Name: William Kip and William Hole
Dates:( flourished) 1598-c. 1610)
Map type: Small copper plate engraved maps.
William Kip is perhaps best known for his work published in William Camden's remarkable atlas, Britannia. William Hole and William Kip set to work to re-engrave Christopher Saxton's stunning 1574 collection of county maps. Keeping much of the detail the same on these significantly smaller versions, Kip and Hole give credits to Saxton on some, but not all, of the counties. For the uninitiated, Kip and Hole's county maps are often mistaken for the older, and much more valuable and larger Saxton maps.
Their first edition for Camden's Britannia, printed in 1607 had heavy, bold Latin text on the reverse of each map. Unfortunately, in some cases, often those with larger blank areas or minimally engraved areas of sea, this bold Latin print tended to obscure some details on the front of the maps. This problem was solved with the next edition of Britannia, published in 1610 without text on the reverse. and 1637 with an engraved plate number in the lower left corners of the maps.
Little detailed records exist for Kip's early life, but he is thought to have originated from the Low countries, hence he was possibly Dutch or Flemish, but he is often cited as an English engraver.
His first foray into the map trade he achieved by publishing a fine maps of the county of Hertfordshire in John Norden's Speculum Britanniae published in around 1598. William Camden published a third edition of his Britannia in 1637, again using Kip and Hole maps, before switching to the larger and slightly more up-to-date, Robert Morden maps for his 1695 and two more editions.
Their first edition for Camden's Britannia, printed in 1607 had heavy, bold Latin text on the reverse of each map. Unfortunately, in some cases, often those with larger blank areas or minimally engraved areas of sea, this bold Latin print tended to obscure some details on the front of the maps. This problem was solved with the next edition of Britannia, published in 1610 without text on the reverse. and 1637 with an engraved plate number in the lower left corners of the maps.
Little detailed records exist for Kip's early life, but he is thought to have originated from the Low countries, hence he was possibly Dutch or Flemish, but he is often cited as an English engraver.
His first foray into the map trade he achieved by publishing a fine maps of the county of Hertfordshire in John Norden's Speculum Britanniae published in around 1598. William Camden published a third edition of his Britannia in 1637, again using Kip and Hole maps, before switching to the larger and slightly more up-to-date, Robert Morden maps for his 1695 and two more editions.