The Country about 15 miles any Way from London

An exceptional rarity, this is the first printed map of the environs of London and the fourth recorded example.

A great deal of mystery and speculation surrounds this map, mainly due to its rarity. Until 2002, it was recorded in a single example present in the Royal Library, Windsor. Since then, two more examples have been recorded followed by this one.

The map bears two dates. The first, on the lower left margin, next to the name of the engraver, Wenceslas Hollar, is 1670. There is a more recent date, 1683, below the dedication on the upper right, together with the initials “WM” standing for William Morgan.

It is believed that the origin of this map was initially a project began by John Ogilby as a travel book or “Geography” of England in 1670. This would have been one of the most commercially attractive maps to offer to wealthy clients who had no desire to live in the city yet be close enough to travel frequently into it as needed, hence the reason why it would have been the first one in production. As was the practice at the time, it is likely that Ogilby would have tried to sell loose examples of this map aiming to finance the continuation of the project.

It seems though that Ogilby delayed this project to concentrate on his legacy work, the “Britannia”, the first road atlas of Britain and indeed, any country of western Europe. This was issued in 1675.

Ogilby died in 1676 and the business passed onto William Morgan, his step-grandson. An analysis of the engraving shows that Morgan made additions to this plate, specifically adding new roads and several names, including Rickmansworth, Epping, Watford and Bromley. Morgan also amended the imprint on the title cartouche to include his name as well as adding his initials to the dedication together with the date of his additions. No example of this map has been found without the additions by Morgan. All four recorded examples are of this later or second state.

As stated above, this is the first printed map of what was then the environs of London but in modern times, it encompasses the area of Greater London. It stretches from Waltham Abbey in the north to Morden in the south and Staines in the west to Gravesend in the east. It is also one of the earliest if not the earliest map of the area to show the major London roads. Finally, a small manuscript continuation of the River Thames has been added to the left margin, showing the river as far as “Eaton”.

The reverse of the map bears a stamp “Museum Britannicum”. Consultation with the British Library suggests that it was sold into the private hands in the late 18th or early 19th century as no record has been found of its existence in their archives.

Compounding its rarity, this example is in original colour. Image of reverse available on request. [LDN7568]