RICHARD NICHOLSON of CHESTER

A WORLD OF ANTIQUE MAPS AND PRINTS

The Henry Overton Editions
of John Speed's Atlas of English Maps

The Publisher

HENRY OVERTON

Henry Overton was the son of John Overton (1640-1713) who was a London print and map seller who traded from a number of addresses. In 1665 he acquired the stock of Peter Stent. The atlases he published were mainly made up of maps by different cartographers including William Smith, Joan Blaeu and Jan Jansson. He was married twice. In 1707 he retired after selling his stock to his son Henry.

Henry Overton is thought to have bought the existing plates of John Speed's maps from Christopher Browne circa 1713. This is some 74 years after John Speed had died and although there had been other editions of the atlas in the interim, the most important being in 1676 by Thomas Basset and Richard Chiswell, Henry must have considered there was still value to be had from the old plates.

After extensive retouching, and some revision of the original plates he republished the county maps both singly in sheets bound as a set "in Marble Paper with red Leather Backs and Corners" (Daily Advertiser, February 1742/3) The retouching was most successful as the maps have a crispness and clarity of impression not usually associated with 18th century pulls from plates already a hundred years old.

One of the features that makes this edition interesting and rather special is the addition of main roads added to the plates. Following the first survey of the roads of England and Wales by John Ogilby and the publication of his Britannia with 100 strip roads maps in 1675 this was a feature that mapmakers could include with newly published county maps or in this case the additional engraving to old plates.

The illustrations on this page come from a rare copy of England Fully Described in a Compleat Sett of Mapps of ye County's of England and Wales with their Islands, Containing on all 58 Maps by John Speed. Reprinted Anno 1743 bearing the bookplate of Edward Montagu Stuart Granville, 1st Earl of Wharncliffe

Listen instead of Reading

Title page to Henry Overton atlas of John Speed maps 1743
List of maps page from Henry Overton's atlas of John Speed maps 1743

Map Gallery

Map of Kent by John Speed published by Henry Overton 1743
Map of Sussex by John Speed published by Henry Overton 1743
Map of Middlesex by John Speed published by Henry Overton 1743
Map of Surrey by John Speed published by Henry Overton 1743
Map of Hampshire by John Speed published by Henry Overton 1743
Map of Dorset by John Speed published by Henry Overton 1743
Map of Wilshire by John Speed published by Henry Overton 1743
Map of Somersetshire by John Speed published by Henry Overton 1743
Map of Devon by John Speed published by Henry Overton 1743
Map of Cornwall by John Speed published by Henry Overton 1743
Map of Essex by John Speed published by Henry Overton 1743
Map of Hertfordshire by John Speed published by Henry Overton 1743
Map of Oxfordshire by John Speed published by Henry Overton 1743
Map of Buckinghamshire by John Speed published by Henry Overton 1743
Map of Berkshire by John Speed published by Henry Overton 1743
Map of Gloucestershire by John Speed published by Henry Overton 1743
Map of Suffolk by John Speed published by Henry Overton 1743
Map of Norfolk by John Speed published by Henry Overton 1743
Map of Rutlandshire by John Speed published by Henry Overton 1743
Map of Northamptonshire by John Speed published by Henry Overton 1743
Map of Huntingdonshire by John Speed published by Henry Overton 1743
Map of Cambridgeshire by John Speed published by Henry Overton 1743
Map of Bedfordshire by John Speed published by Henry Overton 1743
Map of Warwickshire by John Speed published by Henry Overton 1743
Map of Leicestershire by John Speed published by Henry Overton 1743
Map of Staffordshire by John Speed published by Henry Overton 1743
Map of Worcestershire by John Speed published by Henry Overton 1743
Map of Shropshire by John Speed published by Henry Overton 1743
Map of Herefordshire by John Speed published by Henry Overton 1743
Map of Lincolnshire by John Speed published by Henry Overton 1743
Map of Nottinghamshire by John Speed published by Henry Overton 1743
Map of Derbyshire by John Speed published by Henry Overton 1743
Map of Cheshire by John Speed published by Henry Overton 1743
Map of Yorkshire by John Speed published by Henry Overton 1743
Map of the North and East Ridings of Yorkshire by John Speed published by Henry Overton 1743
Map of the West Riding of Yorkshire by John Speed published by Henry Overton 1743
Map of Lancashire by John Speed published by Henry Overton 1743
Map of County Durham by John Speed published by Henry Overton 1743
Map of Westmorland by John Speed published by Henry Overton 1743
Map of Cumberland by John Speed published by Henry Overton 1743
Map of Northumberland by John Speed published by Henry Overton 1743
Map of Wales by John Speed published by Henry Overton 1743
Map of Anglesey by John Speed published by Henry Overton 1743
Map of Flintshire by John Speed published by Henry Overton 1743
Map of Denbighshire by John Speed published by Henry Overton 1743
Map of Caernarvonshire by John Speed published by Henry Overton 1743
Map of Montgomeryshire by John Speed published by Henry Overton 1743
Map of Caernarvonshire by John Speed published by Henry Overton 1743
Map of Cardiganshir by John Speed published by Henry Overton 1743
Map of Radnorshire by John Speed published by Henry Overton 1743
Map of Breconshire by John Speed published by Henry Overton 1743
Map of Carmarthenshire by John Speed published by Henry Overton 1743
Map of Pembrokeshire by John Speed published by Henry Overton 1743
Map of Glamorganshire by John Speed published by Henry Overton 1743
Map of Monmouthshire by John Speed published by Henry Overton 1743
Map of the Isle of Wight by John Speed published by Henry Overton 1743
Map of the Isle of Man by John Speed published by Henry Overton 1743
Map of Jersey, Guernsey, Farne and Holly Island by John Speed published by Henry Overton 1743

John Speed

RICHARD NICHOLSON
of CHESTER

Stoneydale
Pepper Street
Christleton
Chester
CH3 7AG

Telephone

01244 336004

International 44 1244 336004

I have been buying and selling antique maps since the early 1960's during which time I had a gallery in Watergate Street, Chester for 30 years. I am now able to offer through my websites a personal service to map and print collectors.