Very little is known about either George Cole or John Roper. The latter appears to have engraved the plates to the atlas from the drawings of Cole. Two however were not engraved by him, Cheshire and Caernarvonshire. The publishers were the established firm of Vernor, Hood and Sharpe who began publishing the ‘British Atlas’ in parts from October 1804. The maps were produced to accompany Britton and Brayley’s ‘Beauties of England and Wales’ issued from 1801, a statement to which effect is found on most of them. Its announcement appears in part 32 in May 1804. Each part issue of the ‘British Atlas’ contained two maps and usually one town plan, or three county maps. The maps were reduced from ‘original surveys … published by Mr. Faden whose permission was exclusively granted …’ The maps are very attractive. The contents leaf states that the atlas contains 57 maps and 22 plans. However the maps never list that of the Isle of Wight which is always present. The list of town plans always bears Shrewsbury which was never included. Therefore the true count is always 58 maps and 21 town plans. Provenance: private English collection. Beresiner pp. 88-90; Carroll no. 62; Chubb 339.