Berkshire Maps

70x54 cm

An ACCURATE MAP of | BERKSHIRE | Divided into its | HUNDREDS | Drawn from the best Authorities | assisted by Surveys and most approved | Maps with various Improvements | Illustrated | with HISTORICAL EXTRACTS relative | to Trade, Manufactures, Natural Produce, & | present State of the principal Towns &c. | By Emanl. Bowen | Geographer to His Majesty 
Copper engraving by Emanuel Bowen published in The Large English Atlas from 1760. The work was the first large scale atlas of English counties since the works of Blaeu and Jansson a century earlier and was based on the latest surveys available. The maps were a long time in preparation, the engraving work mostly shared between Emanuel Bowen and Thomas Kitchin, beginning in 1749 with the county of Sussex and reaching completion of 45 plates in 1760. During this time the plates passed through the hands of several publishers and were issued individually and in part works without title. The Large English Atlas was issued by various publishers until c.1794 with few changes to the maps.
This example of the map of Berkshire has the imprint of the publisher Carington Bowles and Robert Sayer dated 1756. 
The map is in outline hand colour, somewhat faded. There are a number of repairs verso (conservation quality) to margins and centrefold (which has split to most of it's length and the repair is slightliy misaligned) and a couple of horizontal creases. Smallish margins. The map is not perfect but remains a large decorative and detailed map.