atlases in the second half of the century. A major influence at this time was John Cary who, apart from organizing the first re-survey of post roads since Ogilby and subsequently printing the noted Travellers\' Companion, was a prolific publisher of atlases and maps of every kind of all parts of the world. After starting work with Cary, and taking part in the new road survey, Aaron Arrowsmith set up in his own business and went on to issue splendid large-scale maps of many parts of the world. Both Cary\'s and Arrowsmith\'s plates were used by other publishers until far into the next century and, in turn, their work was taken up and developed by James Wyld (Elder and Younger) and Tallis and Co.
Later into the 19th century some of the better known cartographers and publishers were by Henry Teesdale (1829-30), Christopher and John Greenwood, surveyors, Thomas Moule, a writer on heraldry and antiques (1830-36) and John Walker (1837) but by about the middle of the century few small-scale publishers survived and their business passed into the hands of large commercial concerns such as Bartholomews of Edinburgh and Philips of London who continue to this day. (Ref: Shirley; Tooley; M&B)

• Title : Hereford Shire by Rob. Morden
• Ref #:  40868
• Size: 17in x 15in (430mm x 380mm)
• Date : 1695
• Condition: (A+) Fine Condition

Description:

This attractive original antique map of the English county of Hereford, by Robert Morden, was published in the 1695 edition of Camden's Britannia. 

William Camden was an historian who first published his Britannia, a description and history of Britain, in 1586. Written in Latin, the book contained only a general map of the country but had a wide circulation and eventually in 1607 an edition (the sixth) was published with a series of maps with Latin text on the reverse. 
Further editions in English were published in 1610 and 1637 but without text.  (Many more editions were published up until 1806 with map contributions from Blaeu in 1617, John Bill 1626, Robert Morden 1695-1772 and John Cary 1789-1806)
In the 1610 & 1617 editions the maps were mostly engraved by William Kip and William Hole and were based on those of Christopher Saxton, but six were copied from John Norden. 
The map of Pembroke is by George Owen and the general maps of England/Wales, Scotland and Ireland were probably taken from Mercator. Kip reduced the size of each map for Britannia from the originals published byChristopher Saxton in 1579. (Ref: Tooley; M&B)

General Description:
Paper thickness and quality: - Light and stable
Paper color: - off white
Age of map color: - Early
Colors used: - Red, yellow, blue, green
General color appearance: - Authentic, heavy
Paper size: - 17in x 15in (430mm x 380mm)
Plate size: - 17in x 15in (430mm x 380mm)
Margins: - Min 1/4in (4mm)

Imperfections:
Margins: - Top margin cropped close to border
Plate area: - None
Verso: - None

• Title : The County of Monmouth by Robert. Morden
• Ref #:  40869
• Size: 17 1/2in x 15in (445mm x 380mm)
• Date : 1695
• Condition: (A+) Fine Condition

Description:
This fine beautifully hand coloured original antique map of the Welsh county of Monmouth was engraved by Robert Morden & published by Abel Swale & John Churchil for the 1695 edition of Willam Camden's Britannia. 

William Camden was an historian who first published his Britannia, a description and history of Britain, in 1586. Written in Latin, the book contained only a general map of the country but had a wide circulation and eventually in 1607 an edition (the sixth) was published with a series of maps with Latin text on the reverse. 
Further editions in English were published in 1610 and 1637 but without text.  (Many more editions were published up until 1806 with map contributions from Blaeu in 1617, John Bill 1626, Robert Morden 1695-1772 and John Cary 1789-1806)
In the 1610 & 1617 editions the maps were mostly engraved by William Kip and William Hole and were based on those of Christopher Saxton, but six were copied from John Norden. 
The map of Pembroke is by George Owen and the general maps of England/Wales, Scotland and Ireland were probably taken from Mercator. Kip reduced the size of each map for Britannia from the originals published by Christopher Saxton in 1579. (Ref: Tooley; M&B)

