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John Norden's 'Speculum Britanniae: Pars - the Isle of Wight' and Some Elizabethan Manuscript Maps of the Island

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John Norden's 'Speculum Britanniae: Pars - the Isle of Wight' and Some Elizabethan Manuscript Maps of the Island Proc. Hampsh. Field Club Archaeol. Soc. 47, 1991, 181-189 JOHN NORDEN'S 'SPECULUM BRITANNIAE: PARS - THE ISLE OF WIGHT' AND SOME ELIZABETHAN MANUSCRIPT MAPS OF THE ISLAND By FRANK KITCHEN ABSTRACT By now Norden had completed a description of Middlesex but as no financial support had This paper introduces and presents a description of the Isle of yet materialised he published it at his own Wight written in 1594 by the important cartographer John Norden. The provenance of his map of the Isle is discussed expense, again dedicated to Burghley. The and several other contemporary manuscript maps are con- following year a third Pars of the Speculum - for sidered. One of these is suggested as the source of the well Essex - was finished and Norden presented known map used by Speed in his atlas of 1611. manuscript copies to the Earl of Essex as well as to Burghley (Ellis 1840, ix—xxv). However, John Norden was born about the time of the neither Lord offered financial support so in death of Henry VIII and after graduating MA 1595 he made a supreme effort with the pro- from Hart Hall, Oxford began a career as a duction of a manuscript volume including lawyer. The first twenty years of his practice descriptions and maps of Middlesex, Essex, seem to have been mainly for country gentry; an Hampshire, Sussex, Surrey and the islands of occupation which led him about the country Wight, Jersey and Guernsey. This volume was and involved him deeply in land leases, ten- presented to the Queen with a pathetic cover- ures, management and survey. Early in the ing letter describing his hardship and travails 1590s he conceived his Speculum Brilanniae - The but Elizabeth was not moved. Mirror of Britain - a series of pocket guide Slowly Norden put the venture down. Dur- books to the counties of Britain, each to have a ing the next ten years he wrote perhaps three county map (Ravenhill 1972, 14). In 1591 he more descriptions: of Hertfordshire, Cornwall prepared the first Pars of this work, a manu- and possibly Kent (Gough 1768, I, 441). Even- script description of Northamptonshire which tually he gave up the task to concentrate on his he presented to Lord Burghley in the hope of work as a land surveyor and, apart from a gaining his patronage (British Library Maps, successful text on surveying, he confined his c7, b20). This was not forthcoming but in 1593 writing to devotional work and a traveller's the Privy Council did issue Norden with a guide promoting his invention of the trian- warrant to allow him 'to travail through gular distance tables so familiar in road atlases England and Wales to make more perfect today. He had a successful career both as description, charts and maps'. The Council surveyor and religious writer: he published instructed the 'Lieutenants of Counties, May- some 14 religious books, one of which went to ors, Sheriffs, Justices of the Peace and all others 40 editions and 'sold much better than the of Her Majesties officers and loving subjects . most successful of Shakespeare's Quartos' to permit and suffer the said J. Norden quietly, (Pollard 1926, 238). As a surveyor he became and without any manner of let or hindrance, to variously Surveyor of Crown Woods and Fore- travel and pass from place to place', and sts, of the Duchy of Cornwall, and in 1612, of requested those who could to help with him the King's Castles (Cal SP Domestic, xii, 4; 'sight and view' of any 'ancient muniments, lxxi, 43). books, rolls or records, that may further or help Despite the failure of the Speculum Britanniae, his work' (Historic Manuscript Commission, the county maps Norden prepared for it had 7th Report, Lowndes Mss, 540). some success. Those for Hampshire, Hert- 182 HAMPSHIRE FIELD CLUB AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY fordshire, Kent, Middlesex, Sussex and Surrey parte of Wiltesex and other places, maybe were used to illustrate the 6th edition of supposed to receyue denomination as from Camden's Britannia and John Speed 'augmen- them: 'Vite' or 'Wite' althowgh ther appeare ted' and used Norden's maps of Cornwall, sundrie opininons of the name as of the Lati- Sussex, Surrey, Middlesex, Essex and perhaps nes, or Romaynes, 'Vectis Insula'. As an Northamptonshire and Hampshire in his Islande carried from the mayne wherof it county atlas - The Theatre of the Empire of Great seemeth most probable to take name which Britain - i n 1611 (Laxton 1976). agreeth with the Britons who called it 'Gueid' The manuscript presented to the Queen or 'Guith' which signifieth 'diuorticum': a sep- which contained the description and map