AN EXTREMELY rare early map of Bryanston Estate near Blandford will be auctioned off next month by Sotheby’s.

The map dates back to the 17th century and came up for auction after being passed down by descent from the collection of one of the founders of Bryanston School.

It is part of a Sotheby’s sale of English Literature, history, children’s books and illustrations.

The map offers a charming insight into this familiar corner of Dorset and provides a fascinating snapshot into the agricultural landscape of the county in the 17th century.

The estate plan is highly decorative – the enclosures are heightened in gold and the fields come to life with miniature sketches of farmers tending to the fields and cattle and sheep roaming freely. It is even furnished with enchanting vignettes of the team who undertook the survey (displaying their seventeenth-century attire and tools).

The map is being offered with an estimate starting at £10,000.

It is a chance to own a piece of Dorset’s rich history and of Bryanston school – whose motto is Et nova et vetera (both the new and the old).