John Speed: Kent: With her Cities and Earles Described and Observed
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Cartographer:
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John Speed
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Title:
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Kent: With her Cities and Earles Described and Observed
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Date:
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1614
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Published:
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London
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Width:
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21 inches / 54 cm
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Height:
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15 inches / 39 cm
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Map ref:
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KENT618
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Description:
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Kent. A fine map of the county from the second edition of Speed's seminal atlas, 'The Theatre of Great Britaine'.
Unusually, Speed does not add his name to the early editions of this map of Kent, although later editions add his name to the lower centre.
Geographically, it has been sourced to a surveyor and mapmaker, Philip Symonson, who first published his survey in 1596. Symonson was local to the area and made his living surveying gardens and estates for the wealthy, and had decades of experience as a mapmaker.
Speed added the inset of Canterbury to the lower left corner, with that survey being attributed to William Smith, another of Speed’s collaborators. The peculiar plan of Rochester on the lower right is stylistically very different that Speed’s other plans; however, Symonson was mayor of Rochester from 1597-98 suggesting he was the source of the city plan.
Speed also adds another decorative aspect to this map in the form of a ribbon of heraldic arms on the upper border and a small royal coat of arms on the upper right corner, which in turn is balanced by a small title panel on the upper left. |