Cheshire Drawn from the Best Surveys Maps Charts &c and Regulated by Astron. Observations – T Kitchin – c.1769

Fine engraved miniature county map of Cheshire, delicately hand-coloured and presented with generous original margins. The map depicts the county in considerable detail, extending from the River Dee and the Welsh border eastward across the county to the Derbyshire boundary, with Chester prominently marked near the western edge. Roads, rivers, market towns, villages, parks and principal settlements are carefully engraved in the compact yet highly legible style associated with Thomas Kitchin’s smaller-format county maps.

The decorative cartouche at lower left is particularly attractive, incorporating surveying instruments, drapery and a standing female figure, reinforcing the map’s practical and scientific purpose during the great age of British surveying and improvement. A compass rose appears at right, while county boundaries are highlighted in contemporary outline colour. Flintshire and parts of North Wales are also shown along the western border.

Thomas Kitchin (1718–1784), Hydrographer to the King and one of the most prolific English engravers and cartographers of the eighteenth century, produced numerous county maps for atlases and geographical compendia aimed at both travellers and educated readers. His maps distilled earlier county surveys into elegant and accessible forms, balancing decorative appeal with practical topographical information.

This example survives in notably attractive condition, with strong early hand-colouring and good margins. The engraving remains clean and sharp throughout. Minor age toning and light handling wear to margins only. In near fine condition overall.

A pleasing and decorative eighteenth-century map of Cheshire by one of England’s most important commercial cartographers.

Approx. sheet size: 38.4 x 20.8 cm.

Institutional examples of Kitchin’s county maps are held in major collections including the British Library, Bodleian Libraries and National Library of Scotland.

Location: Map Drawer B

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