Friday, April 18, 2008

Question from KB - Online map of 16th century England

Does anyone know of a reasonable map of 16th century England available online?

6 comments:

Lara said...

I've got a decently detailed scan of one here (top image):
http://tudorhistory.org/maps/


I'm sure there are some higher-resolution maps (or versions of this map) out there somewhere though.

kb said...

Thanks! I don't know why I didn't think of looking on your site. If anyone else knows of more online maps of 16thc. England.....

thanks

Anonymous said...

Hail KB ~

Here are some sites that may be of help / interest. Prof. Horowitz of Occidental College has developed a site which has made maps accessible that were published by John Speed in the 16th Century. This site seems to have the most comprehensive set of maps (if not the most beautiful) and provides maps of various towns throughout England between 1600 and 1700. I got so engrossed on this site that I easily passed a half hour before I realized it. I am definitely going to go back and spend some time sightseeing.

The medievolution site is a good springboard to other sites (it helped me locate the sites below) dealing with all things medieval.
http://spectrum.troy.edu/~medievolution/links.html

Oddens is a very good resource for maps and has quite a comprehensive set of links.
http://oddens.geog.uu.nl/result.php?limit_result=0&zoek=&themecountry=263&category=3&submitButtonName=Search

This is the link to Professor Horowitz’s site
http://faculty.oxy.edu/horowitz/home/johnspeed/index.htm

Ahh, nothing will ever replace a dusty, great tome for research, but I must say that this internet highway to the galaxy is a marvel…Enjoy…

Yours from a place and time long since passed
Emmengarde

Anonymous said...

As Emmengarde points out, there are quite alot of maps online now. Still, if you need a dusty old tome, you can get used copies of John Speed's Atlas from alibris and amazon. What I have found fascinating about his maps is that he actually began them in the late 1590s but finished the bulk of them in the 1600s (it was published as a whole in 1611). Its great to compare the marginalia from the maps of Elizabeth's reign to those of James'. The Fitzwilliam in Cambridge has a fantastic copy of a map of Cheshire with a very regal Elizabeth holding (quite provacatively)the ruler that tells the scale. I think it might be posted online. Also often online is Christopher Saxton's atlas, completed during the 1570s. I think Lara has the cover posted in the images gallery.
On another note, much of what Elizabethans thought of as geography included "chorographies," which were written descriptions of an area's characteristics (sometimes accompanied by maps). Check out Michael Drayton's Poly-Olbion and John Norden's Speculum Britainnae. John Stow's Survey of London is a nice blend of history and contemporary events. Finally, William Camden's Cosmographicall Glasse lays out the era's geographic definitions and practices, and also includes maps.
Some of these can be found online, but they are usually in university libraries. If youre really interested, I have scanned copies of most of them and will be happy to pass them along.
Ok, Ive gone on a bit but where else can I blather about info like this? Thanks for the forum....
--kate

kb said...

Thanks to all!

kb said...

Thanks to all!