Stafford Countie and Towne with the ancient Citie Lichfield described. . .

A beautiful early edition John Speed's map of Staffordshire. As well as the county itself, the map boasts all manor of embellishments and decoration; a pair of wonderful town plans of the cities of Stafford and Lichfield, a baroque style title with the royal coat-of-arms above, an explanation paragraph concerning the engraved Battle of Blore Heath - 14th Sept 1459 a War during the English War of the Roses between the rival Houses of York and Lancaster, and the arms of the Barony of Stafford.
The north of the county, that which adjoins Chesire and Derbyshire, is largely moorland. Much of the county is heavily wooded, with a number of chases, woods and deer parks in evidence. Waterways abound, and some areas of the county had mineral deposits (coal & iron). It is alledged that none of the counties 13 market towns were prosperous, this is evidenced by the small size of the two towns represented with a town plan. There was also some glass production. .

John Speed (1552-1629) is the most famous of all English cartographers primarily as a result of The Theatre of the Empire of Great Britaine, the first atlas of the British Isles. The maps from this atlas are the best known and most sought-after of all county maps. The maps were derived mainly from the earlier prototypes of Christopher Saxton and Robert Morden but with notable improvements including parish "Hundreds" and county boundaries, town plans and embellishments such as the coats of arms of local Earls, Dukes, and the Royal Household. The maps are famed for their borders consisting of local inhabitants in national costume and panoramic vignette views of major cities and towns. An added feature is that regular atlas copies have English text printed on the reverse, giving a charming description of life in the early seventeenth century of the region. The overall effect produced very decorative, attractive and informative maps.