Historic Old Maps

✒️ Chapter 2: Renaissance and Age of Discovery

While maps existed before, few emerged in England until the 1500s. Saxton’s county surveys paved the way, followed by John Speed’s celebrated atlas.

• Saxton (1570s–1580s): The first systematic county survey of England.

• John Speed (1611–12): His The Theatre of the Empire of Great Britaine combined land detail with ornamentation, inset town plans, heraldry, and historical annotations—making maps both informative and decorative.

📚 Chapter 3: Evolution Through the 17th & 18th Centuries

• William Blaeu, Bowen, Hole, Van Den Keere: Famed cartographers and engravers whose works reached wide audiences, often reused for centuries 

• Estate Plans & Enclosures (1660–1760): Surveyors created detailed private plans used for farming and land division during the enclosure movement 

• Surveying Military Maps (Highlands, 1745–1755): General Wade and William Roy produced meticulously detailed military surveys—precursors to the Ordnance Survey maps. 

🖼️ About Our Reproduction Prints

We bring historic cartography into your space with museum-quality fine-art reproductions:

• Unique digitally re-mastered editions produced to your individual order

• Archival-grade inks and materials—colour‑fast for over 100 years

• Styled to preserve the intricate and intrinsic beauty of antique documents. 

• We are proud to be the go-to suppliers of historical documents to TV, Film Production Companies and Interior Designers 

And yes, we deliver across the UK Europe & the USA, with insured tracked shipping included.

📂 Why This Guide Matters

• It’s the earliest—English-focused survey of historic mapmaking from Ptolemy to Speed and beyond.

• Serves as both an educational resource and a gateway to exploring our broader collection of over 200 antique UK maps (ranging from counties to city plans) The Old Map Company

🔍 Explore Further

• Dive into detailed installments like Map History – Old Maps 1500–1565 or Matthew’s Map in our blog archives here . . .