Old Map of Rutland by John Speed, 1676

John Speed’s Map of Rutlandshire

John Speed’s map of Rutland was prepared around 1610 for The Theatre of the Empire of Great Britaine, his celebrated atlas of English and Welsh counties. The plate was engraved by Jodocus Hondius and combines a detailed county map with inset plans of Oakham and neighbouring Stamford.

The impression reproduced here belongs to a later edition. Its lower-right imprint states that the map was sold by Thomas Bassett in Fleet Street and Richard Chiswell in St Paul’s Churchyard, identifying it as the Bassett and Chiswell edition published in 1676.

Map Details

• Original title: Rutlandshire with Oukham and Stanford her bordering Neighbour Newely described
• Cartographer: John Speed
• Engraver: Jodocus Hondius
• Plate prepared: Circa 1610
• Edition shown: Thomas Bassett and Richard Chiswell, London, 1676
• Atlas: The Theatre of the Empire of Great Britaine
• Historic divisions: Alstoe, East, Martinsley, Oakham Soke and Wrangdyke hundreds
• Principal places: Oakham, Uppingham, Empingham, Ketton, Manton, Hambleton and Market Overton
• Inset plans: Oakham and Stamford
• Format: Copperplate engraving
• Other features: Heraldic panels, royal arms, scales of distance and neighbouring county boundaries

Why the 1676 Imprint Matters

Speed died in 1629, but his county maps remained in demand for decades. Bassett and Chiswell acquired the plates and issued a new edition of the atlas in 1676, preserving Speed’s original cartography while adding their own publishing imprint.

The wording at the foot of this map therefore helps identify the particular edition represented. Although the geographical plate had first appeared earlier in the century, this impression reflects the continuing commercial life of Speed’s work more than sixty years later.

Recognising the edition also prevents the print from being described simply as a map “from 1610.” Its cartography originated around that date, but the artwork reproduced here is associated with the identifiable 1676 publication.

Rutland’s Five Hundreds

Speed divides Rutland into its five historic hundreds: Alstoe, East, Martinsley, Oakham Soke and Wrangdyke. These administrative districts are clearly named across the county and provide much of the map’s internal structure.

Oakham occupies a central position within Oakham Soke, while Uppingham lies farther south. Numerous smaller settlements are recorded between them, including Manton, Empingham, Ketton, Hambleton and Market Overton.

Rutland’s irregular boundary is emphasised by the surrounding parts of Leicestershire, Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire. Their inclusion demonstrates how closely the county’s settlements were connected with places beyond its compact borders.

Oukham and Stanford

The two upper corners contain engraved town plans entitled Oukham and Stanford. Buildings are shown pictorially along individual streets, with numbered references identifying notable features. Scales measured in paces accompany the plans.

Oakham was Rutland’s county town, making its inclusion a natural choice. Stamford lay beyond the county boundary in Lincolnshire, but its commercial and geographical importance earned it equal prominence. Speed’s title explicitly calls Stamford Rutland’s “bordering neighbour.”

These are not conventional aerial pictures but carefully constructed town plans viewed from above. They rank among the earliest printed plans of Oakham and Stamford, preserving their streets and built-up areas at the beginning of the seventeenth century. British Historic Towns Atlas, Welland Antique Maps

Before the Creation of Rutland Water

One of the most revealing differences between Speed’s map and modern Rutland is the absence of Rutland Water. The engraving records the River Gwash flowing through an uninterrupted landscape of villages, fields and estates.

The reservoir was created during the 1970s, flooding part of the Gwash valley and fundamentally changing the county’s central geography. Middle and Nether Hambleton were cleared, while the surviving settlement of Hambleton became associated with the prominent peninsula extending into the reservoir. Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust

Speed’s plate therefore preserves the earlier relationship between Oakham, Empingham, Hambleton and the river valley. For anyone familiar with Rutland Water today, this missing expanse of water is one of the map’s most striking features.

Heraldry and Decorative Detail

The map is enclosed by an elaborate architectural composition. Royal emblems and coats of arms occupy the side panels, accompanied by the mottoes Dieu et mon droit and Semper eadem. Further heraldic devices appear around the title and lower border.

The inset town plans balance one another across the top corners, while a decorative scale of miles occupies the lower-right area. These elements make the engraving far more than a practical geographical record.

Speed’s combination of county cartography, urban plans and heraldry gives the map its distinctive character. It allows the viewer to examine Rutland at several levels: as a county divided into hundreds, as a network of individual communities and as part of a wider seventeenth-century political landscape.