1787 Sayer (1 results)
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Seller: Geographicus Rare Antique Maps, Brooklyn, NY, U.S.A.Geographicus Rare Antique Maps
Contact seller4-star sellerExcellent. Few minor scuffs not impacting printed image. Else an excellent example with generous margins and attractive hand color. Size 18.25 x 24 Inches. This is a beautiful example of Robert Sayers' Bermuda, incorporating Clement Lemprière's seminal survey of 1738. Lemprière's survey was the first important mapping of Bermuda… in the 18th century, and Sayers' imprint was the first widely available commercial application of that new data. A Closer Look Coverage embraces Bermuda and the adjacent seas. The northern-oriented work nests the islands of Bermuda with rhumb lines, but it is not only a sea chart: in addition to the copious nautical details of shoals and reefs, Sayer features detailed topography, roads, and settlements. 'Tribes' of Bermuda As with a number of its precursor maps, this work displays the administrative zones of Bermuda termed 'Tribes.' The Somers Isles company was founded by the shareholders of the Virginia Company formed in 1614. When the Virginia company folded in 1622, Somers Isles Company, which held a separate charter, continued to administer Bermuda for nearly six decades. Most of Bermuda was subdivided into eight equally sized administrative zones initially termed 'tribes,' later changed to 'parishes.' These were named for shareholders in the Company and were further divided (by tribe roads) into lots equating to shares held. Saint George formed a ninth subdivision, now the easternmost parish, incorporating Saint George's Island, Saint David's Island, part of the Main Island, and various smaller islands and islets around Castle Harbour (Southampton Harbour) and Saint George's Harbour. This area was held in common by the Company shareholders and served as Bermuda's original capital, Saint George's Town. While Saint George Harbour was easily accessed by maritime merchants, the location of the capital made it difficult to administer the western reaches of the island, where smugglers and pirates were most active. Bermuda, a haven for smugglers Lemprière was probably contracted by the governor of Bermuda to create a map of the island in an attempt to curb smuggling. By the 18th century, Bermuda had become a mecca for smugglers. The small archipelago was conveniently located on the trade route between the West Indies and Europe. Free traders, pirates, and smugglers from all countries could conceal themselves in Bermuda's many hidden coves and bays and conduct trade without paying the onerous East India Company tax. They could also use the hidden coves to trade with foreign nations under British embargo. The colonial governors tried in vain to stop the rampant smuggling, but with only a small military staff and a host of corrupt officials, the effort proved hopeless. Publication History and Census This chart was engraved for Robert Sayer in 1775, for inclusion in Thomas Jeffreys' West-India Atlas ; the present example is the second, 1787 state, distinguished by the changed date in the imprint the plate. A further, Laurie and Whittle appeared in 1797 following their takeover of Sayers' firm. Separate examples of the chart appear in a handful of institutional collections. It is rare on the market in any state. References: Rumsey 4723.006.
