Old Map of Lancashire in 1611 by John Speed - Manchester, Liverpool, Furness and Windermere

John Speed included this map of Lancashire in his Theatre of the Empire of Great Britaine, published in 1611 and widely regarded as the first county atlas of England and Wales to combine detailed maps with descriptive text and town plans. What sets this particular sheet apart is Speed's treatment of Lancashire's detached northern district, known historically as Lancashire over the Sands, a stretch of land separated from the rest of the county by Morecambe Bay and bordering the southern edge of what is now the Lake District.

Manchester and Liverpool, then market towns rather than the industrial giants they would become, are marked in the southern half of the county alongside Preston and Blackburn, while Speed's coverage extends north across the sands to the Furness peninsula and the fells near Windermere, an area more commonly associated today with Cumbria than Lancashire. Rivers, hundreds, and the coastline along the Irish Sea are all traced in Speed's characteristic style, and the map carries the decorative cartouche and coat of arms typical of his county atlas, alongside the descriptive text that made his Theatre such a landmark work of English cartography.

This print suits collectors of early English county maps and anyone with roots in Lancashire's southern towns or in the Furness and Windermere area that once fell under the county's boundary. It also makes a distinctive gift for someone who has walked the fells above Windermere or traces family history to Preston or Blackburn. Reproduced at high resolution to keep Speed's engraving sharp, this print is available in several sizes.