anglicana formata : formal cursive script used as a book hand in England in the 14th century
anglicana formata hybrida : formal script used as a book hand in England, of the bastarda family
Anglo-Norman : form of French spoken by the Norman conquerors of England; also referred to as Norman French
annals : history of events recorded year by year
antiphon : verses sung alternately by two choirs, or by a soloist and choir; in the divine office, sentences from scripture recited before and after the Psalms and canticles
antiphoner : book containing the music for divine office; a sub-set of the breviary
Apocalypse : volume containing the Book of Revelations from the Bible, detailing the last days of the world and the Last Judgement
Apocrypha : Biblical stories which were not considered to be part of the official canon: those of the Old Testament were reinstated after they haad been excised in Jerome's Vulgate; those of the New Testament were not included in the official Biblical text
artist-scribe : a craftsman who has both transcribed and illustrated manuscripts
ascender : the part of a letter in a minuscule script which projects above the tops of other lower case letters, such as the upper part of l, h or b
autograph manuscript : a manuscript for which the scribe was the original author of the work
bastarda : family of book hands formed from the hybridisation of Gothic textura with cursive scripts
bastarda anglicana : book hand used in England in the 14th century, a hybridisation of Gothic textura with cursiva anglicana
Bastard Secretary : book hand developed in England from the hyridisation of Gothic textura with the French Secretary hand
Bâtarde : French bastarda book hand with many formal qualities from Gothic textura
benedictional : a book of prayers for use in the mass
Beneventan minuscule : script used in southern Italy and Dalmatia from the 8th to the 13th century
bestiary : book containing stories about and descriptions of diverse animals, with an overlying moral content
Bible : the basic text of the Christian faith, comprising the Old Testament which documents the history of the Jewish people before the birth of Christ, and the new Testament which details the life of Christ and its aftermath
bifolium : two pages from a book formed from a single sheet of parchment folded down the middle
bill : alternative term for a petition, a document directed to the king or Chancery Court requesting legal action
black letter Gothic : large clear and formal Gothic book hand
book hand : script used for transcribing books
Book of Hours : book containing readings and prayers to be read by members of the laity at the times of the daily office
borough charter : a grant by the monarch or other authority to a town granting certain privileges and allowing it to control certain of its own affairs
breviary : book containing the form of services for the daily round of divine office
bulla : unique lead seal attached to legal documents from the papal chancery, gives rise to the term papal bull
calendar : in terms of the liturgical calendar found in many religious manuscripts, a listing of the feast days and saints' days throughout the year
calligraphy : the art of decorative handwriting
canon law : the body of ecclesiastical rules or laws imposed by authority in matters of faith, morals and discipline
canon table : a concordance table in a Bible for locating passages of similar content in the four gospels
canticle : song or prayer, other than a Psalm, derived from the Bible and used in church worship
capitalis : a script composed entirely of capital letters; a majuscule script
capitalis quadrata : Old Roman majuscule script used mainly for inscriptions on stone, also called square capitals
carbon ink : black ink in which the major colouring matter is soot
Caroline minuscule : script developed from various precursors but established in the court of Charlemagne; became a standard form of script over much of western Europe; also known as Carolingian minuscule
carta ejecutoria : a form of letters patent produced by the royal chancery in late medieval Spain
cartulary : a collection of transcribed copies of charters in book form
catchword : a word written in the margin on the last page of a gathering, being the first word of the next gathering
chancery : in its most general form, refers to an administrative office, or writing office; in medieval England, the oldest and most important of the royal secretariats
chancery hand : distinctive style of script used by the royal chancery
charter : written grant of rights by sovereign or legislature
charter hand : script used for charters or other legal documents, term mainly used in Britain
chirograph : a legal agreement in which the text is entered twice, then the two halves separated with a zigzag cut and a half given to each party to the agreement; also called an indenture
Chrismon : a graphic sign representing the name of Christ
chronicle : a simple form of history which registers summaries of events in chronological order
codex : a manuscript in the form of a book
codicology : the study of books
colophon : an inscription added to the end of a manuscript book when it was completed
computistical : in relation to computing the movements of the moon, stars and planets
