Old Map of Hertfordshire by John Speed, 1611

John Speed’s Map of Hertfordshire

John Speed’s map was prepared for The Theatre of the Empire of Great Britaine, first published in 1611–12. It combines a county map with town views, heraldry and historical scenes, presenting Hertfordshire as both a geographical place and a setting for important events in English history.

Map Details

Original title: Hartford Shire Described, The Situations of Hartford and the Most Ancient Towne S. Albons with Such Memorable Actions as Have Happened Cartographer: John Speed Engraver: Jodocus Hondius First publishers: John Sudbury and George Humble First published: London, 1611–12 Source: The Theatre of the Empire of Great Britaine Area shown: The historic county of Hertfordshire and its borders Orientation: North at the top Original method: Copperplate engraving

Hertford and Ancient Verulamium

The inset plan of Hertford is believed to be the earliest printed plan of the county town. Streets and buildings gather around the River Lea, with Hertford Castle occupying a prominent position. This small plan is especially valuable because it records the town before later expansion altered its historic centre.

The second inset looks towards St Albans from the remains of Roman Verulamium. Its walls and ruins recall the settlement that preceded the medieval town, while St Albans Abbey rises in the distance. Speed’s decision to show both places connects Hertfordshire’s Roman past with the county familiar to his seventeenth-century audience.

Battles and County History

Alongside the map are scenes associated with battles fought in and around St Albans during the Wars of the Roses. The First Battle of St Albans in 1455 opened the conflict, while further fighting followed in 1461. The Battle of Barnet in 1471, fought close to Hertfordshire’s southern boundary, helped bring the struggle towards its conclusion.

These scenes are not merely decoration. They reflect Speed’s wider purpose in The Theatre: to combine maps with the historical events and antiquities attached to each county.

Hertfordshire in the Early Seventeenth Century

Across the main map, familiar places appear in forms that sometimes differ from modern spelling. Hertford, Ware, Hitchin, Stevenage, Hatfield, Watford, Rickmansworth, Berkhamsted, Royston and Bishop’s Stortford can all be identified, together with numerous villages and smaller settlements.

Rivers form much of the visible structure of the landscape. The Lea passes through the eastern part of the county, while the Colne and other waterways help define the western districts. Neighbouring Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Middlesex and Buckinghamshire are named around the irregular county boundary.

Speed’s map appeared when county identity was becoming an increasingly important subject for printed histories and atlases. Its combination of geography, local history and decorative engraving made it more than a practical map. It offered seventeenth-century readers a portrait of Hertfordshire and its place within the history of England.