Thomas Badeslade (fl.1719-1745) was a surveyor and engineer who was involved in many schemes to improve the waterways. He was also an established author and in 1742 he had William Henry Toms (fl.1723-61) engrave a series of maps from his draughts and publish them as the ‘Chorographia Britanniae’. It is the first pocket size English county atlas published in the eighteenth century. It is surprising that it took so long considering the runaway success of the ‘Britannia Depicta’ of 1720. The first edition of the atlas is found in four variants and was on sale for only a short period of time. Within two or three months a new edition was published.

This is the identical to Hodson’s atlas ‘G’ will all maps dated 1742 below. The title page now bears the addition of the price below the neatline: ‘Price in Sheets 5s. Bound 6s.’ All of the plates retain the date 1741 but all maps now include numerous added place-names and other details. Provenance: signature of Benjamin Cook on recto of title; private English collection. Beresiner (1983) pp. 49-50; Chubb (1927) 171; ESTC T165385; Hodson (1984-97) no. 189 (atlas G p. 164); Shirley (2004) T.Bad 1b; Worms & Baynton-Williams (2011).