Corbie ab : formal minuscule book hand in use in France in the 7th and 8th centuries, associated, but not exclusively, with the abbey of Corbie
court hand : document hand produced by one of the official legal, legislative or administrative offices of government
court roll : record of law court proceedings in the form of a parchment roll
curialis : elaborate minuscule document hand used in the papal curia, or administrative offices of the pope, until the 10th century; also known as littera Romana
cursiva anglicana : cursive script used in the English chancery, adopted as a book hand in the 13th century
cursive : script which is rapidly written as letters are joined together
cursive capitals : majuscule script from around the 1st century AD, used for documents and personal handwriting; also known as Old Roman cursive
cursive half uncial : formal personal handwriting script of the late Roman era; also called quarter uncial
custumal : manorial document detailing units of tenure and the customary law of the manor
decretals : collections of letters written by the pope in answer to specific question, then having the authority of canon law
deed : legal document establishing ownership of land or property
descender : the part of a letter in a minuscule script that extends below the base line of the other letters, as in the lower part of p or g
diploma : type of very formal legal document or charter
diploma hand : document hand, used for legal or administrative documents; term mainly used in Europe
diplomatic : study of the formal qualities of a document, including standardised forms of wording and layout
diplomatic minuscule : script used for formal diplomas in Continental Europe, based on Caroline minuscule with elaborate ascenders and descenders
diptych : two tablets hinged like a book: in relation to liturgical works specifically refers to lists of people and churches to be prayed for displayed in this form
divine office : the daily cycle of choir services performed by clergy
document hand : script used for transcribing legal or administrative documents
dominical letters : a series of letters found in the calendar which allowed the determination of Sundays for any given year
dorso : the left hand page of an open book, or the reverse side of a page or document, often abbreviated as d
ductus: the order and direction in which the strokes which make up a letter are executed
edh : character in the Old English alphabet derived from a rune, representing th but resembling a d with a cross through the ascender
epitome : a series of extracts from or condensed version of a written work
evangelary : a book of readings or lessons for the mass
exchequer : the main financial office of the medieval monarchy of England
explicit : a heading indicating the end of a section of text
extent : manorial document listing holdings and tenants with their obligations in labour services and rent, also known as a terrier
exultet roll : a manuscript roll from which a deacon read the liturgy for Easter, with pictures places inverted with respect to the text so as to be visible to the congregation as the roll wrapped over the pulpit, originating almost exclusively from southern Italy
feet of fines : the third copies of final concords, or chirographs, retained by the law court and ultimately the treasury as a record
ferial psalter : liturgical book containing the Book of Psalms in the order that they are performed in the liturgy, or with aids to indicating that order
final concord or fine : document in the form of an indenture or chirograph recording the result of a lawsuit
florilegium : anthology, or collection of extracts from various works
folio : a single leaf or page of a manuscript; they are numbered with r (recto) for the front or right hand page and v (verso) for the back or left hand page
formata : referring to the formal and precise execution of a script
Gallican translation : one of the two generally used translations of the Psalms in the Vulgate Bible, based on Jerome's revision of the Old Latin version, used in all later medieval Bibles
gathering : a bundle of rectangular parchment sheets, folded and stitched to form a section of a book prior to binding; also called a quire
Germanic minuscule : family of scripts used in Germany in the 7th and 8th centuries
gloss : a commentary on, or sometimes a translation of, a manuscript work written between the lines or around the margins of the main text
golden number : a number assigned to each year by a computational process which identified the times of the new moon and allowed the calculation of the date of Easter
gold leaf : gold beaten out into microscopically thin sheets, which was applied to manuscript letters and illustrations
gospel : book containing the first four books of the New Testament; Matthew, Mark, Luke and John; detailing the life, death and resurrection of Christ
Gothic : suite of scripts of the later middle ages, originating in northern France and the low countries in the late 11th century; also refers to the architectural style which developed in the same time and place; originally the language of the Goths. The references to writing style and architecture were originally intended to be perjorative, associated with barbarism.
