Draft town maps for John speed's theatre of the empire of great Britaine

Abstract

A collection of hand‐drawn maps, catalogued as a ‘Volume of hand‐drawn town plans ?1605–1608’, has been rediscovered in the library of Merton College, Oxford. An analysis of the physical characteristics of the volume, its maps and their draftsmanship, together with external evidence of authorship, suggest that it is by John Speed. It is argued here that the plans were probably drafts for the maps eventually published in the Theatre of the Empire of Great Britaine (1611–12).