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John Speed, is considered, by many, to be the most famous of all English mapmakers. He was born in 1552, at Farndon, in Cheshire and began his working life by becoming a tailor, as was his father. Later, he became deeply interested both in history and antiquities. He moved to London, in about 1582, still working as a tailor but finding time to continue with his interests.
In 1595, he produced his first map; a large wall map, comprising four sheets, of Canaan, as it would have been in biblical times.
In 1598, the work that John Speed was doing, in regards to his interests as opposed to his tailoring, came to the notice of a gentleman by the name of Sir Fulke Greville who arranged a position with the "Customs Service" for Speed. As a result, John Speed could make a living while still being able to pursue his interests.
Today, Speed is best known today for two atlases; the first is the "Theatre of the Empire of Great Britaine", which was published in 1612, and, the second, the "Prospect of the Most Famous Parts of the World", published in 1627.
In 1610-1611, Speed produced maps of the counties of England, which were not only popular, because of their accuracy, but also because they included, in many cases, town plans.
It is from the map of Sussex that my Grandfather made his sketch.