gradual : book of the music to be sung in the mass
great seal : the most important of the royal seals of England, served by the office of the Chancery
grisaille : in relation to manuscripts, miniatures or historiated initials executed in monochrome shades of grey
half uncial : script of the early medieval period, derived from late Roman, containing both minuscule and majuscule forms
hand : the distinctive features of the handwriting of an individual
hard point : method of ruling a manuscript page by scoring the lines into the surface of the parchment
herbal : book with illustrations and descriptions of plants, including their curative properties
historiated initial : enlarged initial letter containing a painting relating to the text
homilary : book containing the homilies or teachings of the early fathers of the Christian church
humanistic script : Italian script of the 15th century, based on Caroline minuscule
hymnal : a collection of hymns
ides : the 13th or the 15th of the month, depending on the month, in Roman dating
illumination : the decoration of a manuscript with gold leaf; the term is used loosely, but not strictly correctly, to refer to any illustrated manuscript
incipit : a heading indicating the beginning of a section of text
incunabula : a book printed before 1500
indenture : a legal agreement in which the text is entered twice, then the two halves separated with a zigzag cut and a half given to each party to the agreement; also called a chirograph
indiction : in dating terms, a repeating cycle of 15 years beginning on 1st September 312, introduced by the Emperor Constantine for taxation purposes but utilised as a dating system during the medieval era
inscription : part of a charter which identifies the grantor of the privileges specified
inspeximus : copy of an earlier document, confirmed by authority
insular half uncial : script in use in Britain and Ireland in the 7th and 8th centuries, a form of half uncial with some majuscule and some distinctively insular letter forms
insular majuscule : a form of half uncial used in Britain and Ireland in which certain capitalised letter forms from uncial are also included
insular minuscule : script originating in the early medieval period in Ireland, and spreading through Anglo-Saxon England
invocation : an invocation to the deity found at the beginning of solemn documents such as royal charters until around the 14th century
iron gall ink : a brownish ink made from various formulations which included ferrous sulphate and the galls from oak leaves
kalens or kalends : the first day of the month in Roman dating
leaf : a single page of a book
lectionary : book containing Biblical readings for the mass
legendary : book detailing the lives of saints
letters close : private letters or letters of lesser formality from a royal chancery, sent in closed form
letters patent : royal letters containing instructions to an official or initiating legal action, sent in open form and certified by seal
ligature : a method of writing certain letter combinations in which two separate letters are joined into a new form
litany : a form of prayer consisting of a series of petitions sung by a deacon, a priest or cantors, to which the people made fixed responses
literary cursive : Old Roman script combining cursive forms with some formal qualities of a book hand
littera Bononiensis : heavily abbreviated Gothic book hand used for the production of textbooks at the university of Bologna
littera Romana : elaborate minuscule document hand used in the papal curia, or administrative offices of the pope, until the 10th century; also known as curialis
liturgy : the prescribed rituals of the church, including mass and the divine office
Lombardic minuscule : family of scripts used in northern Italy during the 7th and 8th centuries
Luxeuil minuscule : formal book hand in use in the abbey of Luxeuil in France in the 7th and 8th centuries
majuscule : any script composed entirely of capital letters
mandate : letter from royal or papal authority issuing instructions or regulations
manicule : a pointing hand drawn in the margin of a manuscript to indicate an important section of text
manuscript : any document or book transcribed by hand
martyrology : book containing the lives and deaths of the Christian martyrs, to be read during mass on their feast days
Merovingian chancery script : calligraphic minuscule document hand use in the chancery of the Merovingian kings in France
Merovingian minuscule : family of scripts used in France during the 7th and 8th centuries
Middle English : English as it was spoken and written in the later middle ages, particularly as established around the 14th century
Middle Irish : form of the Gaelic language as it was used between 900 and 1200
miniature : a full page or smaller painting in a manuscript
minim : the hooked vertical strokes of lower case letters in Gothic script
Minnesinger : travelling ballad singers in Germany
minuscule : script composed of lower case letters
missal : book containing the complete instructions, readings and music for the mass
monastery : a community of monks, men who have taken vows of poverty, chastity and obedience
Mystery Play : theatrical performance based on Biblical themes, carried out as a series of vignettes by members of town craft guilds, usually in outdoor locations, on the feast of Corpus Christi
