Speed's map of the wars of England

SPEED, John.

The Invasions of England & Ireland with al their Civill Wars Since the Conquest.
London: Roger Rea, 1665. Coloured. 385 x 510mm.

Small repairs.

A very fine and dark impression of this fascinating map of England, Wales and Ireland, showing the sites of battles 1066 - 1588, each with a little vignette scene. Of particular interest is the route of the Spanish Armada of 1588, from their entrance into the Channel, their crescent formation, their dispersal by the fireships and the trail of wrecks around the northern coasts. On the reverse is a companion text.
First issued in 1627, this map was engraved by Cornelius Danckerts from a prototype published by Speed c.1601 (of which Shirley notes only three known copies). It retains an obsolete form of the Isle of Man discarded by Speed in his map of 1611. It also holds a unique position in Speed's atlases, only appearing in volumes with the 'Theatre' and 'Prospect' combined: bound between the two were this map and four pages of accompanying text.
This example comes from the Roger Rea issue, which was beset with disaster: according to an advert for the 1676 Bassett & Chiswell edition, ''the greatest part of an Impression, then newly Printed, [was] destroyed by the late dreadful Fire, 1666". Surviving examples of any Rea map are thus rare.


Stock ID : 23790