John Leland's Itinerary: Travels in Tudor England

Rating:
Summary: Great Survey of England Circ. 1540's
Review: This is a wonderful reference book for England during the period of Henry VIII's reign. John Leland (or Leyland as it may have been written in his day) was Henry's servant and passed soon after his master left this world. This book was a survey of his travels around England circ. 1540's. Though the book is not complete by any means, it does provide some information about some of the shires, cities, towns and hamlets in England. Specifically the following shires are noted (alphabetically): Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Cheshire, Cornwall, Cumberland, Derbyshire, Devon, Dorset, Durham, Essex, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Herefordshire, Hertfordshire, Huntingdonshire, Kent, Lancashire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, London & Middlesex, Norfolk, Northamptonshire, Northumberland, Nottinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Rutland, Shropshire, Somerset, Staffordshire, Suffolk, Surrey, Sussex, Warwickshire, Westmorland, Wiltshire, Worcestershire, and Yorkshire. The book has a superb index of names and places.

As I have worked on a genealogical survey of my family with roots in England, I have found this book to be indispensable. Many times a place is mentioned in family lore which I have been able to locate in Leland's Itinerary. On the whole, I believe this to be a great resource book though not a great reading book.