Cartographer Christopher Saxton took nine years to complete a painstaking tour of Elizabethan England and publish the first detailed atlas of the nation.A pristine copy of one of Saxton’s maps of Wakefield has caused huge excitement among the city’s historians because a private owner has put it up for auction.Wakefield Historical Society say the map – thought to be the city’s first ever – is so important that the council should spend public money to prevent it leaving the area.Original prints by Saxton attract massive interest from across the globe.The map, dated 1601, was commissioned by Wakefield’s wealthy Pilkington family, and has been valued at between £10,000 and £12,000.Members of the society believe funding should be made available to buy the map and put it on permanent display in the city’s museum.

The map is to be auctioned by Swindon-based auctioneer Dominic Winter early next year.

Posted: 12|6|05 at 9:34 am. Filed under: UK News.