Bedford Comitatus olim pars Cathifuclanorum.

A beautiful early 17th century map of Befordshire, based on the first survey of England by Christopher Saxton, and published in Camden's Britannia (pub. London: 1607-1637). As well as being the earliest printed map of Bedfordshire at an 'affordable' price, it is also the first map dedicated solely to the county itself.
The map features a strap-work title and a dedication, with a milage scale on top. In the lower left corner is half a decorative compass rose.
The county is well laid out, with easy to read place names, all highlighted in red, parks, woodlands, major rivers and hills are well defined and skillfully engraved. The cartography spills over into parts of neighboring counties also.

The ''Britannia', first published in 1586, was one of the most popular and influential books of the period. It was the work of the Elizabethan antiquarian, William Camden (1551-1623), and was a detailed historical and topographical description of Great Britain.
Its patriotic sentiments, in particular, both appealed to, and generated the growing sense of nationalism that was coursing through late Tudor / early Stuart society. Between 1607 and 1637, the county maps engraved by William Kip and William Hole, and based largely on Chistopher Saxton's earlier surveys. These maps have the distinction of being the first set to show each county individually, as opposed to several being grouped together on one page. Camden's 'Britannia' continued to be published well into the 19th century, from 1695 to 1772, county maps by Robert Morden were used, and from 1789 to c.1815, those by the renowned John Cary.