A fascinating and valuable collection of over 80 historic maps of Cornwall and the Scilly Isles sold for £46,000 at Bonhams Printed Maps and Books sale in Oxford today, 27 September.
Among the highlights was the first printed map of Cornwall from the first county atlas of England and Wales produced in 1576 during the reign of Elizabeth I. This delightfully coloured and very detailed map was sold for£10,000 against an estimate of £6,000-8,000.
The maps had been collected over a space of 40 years by Peter Dewhurst who was brought up in Bodmin. He emigrated to Southern California in the 1960s where he has lived ever since. Now in his seventies, Mr Dewhust said of the sale, “I am happy to know that the maps and charts which have given me so much pleasure over the years will be enjoyed and studied by new owners in new places.”
Bonhams senior book valuer at Oxford, John Walwyn-Jones said, “This was an outstanding collection of maps which had been put together with great care and discrimination and I am not surprised that it attracted so much interest.”
