Catalog Archive
Auction 154, Lot 430

"Cambridge Shire", Morden, Robert

Subject: Cambridge, England

Period: 1695 (circa)

Publication: Camden's Britannia

Color: Hand Color

Size:
14.2 x 16.8 inches
36.1 x 42.7 cm
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This map shows the early road system with the town of Cambridge located in the lower center portion of the sheet. The county is divided into Hundreds and shows numerous place names, churches, rivers and topography. Adorned by a decorative title cartouche and three distance scales. Engraved by Sutton Nicholls and sold by Able Swale and Awnsham & John Churchill.

Morden was one of the first English cartographers to show longitudes measured from the meridian of St. Paul's Cathedral (shown in degrees at the bottom of the map) and time in minutes measure locally from the sun (shown at the top in Roman numerals). The roads on his maps are based on Ogilby's earlier survey. The Britannia was first published by historian William Camden (1551-1623) in 1586. After the publication of the final edition of Britannia in 1637, the work was not published again until 1695 when Gibson revised and translated the text from the original Latin. He included fifty maps, mostly of the English counties, prepared by Robert Morden, replacing the outdated maps of Christopher Saxton.

References:

Condition: B+

On watermarked paper with light toning along the centerfold and a small paper flaw at left that does not distract.

Estimate: $120 - $150

Sold for: $80

Closed on 9/16/2015

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