of eration. the Isle of Wight was probably placed in the The soyle of the Islande is affirmed to be Queen's Library but it was removed, doubtless vcric frutefull, aboundinge with cattel, corne, during the Civil War, and went through pasture, meadow, wood, fishe and fowle. numerous adventures before most of the vari- This Islande is now in length abowt 20 miles ous parts into which it had been split were as appeareth and 10 miles in breadth. But united in the British Museum in 1881 (British Bcdc reportheth it to be in his time 30 miles in Library, Add MS 31853). Most of the various length & 12 miles in bredth, which argueth a Pars of the Speculum which Norden completed decrease, confirming therby the separation. have been published since his death, the In the Britons time it was gouerned by a exceptions being those for Sussex, Hampshire, perticular Kinge from whom Vespasian, who Surrey, and the three islands. was sent into Brytayne by Claudius, subdued Norden's description of the Isle of Wight it to the Romaynes from whom after it was by adds little to our knowledge of the island in the them manie years enioyed. It was wonne late Elizabethan period, for on his own admis- agaync by the sowth saxon kings who helde the sion he did not visit the Isle, but it might be same tributarie untill it was agayne enforced considered of interest if only for the light it from them in the time of Athelwalde, a sowth sheds upon the confused state of knowledge of saxon kinge, by Cedwallo who slew Arualde, the island's past in 1595 and as a step towards Kinge of the Islande and helde the dominion the complete availability of this unique thcrof in his owne handes, by means of this document. usurped title wherof after him his successors were accompted kinges. This isle was firste conuerted to the SPECULUM BRITANNIAE: PARS - THE Christian knowledge by Wilfride B[ishop]. of ISLE OF WIGHT Yorke, to whome the same Cedwallo gaue 300 tenements in regarde of his preaching to then- habitantes. A Brief Commemoration of the Wight, Garnsey & In the time of H:l [Henry I] it was belonging Jersey to Baldewine of Redvers, called de Reduerys, Islands united bothe in ccclesiasticall and from whom K Stephen forceblye inuested the ciuell gouerment unto Hamshire and in that same. But was restored to his inheritance ther regard I thowght it fitt to remember them agaync by H:3 who made him Earle of ye thowgh I haue not traueyled in them but Wight after warde it came to Willm de For- reporting the description as the workes of tibus by mariage of the dawghter of Willm other men. Legrosse, E. of Awmarle [Albemarle], wife to The Wighte, an Islande as it were removed the seyde Baldwin in whose righte he became or separate by the working of the sea from the E. of Wight, Awmarle & Deuon. In whose lyne prouince of the 'Vites', a people of Germanie it contynued untill Isabell de Fortibus, sole of whom Bede sayth came also the Kentish heir unto the former Earldomes, yielded the men, which 'Vites' also possessing Hamshire, Wighte to E:3, contynunge in the possession of KITCHEN: JOHN NORDEN'S 'SPECULUM BR1TANNIAE 183 the crowrie till H:6 dignified Henrye Beau- and full of detail with a heavy load of place champe, sonne to the Lo. Richarde, E of names, but often with variant spellings to the Warwike, with the crowne therof as also of above text and Boazio's inscriptions. Norden Garnesey and Jarsey with other titles of high also softens the rather exaggerated hills of honour. Boazio's map. (For a reproduction of both This island hath bene often assaulted by the maps, see Turley 1976.) French as in the 1 yeare of Ric:2, the 5 of H:4 It is not known when Norden's map of &the37ofH:8. 'Hamshire' was published; the only extant state dates from c 1655 but it had obviously Things conteyned in the mappe of the Whighte: been printed extensively before for at this time the plate was showing clear and heavy signs of The Nedles, certayne sharpe rockes at the w. wear. This only known state of the printed ende of the Islande map omitted the border which contained the Whitewell Browndowne Wursley Sharpenode maps of the three islands (Laxton 1976). It has chyne Towre been suggested that Norden's map of the Isle Brooke Worder Fresh-water Rowner of Wight was copied by Mercator for his Atlas Motteson Ashe Wouluerton Brixston of 1595 and that, further, all three - Norden's, Shorwell Swaynston Quar Shalfleete Mercator's and Boazio's - ultimately derive Newton Gurner Pauue Areton from 'a common original, no longer extant' ye Cowe, E. Cowe Northwood (Turley 1974, 55). However, given that Nord- called en's manuscript was only presented to the W.Cow Whip- Wotton Cairebroke Newporte Queen with hope of publication under his own pingham name in that year, it seems more likely that ye Castle Brading Ryde Nenwall Mercator's was, like Norden's, based on the Compton Sande heade St.
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