This large scale map of Wiltshire is one of three county surveys published by the partners John Andrews and Andrew Dury and has a fine provenance. The other counties were Hertfordshire published c.1766 and Kent in 1769. This, the last of their counties, was first published in 1773. All three were undertaken at the very large scale of TWO INCHES TO THE MILE, only a handful were published with this much detail in the eighteenth century. John Andrews (fl.1766-98) was a geographer, surveyor, engraver and mapseller in London who is particularly well known for his fine collaborations with Andrew Dury (fl.1742-78). The latter is an under recognised publisher, printer, engraver, mapseller and surveyor. He produced many detailed and significant maps of various parts of the world. The large scale of this map affords a level of detail seldom achieved in other large scale county surveys.

The ornate dedication cartouche to the landowners of the county was the designed by Giovanni Battista Cipriani and engraved by James Caldwell (1739-1822). The imprint of the second sheet bears a personal advert for Andrews outside the neatline with their imprint ‘NB The said Jon. Andrews, Surveys & neatly Draws, Noblemens & Gentlemens Estates Plans & c. on moderate Terms’. The final leaf bears the title and below an extensive list of subscribers. There are 80 names who acquired a total of 179 examples. The list includes several Dukes including the Duke of Marlborough, General Carleton, the Governor of Canada and Viscount Weymouth of Longleat who took 4 setts. The Duke of Queensberry of Amesbury and the Earl of Shelburne from Bowood, took 40 copies each.

This example bears an interesting provenance. It bears the bookplate of Richard Cox (1718-1803) of Quarley, Hampshire. He was the founder of Cox & Kings the travel company. It began in 1758 when he was named Regimental Agent for the Foot Guards. There were about a dozen main agents at the time working for the army. Their job was to manage the payment of the officers and men, provide the clothing, acted as agents for the acquiring of commissions. It also involved the requisition of arms. In 1765 he formed a partnership with Henry Drummond whose family ran the London bank. Together they formed a formidable partnership and along with a reputation for taking care of its regiments. Cox’s London residence was opposite the Ritz Hotel on Albemarle Street and became famous for its social events. Within ten years the company’s turnover was £345,000. The American Revolution and the French wars brought even greater business. By the time of his death they were the largest agent to the British forces. The book was sold at the famous library sale of the Society of Writers to Her Majesty’s Signet, or the Signet Library.

Provenance: bookplate of Richard Cox, Quarley, Hampshire (will dated 7 September 1803); indecipherable manuscript ownership inscription on front free endpaper dated 1839?; with the gilt arms to the covers of the Signet Library; sold at the Signet Library sale at Sotheby’s 27 June 1960 lot 1479 (sale invoice loosely inserted) to Anthony Robert Alwyn Hobson whose bookplate is present. Kentish ‘Large Scale County Maps of England and Wales 1705-1832’, no. 62; Rodger (1972) 495; Worms & Baynton-Williams (2011).