The map is engraved by Peter Andrews on nine sheets at a superb scale of two inches to the mile. This is one of only a handful of county maps done at such a scale in the eighteenth century and is the largest scaled map of the county to date. Rocque died in 1762 before the map was published but the majority of the survey work was clearly done. Indeed the style is so similar to his earlier engravings it must be thought that Rocque did engrave much of the map and that it was completed by Andrews. It was first published posthumously by his widow, Mary Ann Rocque c.1768. This third state is identified by the addition of Battersea and Richmond Bridges. Richmond Bridge commenced construction in 1783 and was completed by 1787. One curious fact about the map is that it is oriented to magnetic north, not true north. Quite why one would do that on a map of such a small area is not quite understood. Did travellers really use the compass when passing through the county! Provenance: private English collection.

Jean Rocque (c.1704-62), to use his native name, was a Huguenot émigré who at an early age settled in England. By 1734 he was a surveyor, engraver and publisher. His work is renowned for its beauty as well as its accuracy and several important large scale maps were produced by him. Amongst them are only four large scale county maps, the first was of Shropshire in 1752 followed by Middlesex, 1757, Berkshire 1761 and Surrey posthumously in c.1768. Rodger (1972) 434.