An EXTREMELY RARE early plan of King’s Lynn in Norfolk found in only THREE RECORDED EXAMPLES. It was drawn and published by William Rastrick in 1725. Rastrick (d.1752) was an only son who succeeded his father as preacher to the Spinner Lane congregation in King’s Lynn following his death in 1729. He appears not to have been ordained but held a high reputation in the community. From an early age he seems to have had scientific interests, he published a paper in the ‘Philosophical Transactions’ (xxxv. 1727-8) recording his observations of the aurora borealis over four years in King’s Lynn. Rastrick died in August 1752 and is buried in St. Nicholas’ Chapel, King’s Lynn.

This fine plan of the town must be Rastrick’s crowning glory. It is oriented with north to the left of the page as indicated by the ornate compass rose. It details the layout of the town within the ancient walls noting important buildings and places of interest keyed A to BB. These are detailed in panels upper left and right, the left side is a Latin version of the one on the right. Beneath these are found the 50 keys to the street names and numerous bridges. Below these panels are two vignette illustrations of the ‘Porticus Nundinaria Lennensis’ and ‘Bursa Lennensis’. A busy port is indicated with numerous vessels at harbour, a larger one is shown mid-river. Supplies are being towed into town by a horse up-river. A fine prospect of the town appears lower left above which is a dedication to Robert Walpole, Prime Minister at the time. A scale of miles, coat of arms, two medallions and the town’s regalia finish off the map.

It is stated twice that the delineator was Rastrick but it is possible that the mapmaker Thomas Badeslade was involved or connected in some way. Badeslade was a surveyor and mapmaker whose early career is largely concerned with improvements to the river and drainage systems in the Fens. Indeed in 1725 he published ‘History of the Navigation Port of King’s Lyn’ for which this map may have been produced to accompany.

An extensive search of records could only locate three examples in British Institutions, two at the British Library. One forms part of King George III’s Topographical Collection (BL K.Top.31.(28.)) and another is found bound into ‘An Essay towards a Topographical History of the County of Norfolk’. vol. 4, Lynn, 1775 (BL G.3789). It has also been located at the Library of The Royal Society in UK.