An ancient map produced 128 years before the creation of Great Britain is to go on display to the public - showing the counties of England and Wales in stunning colour.

The rare book, produced in the 1500s by Christopher Saxton, contains 35 hand-coloured maps which accurately document the lands in minute detail.

The Yorkshireman, who was born in Dewsbury in the early 1540s, used the original names for Leeds and Bradford - ‘Ledes’ and ‘Bradforthe’ - in his masterpiece.

It will be on show at Leeds Central Library next month.

Saxton, dubbed the father of English cartography’, required royal permission from Queen Elizabeth I to publish the work.

He got the financial backing of the monarch’s master of requests, Thomas Seckford, in 1574, and finally finished his amazing masterpiece four years later, in 1578.

The work, which was dedicated to The Queen, became the basis for all county maps for over a century after it was released in 1579.

In fact, Saxton’s Atlas was not fully replaced as the definitive representation of England and Wales until Ordnance Survey began publishing one-inch maps in 1801.

The Yorkshireman, who was born in Dewsbury in the early 1540s, used the original names for Leeds and Bradford - ‘Ledes’ and ‘Bradforthe’ - in his masterpiece.

Most of the maps within the atlas were engraved on single copper plates.

But Saxton decided his birth county was important enough to require two - making the map of it twice the size of that of England and Wales.

The book is so rare and cherished by experts, it has been compared to a map collector’s version of the first folio of Shakespeare.

And the esteemed cartographer Thomas Chubb said that for any enthusiast, it would be the “chief jewel and the crowning glory of the collection.”

Philip Wilde, library assistant at Leeds Central Library who has been researching the atlas, said the work represented a “massive leap” forward in mapping.

He said: “This remarkable collection of maps was the very first time anyone had comprehensively mapped the counties of England and Wales in this way, and Saxton’s diligence, dedication and eye for detail completely transformed our understanding of the entire nation.

“Today, thanks to modern technology, being able to see and understand the landscape of the country is always at our fingertips.

"But centuries ago this atlas would have been a massive leap in how people were able to relate to where they lived and its place in the nation as a whole.

“We’re extremely lucky to have such an important book in our collection both to study and for our visitors to see."

The atlas will be available to view at Leeds Central Library alongside other historic maps during a special heritage open day event at the library on September 9.

Councillor Mary Harland, Leeds City Council’s executive member for communities, said they were proud to let visitors see the piece of history.

She said: “Our libraries collection is home to some truly unique treasures which have played a huge part in the history of Leeds, Yorkshire and the country as a whole.

“We’re proud to be playing our part in preserving that special heritage and for our visitors to be able to view and be inspired by these remarkable books.”