‘Extremely rare’ Tudor map of Devon town to go on display

An “extremely rare” Tudor map of a Devon town will go on display after more than 400 years in private hands.

The South West Heritage Trust said the hand-drawn 1586 map of Kingsbridge would go on display at the Devon Heritage Centre in Exeter.

It said a grant of £17,691 from the Friends of the Nations’ Libraries and funding from the Friends of Devon Archives had made it possible to secure the historic map, which contains detailed depictions of key features of the town, including the parish church.

Friends of the Nations Libraries’ chair, Geordie Greig, said: “Estate maps of the 16th century are extremely rare, and this sort of view even rarer. This is an exceptional example.”

The trust said the map was in “outstanding condition”, showing detailed depictions of a pillory and a ‘Cheape House’, a central building in the town’s main street where the manor court was held until its demolition in 1796.

The trust said the document maps land belonging to Sir John Petre, the lord of the manor, and was likely commissioned by him.

It said the Petre family were long‑established figures in Devon’s history; Sir John’s father, Sir William Petre, served as Secretary of State under Henry VIII, Edward VI and Mary I.

Scott Pettitt, head of Devon archives and local studies, said: “Contemporary visual representations of provincial towns from the Elizabethan period are remarkably scarce.

“Illustrations of smaller towns from this era are seldom found.

“We are delighted that this important piece of Devon’s past will now be preserved and made accessible for everyone – from academic researchers to local historians and the wider community.”