Speed
Born in 1552 in Farndon, Cheshire, John Speed was first recognised for his unique, elegant and informative mapping style when his map of biblical Canaan came to the attention of Sir Fulke Grevil, a wealthy nobleman. Grevil provided the funds for Speed to create what was to become Speed's masterpiece: 'The Theatre of the Empire of Great Britaine'. Produced between 1610 and 1623, the landscape shown on this atlas was surveyed on foot by John Speed and John Norden. The finished artwork was then designed around these surveys, with several drawings being combined to display a complete Shire on one page of the atlas. These were the early days of lithography, so the pages were probably printed using flat engraved copper plates. These remarkable maps are as stunning today as they were at the time, and they have ensured that John Speed remains the most famous English cartographer of all time.