Thomas Moule (1784 – 1851) was a writer, bookseller, publisher, topographer and a scholar in heraldry. His varied career led him in 1830 to produce a series of English county map based on his own travel. He wrote that he has “with expensive diligence personally visited every county in England, excepting only Devonshire and Cornwall.” His maps were delicately engraved on steel in a highly decorative style, featured such embellishments as armorial bearings, figures, fancy borders and vignettes of local interest. This amount of ornamentation in mapmaking was unusual for the period as most mapmaker’s were instead creating scientifically accurate, austere works. His series of county maps were originally published in separate sections for each county (1830-32), then subsequently published in a two-volume work: The English Counties Delineated…, (1836). Beginning in 1841, the maps appeared in Barclays Complete and Universal English Dictionary.

This pair of attractive steel engraved maps provides detailed information of their respective counties, cities, towns, roads, canals and parks.

Suffolk. Decorative cartouche flanked by vignettes of Euston Hall and Heveningham Hall. Bottom corners adorned with farm equipment on left and angel with coat of arms on right. Attractive pillars with coats of arms serve as side borders.
Essex. Draped cartouche held by eagle on one side. Adorned with vignettes of Chelmsford and Southend. Includes coats of arms surrounded by garlands and scene of children harvesting wheat.

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Condition: A+

Beautiful color and dark impression.