Cartographers

Christopher Saxton 1552 - 1629 Geraldus Mercador 1512 - 1594 Probably the most famous German/Flemish map maker and one of the founders of the Netherlandish school of cartography, widely traveled geographer and responsible for a wide range of terrestrial and celestial globes. He produced numerous maps from 1537 and probably his most famous being the 1595 Atlas comprising 102 maps of Europe but omissions such as Spain, made it incomplete. John Speed 1552 - 1629 John Speed was perhaps the most famous of all early cartographers, certainly his works are widely collected today for what they are a very pretty time capsule. He was born in Farndon, Cheshire, in 1552. He initially followed his father’s footsteps and worked as a tailor in London, but it was here that he developed a keen interest in history, especially antiques and genealogy. His first cartographic work, published in 1595, was a four sheet wall map of Canaan based upon Biblical times this historical theme was to occur in his many maps. This brought him to the attention of Sir Fulke Grenville who gave him an allowance and the freedom to pursue his interests and devote his full attention to research. He was even granted use of a room in Custom House by Queen Elizabeth I. In 1611 he published his famous maps of Great Britain, the atlas The Theatre of the Empire of Great Britaine loosely based upon the earlier maps of Christopher Saxton, they were the first to show town plans surveyed by him self with his son assisting. The maps were engraved on copper plate by Jodocus Hondius in Amsterdam. These maps are his lasting legacy. Speeds maps became very popular and were instantly collectable, issued originally as single sheets, they later were released as a full atlas and many versions were printed, sometimes with subtle alternations defining each edition, sometimes not. They were produced both painted and un painted and often the un painted ones were coloured at a later date, many during the Victorian period and it is difficult to date the colouring though one rough rule of thumb is the more garish the colour, the earlier the painting date possibly. William Hole/William Kip William Hole and William Kip reworked Christopher Saxton's original 1574 beautiful collection of English county maps. Keeping much of the detail (and mistakes) the same these maps today are knwon as Saxton Kips (or Hole). These maps are often mistaked for original saxtons but are much smaller in size and far less desirable. The first edition was produced in 1607 and can be identified by heavy latin text on the reverse, this can sometimes obscure the more delicate map engraving and was dropped for the second 1610 edition. The third and final edition fronm 1637 can generally be identified by the inclusdion of a plate number on the lower border and the reverso is plain. Robert Morden 1650 - 1703 Highly prolific cartographer, most famous for the 1695 edition of Campdens Britannia, reissued in 1722, 1753 and 1772. Not as pretty or as detailed as Speed but highly collectable nonetheless. He also published a series of playing cards and possibly the earliest maps of the then “colonies”, along with the 78 maps in Geography Rectified. John Ogilby 1600 - 1676 Most famous for his 1675 publication Britannia Atlas, probably the fist major maps, 100 in all, showing road routes across the country. John Owen and Emanuel Bowen 1694 - 1767 These two gentlemen produced, in 1720 a smaller atlas for the traveler “Britannica Depicta” based upon the surveys of John Ogilby of strip road maps based on specific routes across the country. Small, pretty and full of local historical information, these double sided maps are a delight. Willem Blau 1571 - 1638 A Dutch mathematician and astronomer who became cartographer for the Dutch East India Company in 1633 and produced exquisite globes and county maps, specifically famous for those in the Atlas Novus in 1635. He was succeeded by his son Jonannes, (1632 - 1675) whoi continued his work. Highly collectable, especially the earlier editions.