General Description:
Paper thickness and quality: - Light and stable
Paper color: - off white
Age of map color: - Early
Colors used: - Red, yellow, blue, green, blue
General color appearance: - Authentic
Paper size: - 17 1/2in x 15in (445mm x 380mm)
Plate size: - 16 1/2in x 14in (420mm x 355mm)
Margins: - Min 1/2in (12mm)

Imperfections:
Margins: - 4 small repairs to bottom margin
Plate area: - None
Verso: - None

• Title : The County of Monmouth by Robert. Morden
• Ref #:  50155
• Size: 17 1/2in x 15in (445mm x 380mm)
• Date : 1695
• Condition: (A+) Fine Condition

Description:

This fine beautifully hand coloured original antique map of the Welsh county of Monmouth was engraved by Robert Morden & published by Abel Swale & John Churchil for the 1695 edition of Willam Camden's Britannia. 

William Camden was an historian who first published his Britannia, a description and history of Britain, in 1586. Written in Latin, the book contained only a general map of the country but had a wide circulation and eventually in 1607 an edition (the sixth) was published with a series of maps with Latin text on the reverse. 
Further editions in English were published in 1610 and 1637 but without text.  (Many more editions were published up until 1806 with map contributions from Blaeu in 1617, John Bill 1626, Robert Morden 1695-1772 and John Cary 1789-1806)
In the 1610 & 1617 editions the maps were mostly engraved by William Kip and William Hole and were based on those of Christopher Saxton, but six were copied from John Norden. 
The map of Pembroke is by George Owen and the general maps of England/Wales, Scotland and Ireland were probably taken from Mercator. Kip reduced the size of each map for Britannia from the originals published by Christopher Saxton in 1579. (Ref: Tooley; M&B)

General Description:
Paper thickness and quality: - Light and stable
Paper color: - off white
Age of map color: - Early
Colors used: - Red, yellow, blue, green, blue
General color appearance: - Authentic
Paper size: - 17 1/2in x 15in (445mm x 380mm)
Plate size: - 16 1/2in x 14in (420mm x 355mm)
Margins: - Min 1/2in (12mm)

Imperfections:
Margins: - 4 small repairs to bottom margin
Plate area: - None
Verso: - None

• Title : Vue du Palias Royal Somerset du cote de la Thamise
• Ref  :  26261
• Size: 16in x 9 1/2in (405mm x 240mm)
• Date : 1756
• Condition: (B) Good Condition

Description:
This hand coloured original antique print, a view of the old Somerset House, prior to the late 18th century refurbishment, on the River Thames, London was published as part of the Vues d’Optique in 1760.

Somerset House is a large Neoclassical building situated on the south side of the Strand in central London, overlooking the River Thames, just east of Waterloo Bridge. The building, originally the site of a Tudor Palace was designed by Sir William Chambers in 1776, and further extended with Victorian wings to the east and west in 1831 and 1856 respectively. The East Wing forms part of the adjacent Strand campus of King's College London

Vues d'Optique or Perspective Views: Perspective views, or "vues d'optique," are a special type of popular print published in Europe during the 18th century. These prints provided a form of entertainment when viewed through a device called an "optical machine" or an "optique." The most characteristic feature of the perspective views is their emphasized linear perspective, done to further intensify the enhanced appearance of depth and illusionistic space in the prints when viewed through an optique. When displayed in the optique, the prints might transport the viewer into a far away place---an unknown city, or perhaps into the midst of a dramatic bit of contemporary history. Another attribute of these prints is their bright, often heavy hand coloring, applied boldly so as to show the tints when viewed through the lens. 
A number of perspective prints depicted American scenes at the time of the Revolution for a European audience hungry for news of the events in the British colonies. As documents of American history and European printmaking, these are unusual and appealing eighteenth-century prints. (Ref: M&B; Tooley)

General Description:
Paper thickness and quality: - Heavy & stable
Paper color: - White
Age of map color: - Original
Colors used: - Blue, yellow, green, red
General color appearance: - Authentic & bright
Paper size: - 16in x 9 1/2in (405mm x 240mm)
Plate size: - 16in x 9 1/2in (405mm x 240mm)
Margins: - Min 0in (0mm)

Imperfections:
Margins: - Left margin cropped to image edge
Plate area: - Soiling and creasing the bottom left edge
Verso: - Soiling

• Title : Bridewell
• Ref  :  26335
• Size: 15in x 9 1/2in (380mm x 245mm)
• Date : 1756
• Condition: (A+) Fine Condition

Description:
This fine hand coloured original antique print of Bridewell Palace as it was as a prison in the 18th century was engraved by Benjamin Cole and published in the 1756 edition of The History of London from its Foundation to the Present Time...', by William Maitland, Osborne & Shipton and Hodges, London.