National Hands : a range of minuscule scripts developed in Europe during the 7th and 8th centuries
New Roman cursive : minuscule cursive script which evolved between the 2nd and 4th centuries in the Roman Empire
New Roman scripts : scripts which evolved from the 2nd to the 4th centuries in the Roman Empire
New Testament : the latter part of the Bible, particular to the Christian religion, detailing the life, death and resurrection of Christ and its aftermath
nomina sacra : names referring to the deity or highly sacred concepts
nones : the 5th or 7th day of the month, depending on the month, in Roman dating
Norman French : form of French spoken by the Norman conquerors of England; also referred to as Anglo-Norman
notary : an official empowered to draw up legal documents and to certify them by signature and his own distinctive sign
ogham : a form of the Latin alphabet used for inscriptions in Celtic countries in the early medieval period
Old English : English as it was spoken and written before and immediately after the Norman Conquest of Britain
Old Irish : form of the Gaelic language as it was used between 600 and 900 AD
Old Roman cursive : majuscule script from around the 1st century AD, used for documents and personal handwriting; also known as cursive capitals
Old Roman scripts : scripts in use around the 1st century AD in the Roman Empire
Old Testament : the first part of the Bible, shared with the Jewish faith, detailing the history of the Jewish people before the birth of Christ
ordinal : book containing instructions for the conduct of services, but which did not contain the texts or prayers
paleography : study of the form of ancient handwriting
palimpsest : a manuscript which has been re-used by scraping off the original text and writing over the top
papal bull : legal document issued under the authority of the pope
papal knot : form of abbreviation mark like a figure of eight found in formal papal documents and German imperial diplomas
papyrus : writing membrane made from the stem fibres of reeds beaten together in layers at right angles
parchment : writing membrane made of animal skin; may also be termed vellum
pastedown : parchment pasted to the inside cover of a book to hold down the edges of the leather binding
patent rolls : rolls in the English chancery where copies of letters patent were recorded
patristic : referring to the early fathers of the Christian church, the commentators of the early centuries AD
pecia : system of transcription of books in some universities, by which students hired master copies in sections to make their own transcripts
Pentateuch : volume containing the first five books of the Bible; Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy
petition : in relation to English law, document directed to the king or Chancery Court or its successors initiating legal action to arbitrate a grievance against another person or agency, also called a bill
Plea Rolls : transcription of the proceedings of the courts of common law in England
plummet : method of ruling the guide lines on a page using red lead
pontifical : book containing the text of services which had to be performed by a bishop
prebend : a cathedral benefice; normally consisting of the revenue from one manor of the cathedral estates which furnished a living for one cathedral canon, or prebendary
prescissa : a very formal variety of Gothic textura script with the bases of letters finished flat, without feet
primary source : the writings of an author contemporary with the period under study, or a first hand witness to events, or an original document from the period under study
private charter : legal document or grant of rights instigated by an individual rather than by royal or statutory authority
privy seal : one of the English royal secretariats, developed in the 14th century to forward instructions to the Chancery; also used in a more general sense for a lesser or private seal
processional : book containing prayers, hymns and litany for use during processions around a church of feast days
protogothic : early form of Gothic script of the 11th and 12th centuries; also known as transitional Gothic
prymer : a book of hours in the English language, used for learning to read
psalm : an extract from the Old Testament book of Psalms, a series of hymns of praise to God
psalter : book containing the Book of Psalms from the Bible, as well as other liturgical texts
quarter uncial : formal personal handwriting script of the late Roman era; also called cursive half uncial
quire : a bundle of rectangular parchment sheets, folded and stitched to form a section of a book prior to binding; also called a gathering
Ravenna chancery script : elaborate minuscule document hand used in the chancery at Ravenna, in Italy, in the sub-Roman period
recto : the right hand side of a double page, or the front of a folio, in a book, abbreviated as r
rental : list of tenants of a manor with acreage held and rent payable
response : the second part of a sentence, often from a Psalm, sung after a versicle by the second part of the choir
ritual : a book containing special services for occasional use, such as baptisms, marriages and visiting the sick
