Smith Map
Overview
Smith's map of 1585/8 shows only a few changes from the Braun and Hogenberg map of 1581. One notable change is that the arch under the spur-wall leading to the Watertower appears to have dried.
Description of Chester
- "Chester is a most ancient & famous cittie, standing uppon the river of Dee, which is there about 200 foote brode, over the which there is a fayre stone bridge of 8 arches. The castell standeth on a hill within the walles, which walles are in compass round about 2000 paces, which is two myles, and hath 4 principall gates, with very fayre & large suburbes. The barres of the citties are of stone : within the liberties of the cittie are 9 parish churches, besydes chapells & other religious places. The howses are builded in such sort, that a man may go from one place of the cittie to another and never come into the streetes, which manner of building I have not hard of in any other place of Christendome. The said river of Dee springeth in Merinothshyre, & passeth throwgh a lake called Lhin Tegill, after (receving dyvers rivers by tht way) it entreth throwgh Denbighshyre, where (so soone as it hath recei'ed the river of Keriog) it parteth Shropshyre from Denbighshyre, & after hath Flintshire on the right syde & Denbighshyre on the left, vntill it come almost to Shocklidge, where it parteth Cheshire from Denbighshire, vntill it come 2 mylcs beneath Holt Castell, and then for the space of a myle parteth Flintshire from Cheshire, & after hath Cheshyre on both sydes ; lastly it touchcth on the south syde of the cittie of Chester, where (after it hath passed the bridge) it fetcheth a round compasse, making a fayre playne called The Rood Eie, toucheth also on the west syde of the cittie. And after it is past the New Tower of the said cittie, it becommeth alwaies broder and broder, vntill it fall into the sea, which is 16 myles from Chester."
Features
- The "Horse Market" at Gorse Stacks has become a huge feature. It is not clear whether the road leading to the upper right from it is Brook Street or St Anne Street.
- Two towers are shown between the Phoenix Tower and the Northgate. These are not shown on other maps and there is no evidence that they existed in the 16thCent., although there were Roman towers along this section of wall.
- Building on the east-side of Northgate Street is not continuous. It has been suggested that at an earlier date this was simply a wall marking the boundary of the Cathedral quarter.
- "Brewers Hall" is shown for the first time. The estate, which lay west of the city on the river cliff overlooking the Roodee, was held by the Bradford family, serjeants of the Eastgate from the 1280s. It passed to the Trussell family of Warmingham in the 14th century and from them c. 1500 to the Veres, earls of Oxford. After its sale by Edward de Vere, 17th earl, in 1580, it passed successively to Hugh Beeston, Sir Thomas Egerton, and the Wright family, whose descendant sold it in the mid 18th century to William Hanmer of Iscoyd (Flints.). Hanmer's daughter Esther married Assheton Curzon, later 1st Viscount Curzon, whose grandson and heir R. W. P. Curzon-Howe, 1st Earl Howe, developed the estate as Curzon Park, then disparaged as 'a cold bleak hill', in the 1840s. The ancient mansion was demolished during the siege of Chester and was afterwards replaced by a farmhouse. Nowadays, a golf-club stands on the site.;
- Shipgate is not shown, but the Capelgate next to the Watergate is;
- Love Street and Dee Lane possibly appear, as does Garden Lane;
- The Bars are shown, as are the gallows at Boughton: this was the place of Execution at Chester.
History
William Smith’s (1588) plan of Chester from his “The Particuler Description of England With the portratures of certaine of the cheiffest citties & townes” (Source: British Library, Harley MS 1046, fol. 173)
William Smith, (not to be confused with the 18th century William Smith “Father of English Geology” - also a famous map-maker), was an antiquarian and "Rouge Dragon" at the College of Heralds/College of Arms. This was an institution that specialized in genealogical work, increasingly more so during the Elizabethan age as the gentry class rose in importance. The "Rouge Dragon" is the name of one of the Pursuivants, a heraldic officer attendant on the heralds, often attached to a particular nobleman, named so because of their badges.
In 1588 Smith completed "The Particuler Description of England. With the portratures of certaine of the cheiffest citties & townes". This work consisted of drawings of English cities and towns in a traditional bird's eye view style, and combination drawings amalgamating the bird's eye view and plan. He is also credited with a drawing of Chester, dating from 1585 and possibly a preparatory drawing for the map. It shows Chester as a walled city. The prominent coat of arms reveals Smith's heraldic interests.
In the year 1602-03 William Smith anonymously published maps of Chester, Essex, Hertfordshire Lancashire, Leicester, Norfolk, Northamptonshire, Staffordshire, Suffolk, Surrey, Warwickshire and Worcester. These were probably engraved in Amsterdam and were intended to form sheets of a new atlas. After the publication of Saxton’s county maps in the 1570s, cartographers attempted to improve on Saxton’s atlas and replicate its success. Unfortunately for Smith, another cartographer, John Speed, was also preparing county maps at that time and competition proved too great, Speed being the victor.
Sources and Links
Related Pages
Online
- Smith's drawing;
- The particular description of England. 1588 (see page 44 for Chester);
A gallery of Old Maps of Chester
Braun and Hogenberg (1581)
Smith Map (c.1588)
John Speed (c.1610)
Hollar's Map (1660's)
Lavaux Map (1745)
Hunter Map (1789)
Mutlow and StockdaIes Map (1795)
Coles Map (c.1804)
John Webb Map (1833)
Hugh Roberts (1858)
1923 map of Chester
