Gloucestershire. An extraordinary map of the county from the first edition of Speed's seminal atlas, 'The Theatre of Great Britaine'. Town plans of Gloucester and Bristol.


John Speed's map of Gloucestershire is one of the more interesting and historical pieces of cartography present in his masterwork, "A Theater of the Empire of Great Britain". Although uncredited, geographically the map bears a marked resemblance to the first printed map of the county surveyed by Christopher Saxton and published in 1579.



Although many of Speed's map were derived from Saxton, it is believed that he felt that he made several innovations which justified his claim that the map was original to his atlas. Certainly, the two town plans, Gloucester on the upper left and Bristol on the lower right, are among the earliest urban plans of these cities and the first to be laid out on county maps in this format. Speed also augmented Saxton's map by outlining and delineating the borders of as well as naming "the Hundreds", ancient administrative divisions present in most English counties.



The two urban plans are of great interest. It is well known that Speed travelled throughout the country while researching his atlas and purchased local city plans on numerous occasions. Sometimes, he credited the authors of these plans but often he did not. Both of the towns mentioned above were important in Stuart era England, hence the detailed descriptive text panels next to each one. The plan of Bristol has been traced to a survey by William Smith, first issued in 1588. Smith was a frequent contributor to Speed's atlas although on a more contractual basis. His full time job was being an officer of the College of Heralds. The descriptive panel is particularly interesting, stating that the city straddled the border between Somerset and Gloucestershire but considered itself part of neither county, but rather a separate political and geographical entity. The source for the plan of Gloucester is not known although Speed does praise its geographical location and its beauty.



Below the plan of Gloucester on the left are two large battle vignettes, the upper showing the legendary single combat between the Danish King Canute and the Saxon King Edmund Ironside, which led to the Treaty of Olney, and the lower showing the Battle of Tewksbury, a crushing defeat for the House of Lancaster during the Wars of the Roses.



Balancing the battle vignettes on the left, the right border illustrates a large royal English coat of arms on the upper part, beneath which are a set of aristocratic armorial shields.



Speed's imprint is on the lower centre, next to the panel describing the city of Bristol.



As with many of Speed's maps, due to its aesthetic appeal, combination of historical and geographical knowledge as well as its innovative layout, this county map remains one of the most desired of all county maps of Gloucestershire.



Coloured. Latin text on verso. Image available upon request. [GLOS456]