County Maps of Essex

County maps of Essex from the 16th and 17th centuries

The table below lists flat maps of Essex in approximately chronological order; these are taken from Atlases, or in a few cases were published as maps of Essex alone. Click on the thumbnails to get a larger picture and more information.

Shown against items are Skelton/Hodson or other reference books - eg ^SH4 means atlas 4 from the Skelton & Hodson reference books listed on the Books page.

The dimensions against each map are Height x Width, and as Essex is a little wider than it is tall the width is usually greater - assuming the map has north at the top. The measurements are of the outermost neat line of the map (not the size of the sheet of paper).

Thumbnail maps	Mapmakers, their Atlases and Maps
	Christopher Saxton An Atlas ^SH1 1579 412mm x 530mm Print from BL. (Individual counties earlier than Atlas - Essex 1576)
	John Norden 1594 327mm x 416mm A few counties; Essex not printed until 1840 (3 different versions)
	Gerard Mercator Atlas sive Cosmographicae 1595 365mm x 465mm Lat & long - but London at 20^o40' east
	W Hole & W Kip Camden's Britannia ^SH5 1607 286mm x 365mm The first of the Kip's for Camden's Britannia has latin text on its back
	W Hole & W Kip Camden's Britannia ^SH6 1610 286mm x 365mm Then in 1610 there is english text, but the map is the same
	Drayton Poly-olbion ^SH13 1622 249mm x 318mm No Lat, long or grid. Rivers and water sprites, which are in his poems.
	Bill Abridgement of Camden's Britannia ^SH15 1626 85mm x 120mm Lat & long shown, but where is longitude measured from?
	Pieter Van Den Keere England Wales Scotland and Ireland Described and Abridged ^SH17 1627 85mm x 120mm published by G Humble, the "Miniature Speed"
	Gerald Mercator, J Hondius & Jansson Atlas Minor 1633 147mm x 203mm SE England in French edition. Lat & long - but London at 33^o east.
	Gerald Mercator, J Hondius & Jansson Historia Mundi, or Mercator's Atlas 1635 139mm x 180mm SE England in English atlas. Lat & long - but London at 20^o45' east.
	Gerald Mercator, J Hondius & Jansson Atlas sive Cosmographicae - the revised version by Hondius 1636 366mm x 467mm Lat & long - but London at 20^o40' east.
	Jansson pre Atlas Novus 1636 381mm x 491mm Map as used in Atlas Novus, but without shields.
	Simmons / Van Langeren A Direction for the English Traveller 1636 103mm x 100mm Tiny thumbnail map, not covered by triangular distance table of 27 places (compare to Jenner 1643 below).
	W Hole & W Kip Camden's Britannia 1637 286mm x 365mm For 1637 there is now a tiny number in the bottom left (the map is the same)
	Bertius Camden's Britannia 1639 96mm x 135mm An even smaller eastern region map based on the Mercator maps.
	T Jenner A Direction for the English Traveller 1643 105mm x 105mm Tiny thumbnail map, partially obscured by triangular distance table of 27 places.
	Blaeu^SH29 Atlas Novus 1645 417mm x 524mm 1st French edition of Atlas Novus
	Jansson Atlas Novus 1646 380mm x 489mm The 1636 map with shields added.
	Gerald Mercator, J Hondius & Jansson Atlas Minor 1651 157mm x 205mm Looks like a small version of Jansson 1636/1646 (above).
	J Sanson Anciens Royaumes de Kent, d'Essex et de Sussex 1654 367mm x 476mm. London at c.20^o37' east. Three scales, d'Angleterre of 24mls = 63mm.
	T Jenner The Kingdom of England and Wales (ie "The Quartermasters' Map") 1671 496mm x 644mm Reputedly used by the armies during the Civil War.
	Richard Blome Britannia 1673 260mm x 324mm The Netherlands had Blaue and Jansson; we had Blome. We lost
	John Speed Theatre of the Empire of Great Britain 1676 385mm x 514mm Has date of 1662, but is Bassett & Chiswell edition.
	T Jenner A Book of the Names of all Parishes 1677 103mm x 101mm As for Jenner 1643, but has places named below the table/map.
	John Ogilby Essex 1678 405mm x 528mm Print from ERO. Cartouche names Morgan & Ogilby.
	Johannes van Keulen A Sea Chart of the East Coast of England from Dover to Dunwich 1680 590mm x 495mm 17th century Dutch sea chart with ornate cartouche.
	Richard Blome Speed's Maps Epitomiz'd 1681 149mm x 212mm It wasn't any better than before.
	Schenk & Valk Atlas Anglois 1683 378mm x 486mm It's the Jansson, with different attribution in cartouche.
	John Ogilby Essex 1689 420mm x 539mm This is from Lea's Saxton Atlas of 1689, with Morgan's name retained but Ogilby's removed.
	P Lea (& C Saxton) All the Shires of England & wales 1693 416mm x 530mm Saxton's plates now 120 years old, and still going strong.
	Richard Morden Camden's Britannia 1695 344mm x 414mm Lat & long from St Pauls. Three scales - Great, Middle & Small Miles.
	Greenville Collins A Sea Chart of The River Thames and the East Coast of England from Kent to Norfolk 1695 940mm x 600mm An English 17th century Sea Chart containing an ornate title cartouche, with three scales.
	John Oliver Essex 1696 775mm x 1020mm Supposedly a newly surveyed map of the county.

Return to table of County Maps list, or go to next chronological listing, 18th century - first half.

Old maps of Essex

County maps of Essex from the 16th and 17th centuries