A scarce issue of John Speed's map of Lincolnshire

SPEED, John.

The Countie and Citie of Lyncolne Described with the Armes of Them That Have Bene Earles Thereof since the Conquest.
London: Roger Rea & Son, 1665. Coloured. 385 x 505mm.

An important map of Lincolnshire, engraved by Jodocus Hondius for John Speed's county atlas, 'The Theatre of the Empire of Great Britain', first published 1611-12. It is one of the most decorative maps of the county, with an inset plan of Lincoln; a strapwork cartouche containing the title and scale, adorned with a royal crest, a compass rose, a pair of compasses and cherubs; ten armorials of the local nobility; and two stylised battle scenes. An English text on the reverse gives a history of the county and an extensive list of towns and villages.
This example comes from the Roger Rea issue of the atlas, which was beset with disaster: according to an advert for the 1676 Bassett & Chiswell edition, ''the greatest part of an Impression, then newly Printed, [was] destroyed by the late dreadful Fire, 1666". Surviving examples of any Rea map are thus rare.


Stock ID : 24039