This rare map of Oxfordshire was originally published in 1681 by the mapmaker John Seller as part of his incomplete folio county atlas, the 'Atlas Anglicanus'. Seller's goal was to produce a grand county atlas of England and Wales to rival the large, composite atlases being produced on the continent. Seller's vision far exceeded his financial backing and the atlas was abandoned after just six counties had been surveyed: Middlesex, Surrey, Kent, Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, and Hertfordshire. Due to their short print run, all of these maps are now rare.



John Seller was forced to sell his copperplates in 1693 to Philip Lea, a more successful book and map publisher. Lea continued to sell the maps individually until his death in 1700, at which time his widow, Anne, took over the business until her death in 1730. It was during this period that an arrangement must have been made with Philip Overton to re-issue the map of Oxfordshire in 1715.



The map is embellished with a large panoramic view of Oxford, depictions of an Oxford theatre, the frontage of Blenheim Palace, and its Grand Bridge, and a Roman mosaic found at Stonesfield near Woodstock in 1711. It is oriented with west at the top of the page and north to the right. Colour is used to distinguish the Hundreds, or subdivisions of the county.



Bright original hand-colour. [OXON544]