This chart of the harbour of Liverpool is rarely seen on the market. It comes from William Enfield’s ‘An Essay towards the History of Leverpool’ published in 1773. The work is the first history of Liverpool by a dissenting divine who began his career in that city in 1763, when he was 22. It contains a wealth of historic and scientific information including details of the fish caught, the state of commerce, exports and imports, etc. The chart is drawn by Peter Perez Burdett (c.1734-93) a surveyor, mapmaker, draughtsman and engraver although he was not responsible for producing this plate. He began his career in Derbyshire before moving to Liverpool in 1771, the year he drew this map. It is not so well known that Burdett produced the first aquatint published in England and sold the process to Thomas Sandby. The chart is engraved by Thomas Billinge (1741-1816) who is also listed as one of the subscribers to the book. North is at the bottom of the map and the city of Liverpool is to the left. Various coastal bearings and landmarks are laid on and coastal profiles lie along the left margin. DNB; ESTC T145378; Lowndes (1864) I, p.739; Tooley (1999-2004); Upcott (1968) I, pp 466-67; Worms & Baynton-Williams (2011).