The County Palatine of Lancaster Ist edition 1695 by Robert Morden

Code: 54041

Date: 1695

1st.Edition. Copper engraving; later  hand colouring. Overall size : 39.2cms x 42.5cms . Engraved size : 360mm.x 411mm. Title in decorative cartouche at top right with  three scales of distance below. Centre fold as issued. Very good condition indeed.

Robert Morden died in 1703, so this is the only edition of his most famous maps that were published in his lifetime.  These maps are the first county maps to show roads ( based on Ogilby’s road maps ) and show three scales representing great, middle and small miles as different scales were used in different parts of the country.    Robert Morden based his maps on manuscript sources plus the surveys of Ogilby and Morgan, Seller and the coastal charts of Greenville Collins. His major innovation was  showing longitudes measured from the meridian of St. Paul's Cathedral given in the form of time in minutes at the top of the map in Roman numerals and at the bottom in degrees. This was done to clarify local times that were taken from the sun as there was no national standard time.