Saxton Atlas Title Page

©

Christopher Saxton (b.1542?) [Atlas of the counties of England and Wales] [London: 1590?]

Under Elizabeth's patronage, one of the greatest works in British geography was carried out. The surveyor, Christopher Saxton, traveled throughout the realm to gather information for maps. The result was a general map of England and thirty-four county maps of England and Wales. Some copies, like this one, were handcolored. Instead of a title, Elizabeth herself is enthroned on the title page, with figures of Cosmography and Geography next to her and a mapmaker and astronomer at the bottom. Evoking ancient ties between the sovereign and the land, she herself figures the realm that is laid out in maps behind her.

Elizabeth I, Then and Now
Exhibition Highlights

Introduction | Court Life | Elizabeth's Wardrobe | Foreign Affairs | Leicester and Essex | The Scottish Connection | Elizabeth as Ruler | Elizabeth's Funeral | Afterlife, Then and Now

Exhibition Catalogue | Elizabeth For Young People | Curator's Notes | Elizabeth I Exhibition Home Page

This page updated August 15, 2003