Old Map of Devon in 1611 by John Speed - Barnstaple, Bideford, Exeter, Plymouth

This detailed county map of Devon was created by John Speed and engraved by Jodocus Hondius, first appearing in Speed's landmark 1611 work The Theatre of the Empire of Great Britaine. It depicts the ancient county of Devonshire, as it was then known, at a moment when England's counties were being surveyed and recorded in unprecedented cartographic detail. In one corner sits a finely engraved inset view of Exeter, which was the county's capital in 1611 just as it remains today.

The map is rich with the towns and villages that gave North Devon and the wider county its character, including Barnstaple, Bideford, Ilfracombe and Northam along the northern coast, alongside Exeter, Plymouth, Paignton, Exmouth, Brixham, Teignmouth, Sidmouth, Dawlish, Ivybridge, Honiton, Kingsteignton and Cullompton further south and east. Most of Devon's principal towns had already taken shape by the early 1600s, and Speed's engraving captures them with a level of detail unusual for a map of this age.

This makes a lovely housewarming gift for someone putting down roots in Devon, a birthday or Christmas present for a proud Devonian, or a leaving and retirement gift for someone moving away from the South West. It would also suit a wedding or anniversary gift for a couple with ties to the county. The engraved detail and original hand colouring have been carefully restored to preserve every place name and decorative flourish.