John Speed - The Countie and Citie of Lyncoln

Date: 1610

Condition: AA

Colour: Hand colour

Size: 380 x 510 mm

Published by Thomas Bassett of Fleet Street and Richard Chiswell of St. Pauls Church yard and engraved by Jodocus Hondius the Elder.
Full Title: 'The Countie and Citie of Lyncolne Described with the Armes of Them That Have Bene Earles Thereof Since the Conquest'. Sold by Bassett & Chiswell. From the 'Theatre of Empire Great Britain'.

A highly decorative map of Lincoln with an elaborate title cartouche, compass rose, ship, sea monster, an inset city plan, and numerous coats of arms. 

When described by Speed, the County of Lincolnshire was divided into six zones. These zones included lowland, two upland areas, a river valley, the coast, and fenlands. Lincolnshire's economy was largely dependent on livestock and corn production. Reeds from the marshlands were used for thatching and covering floors and flax was used for making linen. Some trade took place along the Lincolnshire coast; however, the mudflats and sandbanks of the area made coastal shipping somewhat hazardous. There was an overall economic depression in the kingdom and her counties that perhaps explains why visible decay and recession characterized the land and is apparent in Speed's less-than-grandeur detail of Lincoln. The convention of orienting a map north-south proved to be a problem in his depiction of Lincolnshire, a largely east-west oriented county. This problem was resolved by adopting a much smaller scale than generally employed. 
 

It has highly decorative coat of arms of important families at the top along with a street map of Lincoln. On the reverse is a description of the county in English.
 

This map is in excellent condition with no rips or tears and the margins are wide and in very good condition. It was originally folded down the center as it was published in the atlas.