A Mapp Of Ye County of Northumberland With Ye Isles Of Farne & Holy Island – 1673

Cartographer: Richard Blome
Price: £145 including postage in the UK
Publication Date: 1673
Edition: First edition
Sheet Size: 30.8cm x 37.7cm
Condition: Very good

Condition:

From ‘Britannia, or a Geographical Description of the Kingdom of England, Scotland and Ireland’. Original copper-engraved map. Sheet size: 30.8cm x 37.7cm. Early hand-colouring. Minor age-toning and foxing. Residual evidence of a previous mount to the margins. An uncommon 17th century map of Northumberland which is in very good condition overall.

Richard Blome: A Brief Biography

Richard Blome (c. 1641–1705) was an English cartographer, engraver, and publisher whose work played a significant role in the commercialisation and popularisation of maps in Restoration and late Stuart England. Though not a surveyor or original cartographic innovator in the manner of Saxton or Speed, Blome was a skilled compiler, entrepreneur, and self-promoter, instrumental in making geographic knowledge more widely available during a period of expanding literacy, trade, and imperial ambition.

His career illustrates the transition of English cartography from elite scholarly production to market-driven publishing.

1. Early Life and Background

Very little is known with certainty about Blome’s early life. He was probably born around 1641, during the political upheavals leading to the English Civil War.

What is clear is that:

• He did not come from the university-educated antiquarian tradition
• He was trained in engraving and publishing, rather than surveying or mathematics
• His professional identity was shaped by London’s vibrant print trade

Blome emerged in the post-Restoration period, when censorship eased and commercial publishing expanded rapidly.

2. Entry into Cartography and Publishing

Blome established himself in London as:

• An engraver
• A map publisher
• A compiler of geographical works

Rather than conducting surveys, he:

• Reworked existing maps
• Commissioned engravers
• Adapted earlier cartographic sources

This was standard practice in the seventeenth century, though Blome would later be criticised for it more than many of his contemporaries.

3. Britannia (1673): Blome’s Major Achievement

Concept and Ambition

Blome’s most important work is Britannia (1673), an atlas of England and Wales. It was conceived as a direct competitor to the county atlases of John Speed, but aimed at a broader and less elite market.

Production

• The maps were engraved largely by Wenceslaus Hollar and other skilled craftsmen
• Many maps were derived from earlier sources, including Speed and Saxton
• Decorative elements were simplified to reduce costs

Content

Each county map was accompanied by:

• Short descriptive text
• Lists of towns and hundreds
• Practical geographical information

The emphasis was on utility rather than antiquarian richness.

4. Controversy and Criticism

Accusations of Plagiarism

Blome’s reputation suffered during his lifetime due to:

• Allegations that he copied earlier maps without sufficient acknowledgement
• Public criticism from rivals and antiquarians

Some critics accused him of misrepresentation and exaggeration in advertising his work as “new”.

Modern Reassessment

Modern historians tend to view Blome more sympathetically:

• Reuse and adaptation were normal practices
• His real contribution lay in distribution, accessibility, and standardisation
• He helped sustain an English cartographic industry between great innovators

Blome was less a creator than a mediator of geographic knowledge.

5. Expansion Beyond Britain

Blome did not confine himself to county mapping. His output included:

• World maps
• Continental maps
• Historical and political geography

He also published works on:

• Cosmography
• History
• Heraldry

These reflected England’s growing global outlook in the late seventeenth century.

6. Blome as Entrepreneur and Self-Promoter

Blome was an aggressive marketer:

• He issued proposals and prospectuses
• Promoted his works through subscriptions
• Emphasised novelty and authority

This entrepreneurial energy was essential to survival in a competitive print market, though it also attracted hostility from rivals.

7. Style and Cartographic Character

Blome’s maps are characterised by:

• Clear, functional layout
• Reduced decorative content compared with Speed
• Emphasis on legibility and coverage

They lack the heraldic and historical richness of earlier atlases but gain in practical usability.

8. Later Life and Decline

Despite his prolific output, Blome struggled financially in later life:

• The market for atlases became increasingly crowded
• Printing costs were high
• Competition intensified

He died in 1705, apparently without great wealth or lasting institutional support.

9. Legacy and Historical Significance

Cartographic Importance

Richard Blome’s significance lies in:

• Sustaining English cartography during a transitional period
• Broadening access to maps beyond elite collectors
• Demonstrating the growing role of commercial publishing

Cultural Role

He represents the Restoration print entrepreneur, operating between scholarship and commerce.

Modern Reputation

Today, Blome is valued as:

• A key figure in the dissemination of geographic knowledge
• An example of how maps entered everyday intellectual life
• A reminder that cartographic history depends as much on publishers as on innovators

Conclusion

Richard Blome was not a great cartographic visionary, but he was an essential figure in the history of English mapping. Through compilation, publication, and commercial energy, he helped ensure that maps became widely available tools, not rare scholarly artefacts. His career reflects the realities of seventeenth-century print culture, where authority, originality, and entrepreneurship were constantly negotiated.

Blome’s work stands as evidence that the history of cartography is shaped not only by genius, but by those who make knowledge circulate.

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