Old Map of Worcestershire in 1611 by John Speed - Worcester, Bromsgrove, Kidderminster, Malvern, Droitwich

Worcestershire was among the English counties John Speed surveyed for The Theatre of the Empire of Great Britaine, published in 1611 and engraved, like the rest of the atlas, by Jodocus Hondius in Amsterdam. It arrived at a moment when county mapping in England was maturing quickly, building on the pioneering work of Christopher Saxton a generation earlier but adding the decorative town plans, historical notes, and heraldic detail that became Speed's signature and made his atlas the definitive image of English counties for much of the seventeenth century.

The map centers on Worcester, shown with an early plan of the city itself, and extends out to cover Bromsgrove, Kidderminster, Malvern, and Droitwich, the last of these already known for the salt springs that had been worked since Roman times. The county's agricultural character, particularly its orchards and the fertile land along the River Severn, is reflected in the decorative details Speed included around the map, alongside the three-pears coat of arms associated with the city of Worcester. Hills, rivers, and parish boundaries are rendered with the careful, if occasionally approximate, surveying typical of the period.

For anyone with family ties to Worcestershire or an interest in the Malvern Hills and Severn Valley long before industrialization reshaped the county, this map offers a detailed early snapshot of the region's towns and geography. It is reproduced at high resolution from a well-preserved original and comes in a selection of sizes, ensuring the fine engraved detail holds up whether the print is small or large.