21
SOME OLD ESSEX MAPS
BY PERCY THOMPSON, F.L.S.
[Read 26th February, 1944.]
1576. Christopher Saxton. The oldest known map of
Essex is that of Christopher Saxton, a Yorkshireman, born at
Tingley, near Leeds. Except that he entered at Cambridge
University, little is known of him beyond his energetic work as a
cartographer. With authority from the State, he travelled all
over the country, mapping every English and Welsh county from
his own surveys, the first ever made for the purpose, and drawing
in all 35 maps himself. These were engraved for him, and
published by Saxton in book form between 1574 and 1579;
today Saxton's maps are extremely rare (I have seen a copy in
the Chichester Cathedral Library). His map of Essex is dated
1576 and was engraved by Leonard Terwoort, a Fleming, of
Antwerp. No roads are shown on this map, but some bridges
are indicated. A modern facsimile of the original map is
obtainable. Saxton was still living in 1596.
1594. John Norden. The next earliest cartographer was
John Norden, "Surveyor of King James I's lands or woods";
born in 1548, M.A. Oxon, in 1572-3, died circa 1625. Norden
was a friend of Gerard the herbalist and is mentioned in the 1597
edition of the famous Herball. Like his predecessor Saxton,
Norden was licensed by the Privy Council, both to travel through
the length and breadth of the country for the purpose of his
survey and to claim protection and assistance from local
authorities in the course of his travels, the Order being dated
27/1/1593. Norden's maps were small and carefully drawn, and
were the first to show the main roads. His map of Essex
tabulates in the margin the 19 Hundreds and three Liberties of
the county, following numbered areas on the map itself.
Although drawn in 1594, the Essex map was not actually pub-
lished until 1840, when the Camden Society issued it. It was
engraved by James Basire, a member of a celebrated family of
engravers, the best of whom, engraver to the Society of Anti-
quaries, was master of William Blake, the mystic poet and
artist (1757-1827). Blake served as indoor apprentice for
seven years, from the age of 14 on, to Basire, at 31, Great Queen
Street, London. The Basires lived at Chigwell Row and an
altar-tomb in the Chigwell churchyard records the names of
many of the family.
1610. Norden and Speed. Another map of Essex was
prepared in 1610 by Norden for John Speed and this appeared
in 1626, being engraved by Jodocus Hondius in Holland.