Old Map of Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire by Christopher Saxton, 1576

Christopher Saxton’s map of Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire was engraved in 1576 during the first systematic survey of the counties of England and Wales. The individual sheet was completed three years before Saxton’s finished county atlas appeared in 1579.

The map bears the Latin title Lincolniae Notinghamiaeque Comitatuum nova, vera et accurata descriptio, identifying it as a new and accurate description of the two counties. It is recognised as the first printed map devoted to either Lincolnshire or Nottinghamshire.

Map Details

• Original title: Lincolniae Notinghamiaeque Comitatuum nova, vera et accurata descriptio
• Counties shown: Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire
• Cartographer: Christopher Saxton
• Engraver: Remigius Hogenberg
• Date engraved: 1576
• Atlas publication: London, 1579
• Atlas: Atlas of the Counties of England and Wales
• Principal places: Lincoln, Nottingham, Boston, Grantham, Stamford, Newark, Gainsborough and Worksop
• Format: Engraved copperplate county map
• Notable features: The Humber, River Trent, The Wash, Sherwood Forest, royal arms and a sailing ship

England’s First County Atlas

Saxton undertook his great survey during the reign of Elizabeth I, when accurate geographical information was becoming increasingly valuable for government, administration and defence. The project received the support of Thomas Seckford, a court official whose arms appear prominently on the map.

William Cecil, Lord Burghley, also recognised the strategic importance of the new county surveys. His proof copy of this particular map contains handwritten additions along tributaries of the Humber, showing how geographical information could be used for practical government and military planning.

The completed atlas established the shapes by which England and Wales were represented for generations. Saxton’s maps were repeatedly copied, adapted and reissued, influencing later county cartographers including John Speed.

Lincolnshire from the Humber to The Wash

Lincolnshire occupies most of the engraving, extending from the Humber in the north to Stamford and The Wash in the south. Lincoln stands prominently near the centre of the county, surrounded by market towns, villages and groups of pictorial hills.

Boston appears beside the River Witham, while Grantham lies farther west and Stamford marks the southern country. Gainsborough can be found beside the Trent, with the river forming an important geographical link between the two counties.

The complicated shoreline and channels around The Wash are shown with particular care. During the Elizabethan period, such coastal information had defensive as well as navigational importance. A large sailing ship adds movement and decorative interest to the North Sea.

Nottinghamshire and Sherwood Forest

Nottinghamshire is distinguished from its larger neighbour through coloured boundary lines and contrasting washes. Nottingham appears beside the River Trent, with Newark downstream and Worksop in the north of the county.

Woodland symbols identify the extensive forested landscape historically associated with Sherwood. Saxton also records Bestwood Park and the manor at Worksop, revealing that his survey included important estates and individual buildings as well as towns and natural features.

Roads are absent, as they commonly are from maps of this period. Instead, rivers, settlements, woods and hills provide the framework through which the Elizabethan landscape is understood.

Heraldry and Elizabethan Decoration

The map’s decorative elements express the authority behind Saxton’s survey. The royal arms of Elizabeth I occupy the upper-left corner, accompanied by a banner bearing the monarch’s motto. Beneath them, an elaborate cartouche presents the county title.

The arms of Thomas Seckford acknowledge the patron whose financial support helped make Saxton’s survey possible. Near the scale, inscriptions name Christopher Saxton as cartographer and Remigius Hogenberg as the engraver responsible for transferring the design onto copper.

More than four centuries after it was created, the map remains both an important historical document and an impressive work of Elizabethan design. Its combination of familiar towns, ancient place names, coloured boundaries and elaborate engraving offers a fascinating view of Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire at the beginning of England’s printed county-map tradition.