Christopher Saxton is one of the celebrated map makers of the world who was born in Dunningley. In his early life he gained inspiration for map making from John Rudd, a cartographer and local vicar.
Queen Elizabeth I commissioned him to make maps on the counties of Wales and England. He carried out this extensive work with the support of Thomas Seckford who was an important officer in the court of Queen Elizabeth I.
Around 1570s, Saxton started his survey of England after receiving a letter of consent from the Queen. By the year of 1577, Saxton finished the survey of England and in 1578 his survey of the whole of Wales was completed. During his survey he traveled extensively throughout the villages and towns of England.
The atlas of Christopher Saxton, which was published in 1579, was the foremost national map of any country. Christopher Saxton’s Atlas of Wales and England included maps of 34 counties and general maps of Wales and England.
The standard size of the maps were 397x 510 mm. Christopher Saxon’s maps included different geographical characteristics like natural vegetation and topography.