Bridewell Palace in London was built as a residence of King Henry VIII and was one of his homes early in his reign for eight years. Given to the City of London Corporation by his son King Edward VI for use as an orphanage and place of correction for wayward women, Bridewell later became the first prison/poorhouse to have an appointed doctor.
It was built on the banks of the Fleet River in the City of London between Fleet Street and the River Thames in an area today known as 'Bridewell Court' off New Bridge Street. By 1556 part of it had become a jail known as Bridewell Prison. It was reinvented with lodgings and was closed in 1855 and the buildings demolished in 1863–1864. (Ref: Tooley; M&B)

General Description:
Paper thickness and quality: - Heavy and stable
Paper color: - off white
Age of map color: - Early 
Colors used: - Red, yellow, green
General color appearance: -  Authentic
Paper size: - 15in x 9 1/2in (380mm x 245mm)
Plate size: -  13 3/4in x 8 1/4in (350mm x 210mm)
Margins: - Min 1in (25mm)
 
Imperfections:
Margins: - None
Plate area: - None
Verso: - None

• Title : Comitatus Rotelandiae Tabula Nova & Aucta
• Ref #:  50145
• Size: 16in x 14in (405mm x 355mm)
• Date : 1695
• Condition: (A+) Fine Condition

Description:
This beautifully hand coloured original antique map of the English County of Rutland was engraved by Robert Morden for the 1695 edition of Camden's Britannia. 

William Camden was an historian who first published his Britannia, a description and history of Britain, in 1586. Written in Latin, the book contained only a general map of the country but had a wide circulation and eventually in 1607 an edition (the sixth) was published with a series of maps with Latin text on the reverse. 
Further editions in English were published in 1610 and 1637 but without text.  (Many more editions were published up until 1806 with map contributions from Blaeu in 1617, John Bill 1626, Robert Morden 1695-1772 and John Cary 1789-1806)
In the 1610 & 1617 editions the maps were mostly engraved by William Kip and William Hole and were based on those of Christopher Saxton, but six were copied from John Norden. 
The map of Pembroke is by George Owen and the general maps of England/Wales, Scotland and Ireland were probably taken from Mercator. Kip reduced the size of each map for Britannia from the originals published byChristopher Saxton in 1579. (Ref: Tooley; M&B)

General Description:
Paper thickness and quality: - Light and stable
Paper color: - off white
Age of map color: - Early
Colors used: - Red, yellow, blue, green, blue
General color appearance: - Authentic
Paper size: - 16in x 14in (405mm x 355mm)
Plate size: - 14 1/2in x 11 1/2in (370mm x 290mm)
Margins: - Min 1in (25m)

Imperfections:
Margins: - None
Plate area: - None
Verso: - None

• Title : Cheshire
• Date : 1836
• Condition: (A+) Fine Condition
• Ref:  92439
• Size: 11in x 8 1/2in (280mm x 215mm)

Description: 
This finely engraved original beautifully hand coloured original antique map of the English county of Cheshire by Thomas Moule was published in the 1836 edition of Barclays Dictionary. Moules maps were some of the the last original decorative maps published in the 19th century. (Ref: Tooley; M&B)

General Description:
Paper thickness and quality: - Heavy and stable
Paper color: - off white
Age of map color: - Early
Colors used: - Yellow, green, red, blue
General color appearance: - Authentic
Paper size: - 11in x 8 1/2in (280mm x 215mm)
Plate size: - 11in x 8 1/2in (280mm x 215mm)
Margins: - Min 1/4in (6mm)

Imperfections:
Margins: - None
Plate area: - None
Verso: - None