Holy Island; Garnsey; Farne; Jarsey by John Speed

Code: 46784

Author: John Speed

Publisher: Henry Overton

Date published: 1743circa

Copper engraving with later hand colouring. Overall size : 50.4cms x 41.2cms. Image size : 500mm x 375mm..The map is in four sections, Holy Island and Farne(Lindisfarne) are off the coast of Northumbria while Jarsey and Garnsey are in the English Channel. Four scales of distance surmounted by dividers and each section has an attractive compass rose. At the bottom of the centrefold two cherubs hold ribbons which are tied to a shield surmounted by the royal crown. Very attractive map in very good condition apart from a pin prick hole (repaired) off Corbore Rock in the Jarsey part - scarcely visible to the naked eye; two repaired wormholes top margin away from image. Verso blank as is usual with this edition. Until his late thirties, John Speed was a tailor by trade but his passion for history and map-making led him to gain a patron in Sir Fulke Greville, the poet and statesman, who found him a post in the customs and helped subsidize his map-making, giving him "full liberty to express the inclination of my mind"". He became aquainted with the publisher William Camden