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Description

Rare Second Earliest Map of the Carolina Colony

Nice example of the Richard Blome's map of Carolina, the second printed map of the Colony.

The map is oriented with west at the top and illustrates the newly formed colony

First issued in 1672, Blome's map is the second printed map of the English Colony of Carolina, pre-dated only by the rare Robert Horne map of 1666. /gallery/detail/11867

As noted by Burden:

The map created confusion between the old and new settlements of Charles Town. The earlier short-lived settlment of Charles Town was founded in 1664 by a number of planters from Barbados and abandoned three years later. It illustrates Charles Town correctly near Cape Fear but applies the Ashley Riv relating to the later 1670 settlement of Charles Town, which is further south. The latter was not officially called Charleston until incorporated in 1783 and should be placed just to the south of C. Romano. The author was clearly aware of some other sources as he applies C. Cateret to the correct location; the relative location of Charleston should have been identified in the same source. We have to assume, therefore, that either he did not wish to drastically alter his plate, or he did not have the full details available. He clearly did not have to hand the . . . John Ogilby map of CAROLINA published at about the same time. We should bear in mind that Blome's promised publication date had already passed.

There are other minor differences. At the same time as the addition of the Ashly Riv. the Charles River was removed from the same region. The southerly extension of Cape Fear has been correctly shortened. No example of the map before its correction is known. Similary before publication there is an alteration to the title. All of th flora and fauna depicted in the Horne map is hear omitted. The arms of the eight Lords Proprietors in an elaborate cartouche are illustrated lower left.

Blome's map appeared in the 1672 edition of his A Description of The Island of Jamaica . . . which despite its title was one of the best general promotional tracts of the period. The book's title reflects the patronage of Sir Thomas Lynch, Governor of Jamaica and Colonel Thomas Modyford, a large land owner on the island. The map bears an elaborate dedication to Lord Calvert, Absolute Lord & Proprietary of ye Maryland & Avalon, and includes a large engraving of the Calvert Coat of Arms and Motto, Fatti Maschij Parole Femine.

Rarity

The map is extremely rare on the market.

Blome's book did not appear in the Streeter Sale in the 1960s or in the Frank T. Siebert Sale in 1999. The only auction record we could locate in the past 60 years for the 1672 edition of the book was the example which appeared in the 1991 Pierre S. duPont III Sale. A.S.Rosenbach described the book as rare in 1905.

This is the second example we have offered for same in 25 years.

 

 

Reference
Burden 420.