A rare road map of England and Wales published by the firm of Bowles and Carver. Very few publications by the partnership survive to this day and they are particularly desirable. Carington Bowles (1724-93) died in 1793 and the old family business was continued by his son Henry Carington Bowles (1763-1830) and Samuel Carver, both members of the Joiners’ Company. Carver was apprenticed to Carington Bowles in 1770 and freed 1777. The Bowles family were wealthy and there was little incentive to compete with the likes of John Cary so many of their publications are scarce. The first edition of this map we have located appears to date from 1797. It was derived directly from Carington Bowles ‘Bowles’s New Travelling Map of England and Wales’ whose last edition was in 1788. This new plate however includes more roads, in particular many more local ones. The distance between points in miles is shown beside the road with distance from London circled by each major town. With a fine ornate title cartouche upper right depicting a coach and horses and two travellers either side. Provenance: private collection of Rodney Shirley. Tooley (1999-2004); Worms & Baynton-Williams (2011).