John Speed’s map of Essex

The famous map of Essex by John Speed, from the 'Theatre of the Empire of Great Britain'. Unlike most of Speed's maps it is based on the work of John Norden, a contemporary of Saxton's and the first to plan a series of county histories. However he failed to attract sufficient backing for his enterprise and never completed it. His surveying was superior to Saxton's, and Speed preferred to use Norden as a source where possible. Around the edges are an inset town plan of Colchester, a strapwork title cartouche and depictions of three Roman coins. On the map London is shown in profile, dominated by the old St Paul's Cathedral. For this edition an extra armorial, that of 'Arthur Capel E', has been added lower left corner. Arthur Capell (1631-83), 1st Earl of Essex and Privy Councillor, whose anti-Catholic stance during the Exclusion Crisis (an attempt to have the Catholic James, Duke of York, excluded from the English succession) led him to be imprisoned in the Tower of London, where he cut his own throat.