Old Map of Sussex in 1611 by John Speed - Brighton, Chichester, Lewes

This print reproduces John Speed's 1611 map of Sussex, engraved by Jodocus Hondius and first published in Speed's celebrated atlas, The Theatre of the Empire of Great Britaine. The original featured the coat of arms of the reigning monarch in one corner, a decorative flourish typical of Speed's county maps and a reminder that these surveys doubled as statements of Stuart-era national pride.

Chichester, the old cathedral city that was Sussex's county town in Speed's day just as it is West Sussex's today, sits prominently on the map. Elsewhere you'll find Brighton long before it became a fashionable seaside resort, along with Lewes, Arundel and its castle, Petworth, Rye, Hastings, Shoreham, Ditchling, and the wooded expanse of Ashdown Forest. Smaller villages such as Amberley, Worth, and Ardingly round out a remarkably detailed picture of a county still largely given over to farmland and forest.

This carefully restored edition preserves the fine engraving and lettering of the 1611 original. It's a lovely retirement gift for someone who has spent a lifetime near the Sussex coast, a meaningful anniversary present for a couple who married in Chichester, Lewes, or Brighton, or a warm housewarming gift for friends who have recently moved to the South Downs. History lovers and genealogists researching Sussex ancestry will also appreciate its wealth of period place names.