1720 Emmanuel Bowen Antique 87 x Double Sided Road Maps of England & Wales

Cartographer :Emmanuel Bowen

Description: 
These wonderful, beautifully detailed original antique copper-plate engraved double sided Road Maps of the counties and regions of England and Wales were compiled by John Owen and engraved by Emmanuel Bowen in the 1720 edition of Britannia Depicta or Ogilby Improved.
There are a total of 87 double sided page maps, 6 are hand coloured with 2 duplicates and all are in VG to fine condition with light age toning to a few, please see below.

Background: These delightful and fascinating small road maps with their embellishments of coats of arms and historical notes come from an 18th century road atlas - Britannia Depicta. The strip road maps of England and Wales first appeared in 1675 with the publishing of John Ogilby's magnificent atlas Britannia, containing 100 folio sized road maps. By the first part of the 18th century there was public demand for a small road atlas that could be easily carried by travellers on horseback or for those who could afford to take a coach. There were a number of abortive attempts to produce such a handy sized atlas but others succeeded like John Senex who published his small road atlas in 1719. A year later Britannia Depicta was published by Thomas Bowles. The interesting notes that appear on the front and back of each map were compiled by the antiquarian and lawyer John Owen whilst the engraving was undertaken by Emanuel Bowen This was Bowen's first major work as a cartographical engraver for which he received a part share in the atlas in payment for his labours. The format of the atlas and maps met with the public's approval and the atlas was republished many times over the next forty years until the last edition in 1764. The double sided Road Maps each measure about 5 x 7 inches.
The maps are highly entertaining describing the route taken with sights of churches to gallows and many other misc. items of interest for travelers of the 17th and 18th centuries, fascinating maps.

