Usk(002OSD000000003U00161000)
1 : 31680 .Farmland and rolling hills dominate this plan of the Usk Valley, forming a natural break in defences along the southern Welsh border., In the 11th century, the English Marcher Lords and the Welsh often clashed here over the control of land., The remains of the legionary fort at Usk, one of the main Roman sites in Wales, are depicted in the centre of the drawing. Budgen Charles
Abergavenny
1 : 31680 This plan of part of Monmouthshire shows the valley of the River Usk running from top to bottom of the sheet, with the Abergavenny canal (used to carry a small trade up to Breconshire) following the course of the river. To the left of the plan, the Welsh valleys stretch down the coastal plain from the Brecon Beacons to the cities of Cardiff, Swansea and Newport. Rich in iron ore, coal and limestone, the valleys developed from rural to industrial communities during the course of the 18th century. Highlighted in red along the mines and ironworks of the valleys are tramroads, the horse-worked railways predating the age of steam. Budgen, Charles
Newport 21
1 : 31680 This drawings depicts the winding course of the River Usk as it flows by the Roman town of Caerleon into the Severn Estuary and the Bristol Channel. Not far from the river mouth lies Newport. The Usk is not navigable except at this point, but the Monmouthshire and Brecon and Abergavenny canals, in part following the valley, carry a small trade up to Brecon. Cardiff, depicted at bottom left, was a town of only 6,000 inhabitants when this plan was produced. Budgen, Charles
MONUMETHENSIS Comitatus
This is a map of Monmothshire by Christopher Saxton dating from 1577. It forms part of an atlas that belonged to William Cecil Lord Burghley, Elizabeth I’s Secretary of State. Burghley used this atlas to illustrate domestic matters. This map is actually a proof copy of one which forms part of Christopher Saxton’s Atlas of England and Wales. This atlas was first published as a whole in 1579. It consists of 35 coloured maps depicting the counties of England and Wales. The atlas is of great significance to British cartography as it set a standard of cartographic representation in Britain and the maps remained the basis for English county mapping, with few exceptions, until after 1750. During the reign of Elizabeth I, map use became more common, with many government matters referring to increasingly accurate maps, with consistent scales and symbols, made possible by advances in surveying techniques. Illustrating the increasing use of maps in government matters, Lord Burghley, who had been determined to have England and Wales mapped in detail from the 1550s, selected the cartographer Christopher Saxton to produce a detailed and consistent survey of the country. The financier of the project was Thomas Seckford, Master of Requests at the Court of Elizabeth I, whose arms appear, along with the royal crest, on each map. Burghley has annotated this map, adding several place names. The name of the engraver of this map is not included but it would have been one of a team of seven English and Flemish engravers employed to produce the copper plates for the atlas. Saxton, Christopher William Cecil, Lord Burghley
MONUMENTHENSIS Comitatus
This map of Monmouthshire is from the 1583 edition of the Saxton atlas of England and Wales.This atlas was first published as a whole in 1579. It consists of 35 coloured maps depicting the counties of England and Wales. The atlas is of great significance to British cartography as it set a standard of cartographic representation in Britain and the maps remained the basis for English county mapping, with few exceptions, until after 1750. During the reign of Elizabeth I map use became more common, with many government matters referring to increasingly accurate maps with consistent scales and symbols, made possible by advances in surveying techniques. Illustrating the increasing used of maps in government matters, Lord Burghley, Elizabeth I’s Secretary of State, who had been determined to have England and Wales mapped in detail from the 1550s, selected the cartographer Christopher Saxton to produce a detailed and consistent survey of the country. The financier of the project was Thomas Seckford Master of Requests at the Court of Elizabeth I, whose arms appear, along with the royal crest, on each map. Saxton, Christopher Ryther, Augustine
Bristol Channel and Severn Estuary
This is a chart showing the Bristol Channel and the River Severn. Sandbanks in the River Severn are indicated by stippling and the draughtsman has indicated the ‘Channell betweene the groundes’. The tributries of the Severn are indicated and figures along the banks record the distance in miles between their mouths. Locations of note, such as Bristol, Bath and Newport are represented by generalised perspective views of houses and churches. The map is thought to date from 1595, reflecting the fear that the Spanish were planning to invade the Bristol Channel in the 1590’s, rather than initiate a more obvious and direct attack via the English Channel. The Anglo- Spanish relationship had steadily deteriorated since the accession of the Protestant Elizabeth I. Raids on transatlantic shipping by English seamen such as Francis Drake and England’s support of the Protestant rebellion in the Spanish ruled Netherlands had brought tensions with Spain to a crescendo culminating in the events of the Spanish Armada. Although the Spanish Armada was defeated by the English in 1588, England remained at war with Spain for many years and further attempts to invade were made by Philip II. In 1595, the year this chart was produced, the Spanish attacked Mounts Bay, Newlyn and Penzance.