roll : a very long narrow document which is stored in rolled form
romance : tale of chivalry
Roman minuscule : form of Gothic script from Italy and southern France, with more rounded letter forms than those of more northerly areas, also called rotunda
rotunda : form of Gothic script from Italy and southern France, with more rounded letter forms than those of more northerly areas
rubric : a heading in red letters, using an ink derived from red lead
rubricator : scribe who entered the rubric headings in a manuscript
Rule of St Benedict : a set of rules for monastic life devised by an Italian monk, Benedict of Nursia, in the 6th century; became the basis for Western monasticism
runes : a form of the Latin alphabet used for inscriptions in Germanic countries in the early medieval period
runestone : a commemorative stone carved with runes
rustic capitals : a script composed of capital letters, derived from an early Roman form
sacramentary : precursor to the missal, being the service book of the mass containing only the sections intoned by the celebrant priest
saga : heroic tale originally passed own through oral tradition
salutation : in a charter, a formal greeting to those to whom the charter is addressed
scribe : a person who transcribes documents or undertakes dictation by hand
script : a generic form of handwriting used as a model by a scribe
scriptorium : the room in a monastery where writing was undertaken
scriptura monumentalis : formal Roman capital script, mainly used for carved inscriptions; also known as square capital
scriptura notularis : plain and functional Gothic book hand used mainly for textbooks
scrivener : a person who drafts documents
seal : piece of wax with the impression of a device indicating its authenticating authority
Secretary : French document hand adopted more widely as a book hand in the 14th century
set minuscule : used in relation to insular minuscule to designate a formal variety of the script in which letters are carefully formed and well separated
signet : the personal seal of the monarch of England, developed into a separate royal secretariat in the 14th century; also used in a more general sense for a small personal seal
Spanish round hand : document hand adopted as a book hand in Spain in the late 13th century
square capitals : formal Roman capital script, mainly used for carved inscriptions; also known as scriptura monumentalis
stylus : a pointed instrument for writing on a wax tablet, and sometimes for making notes on parchment
survey : document listing the holding and tenants of a manor with their obligations, in later periods accompanied by detailed topographical descriptions and maps
tabula : a display document made by attaching a parchment sheet, or several sewn together, to a wooden board or frame
terrier : manorial document listing holdings and tenants with their obligations in labour services and rent, also known as an extent
textualis : the most formal type of the Gothic book hands, also known as textura
textura : the most formal type of the Gothic book hands, also known as textualis
textura prescissa : formal type of Gothic book hand in which the letters are cut off straight at the base without feet, also known as textura prescissa sine pedibus
textura quadrata : formal type of Gothic book hand with carefully delineated feet on the bases of all letters
textura rotunda: Gothic book hand in which the bases of letters are finished with a circular flourish
textura semi-quadrata : Gothic book hand in which some of the bases of the letters have feet and others are finished with a circular flourish
thorn : character in the Old English alphabet derived from a rune, representing th. It evolved into a y form.
Tironian notes : a form of shorthand invented in Classical Rome and used mainly in the Carolingian era
transcript : a handwritten copy of a document
transitional Gothic : early form of Gothic script of the 11th and 12th centuries; also known as protogothic
troper : book containing the tropes, or later sequences, musical embellishments provided by the choir in the mass
troubadour : travelling ballad singer from the Provence region
uncial : script derived from late Roman form, comprising rounded capitalised letters
vellum : writing membrane made from animal skin; may also be termed parchment
vernacular : the writer's own native language
versicle : a short sentence, often from the Psalms, sung antiphonally during worship; it is answered by a response from the other part of the choir
verso : the left hand page of a double page of a book, or the reverse of a folio, abbreviated as v
Visigothic minuscule : script used in Spain from the late 7th to the 12th century
Vulgate : the version of the Latin Bible in standard use since the 7th century, translated or revised by St Jerome
warrant : an internal document passed between the English royal secretariats initiating action or legal process
wen or wyn : character in the Old English alphabet derived from a rune, representing w but resembling a narrow p
writ : a document from royal authority bestowing privilege or issuing a command
year book : in legal terms, a concise summary of court cases undertaken during the year, made by observers in the courts
yogh : character in Middle English representing a sound between y and g, superficially resembling a z