The following is a list of each map following the road direction indicating city & town names, rivers, mountains and places of interest along the roads shown.
3/4 High Wycombe, Tetsworth, Oxford, Islip. Islip, Enston, Morton Broadway.
5/6 Broadway, Pershore, Worcester, Bramyard. / Bramyard Leominster, Presteign. 
13/14 Royston, Huntingdon Stilton/Stilton, Stamford.
15/16 Grantham, Newark, Tuxford? Tuxford, Bawtry, Doncaster.
17/18 Wentbridge, Ferrybridge, Tadcaster, York/ York Boroughbridge, North Allerton.
19/20 Darlington, Durham, Chester le Street/Newcastle Morpeth..
23/24 London, Hounslow, Maidenhead, Reading/Newbury, Hungerford, Marlborough.
25/26 Marlborough, Chippenham, Marshfield/Bristol Axbridge,Huntspil
29/30 Wendover, Aylesbury, Buckingham, Banbury/Banbury Stratford, Caughton
33/34 London, Brentford, Hounslow Slough/ Maidenhead, Henley, Dorchester,, Abingdon
35/36 Abingdon, Faringdon, Lechlade / Gloucester Monmouth
37/38 Monmouth, Newport, Cardiff/Llandaff, Cowbridge, Burton
39/40 Burton, Swansea,Llanelly, Kidwelly Haverfordwest,St Davids
41/42 London to Dover in Kent
45/46 London, Romford, Chelmsford, Kelvedon, Colchester, Harwich.
47/48 London, Eltham, Farningham, Wrotham. Part of a description on verso 
53/54 Towcester, Daventry, Dunchurch, Coventry, Coleshill, Lichfield
55/56 Lichfield, Rugeley, Stone, Darleston, Nantwich, Tarporley, Chester
57/58 Chester, Hawarden, Northop, Denbigh, Conway Beaumaris, Holyhead
59/60 London to Lands End in Cornwall
61/62 Basingstoke, Andover, Salisbury.
63/64 Shaftesbury, Sherborne, Crewkerne, Axminster, Exeter, Chidley
65/66 Ashburton, Plymouth, Looe, Foy, Tregony
67/68 Golsenna, Penzance, Lands End. Part of a description of London on verso
69/70 Southwark, Stretham, Croydon, East Grinstead, Newhaven, Brighton, New Shoreham.
71/72 London, Wandsworth, Kingston, Guildford. Godalming Description of London on verso.
75/76 Lamberhurst, Newenden, Rye. Part of a description of London on verso.
77/78 Andover, Amesbury, Warminster. Part of a description on London on verso.
79/80 Bruton, East Lidford, Bridgwater, Dulverton
81/82 South Moulton, Barnstaple, Torrington, Hatherleigh, Launceston, Camelford
83/84 Padstow, Columb, Truro, Part of a description of London on verso.
85/86 Chippenham, Bath Wells, Marlborough, Devises, Trowbridge, Wells
87/88 Stilton, Peterborough, Crowland, Spalding Part of a description of London on verso.
91/92 Darleston Bridge, Newcastle under Lyme, Warrington, Wigan, Whittle, Preston Garstang
93/94 Garstang, Lancaster, Bolton, Kendal, Penrith, Carlisle 
99/100 Stony Stratford, Northampton, Market Harborough, Leicester, Loughborough, Derby
101/102 Tamesford, Eaton, Stilton, Peterborough. Part of a description of London on verso.
103/104 Market Deeping, Sleaford, Lincoln, Glamfordbridges, Barton..
107/108 Puckeridge, Cambridge, Ely, Downham, Kings Lynn
109/110 MERIONETHSHIRE. Campden, Evesholme, Worcester.
111/112 Tenbury, Ludlow, Bishops Castle, Montgomery. Description of the Fens on verso.
113/114 High Barnet, Hatfield, Baldock, Biggleswade, St. Neots, Oakham
119/120 St. Albans, Bedford, Wellingborough, Kettering, Rockingham, Oakham.
121/122 Oakham, Melton Mowbray, Nottingham, Mansfield, Rotherham, Barnsley
123/124 Barnsley, Halifax, Skipton, Richmond. 
129/130 Bagshot, Farnham, Alresford, Southampton, Salisbury
135/136 Basingstoke, Stockbridge, Cranford, Blandford, Dorchester, Weymouth 
141/142 Bristol, Chipping Sodbury, Tetbury, Cirencester, Burford, Banbury.
143/144 HEREFORDSHIRE. Bristol, Chepstow, Monmouth x 2
145/146 Hereford, Leominster, Ludlow, Church Stretton, Shrewsbury.
149/150 Bristol, Wells, Glastonbury, Taunton, Wellington, Exeter.
155/156 Bristol, Wells, Glastonbury, Somerton, Crewkerne, Frampton, Weymouth
157/158 Cambridge, St. Neots, Higham Ferrers. Description of Cambridge University on verso.
161/162 Carlisle, Jedburgh,, Kelso, Berwick.
165/166 Llanfair, , Tregynon. Newtown, Llanbedr, Builth Wells, Brecon. 
169/170 Dartmouth, Exeter, Silverton, Bumpkin, Minehead. 
173/174 Llanerch, Llanbadern Vawr, Talabont, Machynlleth Dinas Mawddy.
175/176 Bala, Bettws y Coed, Ruthin, , Holywell. Description of Exeter on verso.
177/178 Exeter, Crediton, Barnstaple, Ilfracombe, Bideford, Torrington. 
183/184 Gloucester, Campden, Stratford, Warwick, Coventry.
185/186 MONTGOMERYSHIRE. Gloucester, Huntley, Ross, Hereford 
189/190 Hereford, Worcester,Droitwich,, Bromsgrove, Solihull, Meriden, Coventry, Leicester
191/192 HUNTINGDONSHIRE. Huntingdon, Erith, Ely, Soham 
195/196 Ipswich, Norwich, Cromer.
197/198 Kings Lynn, Swaffham, Thetford. Description of the British Ocean Islands on verso.
201/202 King's Lynn, Billingford, Norwich, Yarmouth.
203/204 MONMOUTHSHIRE. Monmouth, Abergavenny, Crickhowell. 
207/208 Nottingham, Newark. Lincoln, Market Rasen, Grimsby.
209/210 Oxford, Faringdon, Purton. Description of Oxford University on verso. 
213/214 Oxford, Burcester, Buckingham, Bedford, Cambridge.
215/216 Cartouche and 21 College Arms of Cambridge. Map on verso Oxford to beyond Newbury. 
219/220 Oxford, Banbury, Southam, Coventry, Nuneaton, Ashby, Derby. 
225/226 Presteign, Builth, Carmarthen. 
231/232 Tynemouth, Newcastle, Hexham, Haltwhistle, Carlisle..
237/238 York, Knaresborough, Ripley, Skipton, Settle, Hornby, Lancaster. 
241/242 Rochdale, Manchester, Warrington, Frodsham, Chester, Manchester, Stockport. 
245/246 Carmarthen, Cardigan, Llanbedr, Aberystwyth. 
251/252 Chelmsford to Maldon,Rayleigh and Dover
253/254 Exeter, Lyme Regis, Description of Dorchester and Lyme Regis on verso. 
257/258 Ferrybridge, Boroughbridge,Richmond, Barnard Castle, Ferrybridge, Pontefract, Wakefield. 
263/264 Alresford,Winchester, Rumsey, Ringwood, Poole, Lymington, Southampton, Winchester.
265/266 FLINTSHIRE. Shrewsbury, Wrexham.
269/270 Whitby, Guisborough, Morton, Durham,Sunderland,Tynemouth, Kingscleer.
271/272 WESTMORLAND. York, New Malton, Pickering x 2
273 Whitby, New Malton, Scarborough,Plain on verso. (Ref: Tooley; M&B)

General Description:
Paper thickness and quality: - Heavy and stable
Paper color: - off white
Age of map color: - Early (5)
Colors used: - Red, yellow, blue (5)
General color appearance: - Authentic (5)
Paper size: - 8in x 6in (200mm x 150mm)ea
Plate size: - 8in x 6in (200mm x 150mm)ea
Margins: - Min 1/4in (5mm)

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

$1,740.00