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This is a finely detailed and highly decorative map of Dorset by Willem Blaeu.
The map carefully delineates the hundreds (administrative divisions) of Dorset, with each boundary outlined in delicate hand-coloring. The cities, towns, and villages are marked, with principal settlements highlighted in red. The terrain and rivers are prominently shown, as well as the coastal features that define Dorset’s connection to the English Channel (Mare Britannicum). The map extends eastward to include part of Hampshire (Hantshire), while Somerset and Devon border the county to the north and west.
The Isle of Portland, a significant geographic feature of Dorset, is prominently depicted in the lower right, showing its unique connection to the mainland via Chesil Beach. The coastline is finely detailed, reflecting the maritime importance of Dorset, with depictions of ships and galleons sailing in the British Sea, reinforcing the county’s historical significance in trade and naval defense.
The upper-right corner contains four heraldic shields, representing notable families or municipal arms of Dorset and its surrounding counties.
Willem Janszoon Blaeu (1571-1638) was a prominent Dutch geographer and publisher. Born the son of a herring merchant, Blaeu chose not fish but mathematics and astronomy for his focus. He studied with the famous Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe, with whom he honed his instrument and globe making skills. Blaeu set up shop in Amsterdam, where he sold instruments and globes, published maps, and edited the works of intellectuals like Descartes and Hugo Grotius. In 1635, he released his atlas, Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, sive, Atlas novus.
Willem died in 1638. He had two sons, Cornelis (1610-1648) and Joan (1596-1673). Joan trained as a lawyer, but joined his father’s business rather than practice. After his father’s death, the brothers took over their father’s shop and Joan took on his work as hydrographer to the Dutch East India Company. Later in life, Joan would modify and greatly expand his father’s Atlas novus, eventually releasing his masterpiece, the Atlas maior, between 1662 and 1672.
![[ Dorset ] Comitatus Dorcestria. sive Dorsettia; Vulgo Anglice Dorset Shire](https://storage.googleapis.com/raremaps/img/small/111062.jpg)