GLOCESTRAE Sive Claudiocestriae Comitat
This map of Gloucestershire is from the 1583 edition of the Saxton atlas of England and Wales.This atlas was first published as a whole in 1579. It consists of 35 coloured maps depicting the counties of England and Wales. The atlas is of great significance to British cartography as it set a standard of cartographic representation in Britain and the maps remained the basis for English county mapping, with few exceptions, until after 1750. During the reign of Elizabeth I map use became more common, with many government matters referring to increasingly accurate maps with consistent scales and symbols, made possible by advances in surveying techniques. Illustrating the increasing used of maps in government matters, Lord Burghley, Elizabeth I’s Secretary of State, who had been determined to have England and Wales mapped in detail from the 1550s, selected the cartographer Christopher Saxton to produce a detailed and consistent survey of the country. The financier of the project was Thomas Seckford Master of Requests at the Court of Elizabeth I, whose arms appear, along with the royal crest, on each map. Saxton, Christopher Ryther, Augustine
GLOCESTRIAE Sive Claudiocestriae Comitat.
This is a map of Gloucestershire by Christopher Saxton dating from 1577. It forms part of an atlas that belonged to William Cecil Lord Burghley, Elizabeth I’s Secretary of State. Burghley used this atlas to illustrate domestic matters. This map is actually a proof copy of one which forms part of Christopher Saxton’s Atlas of England and Wales. This atlas was first published as a whole in 1579. It consists of 35 coloured maps depicting the counties of England and Wales. The atlas is of great significance to British cartography as it set a standard of cartographic representation in Britain and the maps remained the basis for English county mapping, with few exceptions, until after 1750. During the reign of Elizabeth I, map use became more common, with many government matters referring to increasingly accurate maps with consistent scales and symbols, made possible by advances in surveying techniques. Illustrating the increasing use of maps in government matters, Lord Burghley, who had been determined to have England and Wales mapped in detail from the 1550s, selected the cartographer Christopher Saxton to produce a detailed and consistent survey of the country. The financier of the project was Thomas Seckford, Master of Requests at the Court of Elizabeth I, whose arms appear, along with the royal crest, on each map. Burghley has annotated this map, adding place names along the river Sabrina Flu and at points on other rivers near Bristol. Dotted lines have also been added, possibly indicating communication routes. Black marks have been added at tributary mouths. These additions to the waterways of the area possibly reflect a concern that enemy invaders could sail up the Bristol Channel. At this time England was under threat of invasion from Catholic Spain, a threat which culminated in the events of the Spanish Armada. The map was engraved by Augustinus Ryther, the most accomplished of a team of seven English and Flemish engravers employed to produce the copper plates for the atlas. Saxton, Christopher Ryther,Augustinus
RADNOR BREKNOK Cardigan et Caermarden
This map of Radnor,Cardigan, Carmarthenshire and Brecknonshire, from the 1583 edition of the Saxton atlas of England and Wales.This atlas was first published as a whole in 1579. It consists of 35 coloured maps depicting the counties of England and Wales. The atlas is of great significance to British cartography as it set a standard of cartographic representation in Britain and the maps remained the basis for English county mapping, with few exceptions, until after 1750. During the reign of Elizabeth I map use became more common, with many government matters referring to increasingly accurate maps with consistent scales and symbols, made possible by advances in surveying techniques. Illustrating the increasing used of maps in government matters, Lord Burghley, Elizabeth I’s Secretary of State, who had been determined to have England and Wales mapped in detail from the 1550s, selected the cartographer Christopher Saxton to produce a detailed and consistent survey of the country. The financier of the project was Thomas Seckford Master of Requests at the Court of Elizabeth I, whose arms appear, along with the royal crest, on each map. Saxton, Christopher Ryther, Augustine
RADNOR, BREKNOK, Cardigan et Caermarden
This is a map of Radnor, Brecknock, Cardigan and Caermarthen by Christopher Saxton which dates from 1578. It forms part of an atlas that belonged to William Cecil Lord Burghley, Elizabeth I’s Secretary of State. Burghley used this atlas to illustrate domestic matters. This map is actually a proof copy of one which forms part of Christopher Saxton’s Atlas of England and Wales. This atlas was first published as a whole in 1579. It consists of 35 coloured maps depicting the counties of England and Wales. The atlas is of great significance to British cartography as it set a standard of cartographic representation in Britain and the maps remained the basis for English county mapping, with few exceptions, until after 1750. During the reign of Elizabeth I map use became more common, with many government matters referring to increasingly accurate maps with consistent scales and symbols, made possible by advances in surveying techniques. Illustrating the increasing use of maps in government matters, Lord Burghley, who had been determined to have England and Wales mapped in detail from the 1550s, selected the cartographer Christopher Saxton to produce a detailed and consistent survey of the country. The financier of the project was Thomas Seckford, Master of Requests at the Court of Elizabeth I, whose arms appear, along with the royal crest, on each map. Burghley has annotated this map, adding place names. At this time England was under threat of invasion from Catholic Spain, a threat which culminated in the events of the Spanish Armada. Defence of the realm depended on a good geographic and topographic knowledge, explaining Burghley's use of maps and his annotation of them. The map was engraved by one of a team of seven English and Flemish engravers employed to produce the copper plates for the atlas, although the individual engraver is not noted. Saxton, Christopher William Cecil, Lord Burghley
