Robert Morden’s map of Surrey

Robert Morden’s map of Surrey.

Hand coloured map of Surrey as first published in Camden’s ‘Britannia’ in 1695 by Edmund Gibson, Bishop of Lincoln.

Ornamental cartouche above a comprehensive map, with scale bars, depicting towns, villages, churches, woodlands, parks, rivers and hundreds, etc.

It also shows three differing scales of miles - great, middle and small - none of which represents a statute mile. Robert Morden (c. 1650 - 1703) was an English bookseller, publisher and one of the first successful commercial maker of maps and globes. Mounted in a Hogarth frame.

English, circa 1695.
W. 19 ½” (49.5cm).
H. 16 ¾” (42.5cm).

Edmund Gibson, in his preface to the Britannia publication and reference to the maps wrote, ‘…to render them as complete and accurate as might be, this whole business was committed to Mr Robert Morden, as person of known abilities in these matters, who took care to revise them, to see the slips of the Engraver mended, and the corrections, returned out of the several Counties duly inserted.

Upon the whole, we need not scruple to affirm, that they are much the fairest and most correct of any that have yet appeared.’ Subsequent editions were published in 1715, 1722, 1753 and 1772 and remained unchanged from the first edition.

Robert Morden worked under the sign of the Atlas at premises in Cornhill and then New Cheapside in London, where his output was large and varied. His best known maps are those of both South and North Wales and the English Counties. These latter maps were based on information supplied by gentlemen of each county.

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This object is eligible for a Certificate of BADA Provenance

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