John Senex (c.1678-d.1740) was geographer to Queen Anne and a Fellow of the Royal Society. He began his career as a bookseller later becoming an engraver and publisher. Although this map was begun by John Senex it was not completed before his death. His widow Mary (fl.1749-53) continued the business and published the finished map in 1746. It covers the entire south east coast and the various routes to London and would clearly have had a market in France also for travellers to Paris. It is interesting that the mapseller’s label of Jean Goujon (fl.c.1793-1826) in Paris is affixed to it.

The map is drawn from a few maps with which Senex was involved. One of the very first large scale English County maps published was that of Richard Budgen of Sussex in 1723. Senex was the engraver. He would later publish another of Surrey in 1729. These two formed the core of this maps geography. Mary Senex first published the map in 1746 for 1s. 6d. although presumable not too many sold, it is extremely rare. Indeed a search of numerous sources located just the one known example in King George III’s Topographical Collection at the British Library and one further listed in an O’Shea Gallery catalogue from 1986 which was found bound into a Saxton-Willdey atlas. The map extends as far west as Poole, Dorset and Marlborough, Wiltshire.

Following her death in 1753 the assets were dispersed and the map appears to have fallen into the Bowles families hands. For this second edition the title revised to include reference to the Roads, Rivers etc. and re-dated 1756. Similarly the imprint below the scale of miles, lower right, is altered to reflect the new owners. It was published by Thomas Bowles, John Bowles & Son, William Herbert and Robert Sayer. Thomas Bowles II (c.1695-1767) was here in partnership with his younger brother John Bowles (c.1701-1779) and his son Carington Bowles (1724-93) with whom he was in partnership from 1752-63. William Herbert (1718-95) and Robert Sayer (1725-94) were both the minor partners to the highly successful firm of publishers that were the Bowles family. Following the imprint is an advert for the Bowles atlas “Also a Sett of 34 large Maps containing the World and Quarters with all the principal Kingdoms of Europe.”

This appears to be the ONLY KNOWN EXAMPLE. Indeed no reference at all could be found to this later 1756 edition. Provenance: private English collection. Allpress (1993); Kingsley (1982) no. 23 & App. III no. 8; refer O’Shea Gallery ‘Kent and the Channel’ June 1986 item 454 (1746 issue); not in Rodger (1972) refer to no. 456; not in the British Library but refer to the 1746 Maps K.Top.6.67.