Gothic scripts

• Document hands
• very formal diploma hands
• papal minuscule (12th century papal bull, Latin) A very formal papal bull of Pope Eugenius III, showing the most elaborate calligraphy, including some idiosyncrasies unique to the papal chancery. No paleography exercise yet, but coming one day.
• papal minuscule (12th century papal bull, Latin) A bull of less formal grade, from the same pope and very similar date, showing the simpler script employed for this purpose. No paleography exercise yet.
• diplomatic minuscule (12th century German imperial diploma, Latin) Small segment from a formal diploma of the emperor Conrad III of 1139, showing the quite ridiculous script of the 12th century imperial chancery. No paleography exercise yet.
• papal minuscule (13th century papal bull, Latin) Segment of a formal privilege of Pope Gregory IX of 1234 confirming papal protection to the monastery of St Gall. No paleography exercise as yet.
• papal minuscule (15th century papal bull, Latin) Less formal type of papal bull of Pope Eugenius III of 1441granting permission to Eton College to lease their lands, in the quite exquisite diplomatic script of the period, based on humanistic display script. No paleography exercise as yet. OK, I have to get my head around these pompous documents and get some exercises done.
• English protogothic
• charter hand (12th century private charter, Latin) Charter of the late 12th century in which Gervaise Payne gives a mill to the nuns of Nuneaton, in the spiky charter hand of the period, with a rather nice equestrian seal. With paleography exercise.
• charter hand (12th century private charter, Latin) Charter of 1177-1187 in which Ralph Cuningburgh notifes the Archbishop of York of his grant of land to Byland Abbey, in a formal protogothic charter hand, with another nice equestrian seal. With paleography exercise.
• chancery hand (12th century royal writ, Latin) Writ of Henry II addressed to the justices and sheriffs of England, in which the king forbids anyone to accept gifts of lands belonging to St Walery from unwise abbots. In a cranky and spiky script less formal than that used for charters. With paleography exercise.
• English formal Gothic
  • calligraphic charter (13th century private charter, Latin) Private charter of the 13th century in which three serfs are sold for a silver mark, in a formal early Gothic charter hand. With paleography exercise.
  • ecclesiastical (13th century appeal to the Holy See, Latin) Notarial document of 1281, being an appeal to the Holy See concerning the appointment of a rector to a church in York, in a formal rounded document hand of ecclesiastical character, with a large notary's mark. With paleography exercise.
  • formal charter (early 16th century formal document, English) Elaborately decorated abstract of agreement of 1500 between King Henry VII and the abbot and convent of Westminster, in English, using a very formal script that has more in common with a Gothic bastarda book hand than the usual document hand. With paleography exercise.
English chancery style cursive
• cursiva anglicana (13th century ecclesiastical charter, Latin) Charter of the later 13th century in which the nunnery of Wilton grants land to an individual in perpetuity in return for an annual rent, in the loopy cursiva anglicana script typical of the chancery at this period, with a very interesting seal. With paleography exercise.
• informal chancery hand (early 13th century royal writ, Latin) Segment from a writ of Henry II of 1234, notofying his foresters of Essex that certain barons have come to his peace, in the informal chancery hand of the period as used for these lesser documents. No paleography exercise as yet, but coming soon.
• cursiva anglicana (13th century royal charter from Germany, Latin) Charter granted to Hugh le Despenser by Richard, King of the Romans, in 1257, in a beautiful cursive hand that looks like English chancery cursive influenced by European diploma hand. No paleography exercise as yet, but coming soon.
• charter hand (13th century ecclesiastical charter, Latin) Early 13th century charter of the abbey of Bury St Edmunds, granting tenant services to an individual for a small rent, in a medium grade charter hand, with two impressive ecclesiastical seals. With paleography exercise.
• cursiva anglicana (late 13th century royal letters patent, Latin) Letters patent of 1291 of Edward I, announcing that he has given the heart of his deceased father to the abbey of Fontevraud, in loopy chancery cursive. No paleography exercise yet, but it will be coming.
• chancery hand (early 14th century royal writ, French) Royal privy seal writ of Edward III of 1328 ordering the abbot and convent of Westminster to hand over the coronation stone of the Scottish kings to be returned to Scotland. They didn't. In a rather untidy informal chancery cursive. With paleography exercise.
• chancery hand (14th century chancery warrant, French) Chancery warrant of 1349 of Edward III, issued under the privy seal to the chancellor, in the less formal chancery cursive as used for internal documents. With paleography exercise.
• cursiva anglicana (14th century private letters patent, French) Letters patent of 1347 of Ralph, Baron Stafford, granting arms to his cousin, in a chancery style cursive. With paleography exercise.
• cursiva anglicana (private charter, Latin) Private charter of Richard and Elizabeth Redmayn of 1417, involving a land transfer, in a chancery style cursive which is beginning to get more spiky than loopy, with two seals. With paleography exercise.
• cursive charter hand (15th century private charter, Latin) Private charter of 1444 concerning land dealings in Essex, in a moderately formal charter hand, with five seals. With paleography exercise.
• chancery hand (15th century petition, English) Petition of 1439 to the chancery by William Pencrych regarding the payment of a debt, in the angular bastarda style of chancery cursive. With paleography exercise.
• chancery hand (15th century petition, English) Petition to the abbot and convent of Tewkesbury of 1449 requesting letters patent under the great seal, in a neat cursive hand. With paleography exercise.
• chancery hand (15th century petition, English) Petition of 1445 from the abbess of Barking requesting two tuns of wine a year from the crown, in a tiny neat cursive hand. With paleography exercise.
• chancery hand (endorsement on 15th century petition above, English) The endorsement by a royal official on the above petition indicating the action taken, in an informal chancery cursive. With paleography exercise.
• chancery hand (15th century petition, French) Petition to Henry VI of 1441 from the abbot and convent of Combe, in formal bastarda chancery hand. With paleography exercise.
• chancery hand (endorsement on 15th century petition above, Latin) Endorsement of the above signed by the clerk of the council, in more infomal cursive hand. With paleography exercise.
• chancery hand (late 15th century chancery warrant, English) Chancery warrant under the signet of 1491 in which King Henry VII orders some deer to be delivered to a faithful retainer, in a fairly informal cursive as used for internal documents. With paleography exercise.
• court hand (early 16th century plea roll, Latin and English) Fragment of an unidentified plea roll found in a bookbinding, showing a fascinating decline in the use of legal Latin. Only a scrap, so no paleography exercise.
• charter hand (16th century indenture, English) Indenture of 1546 in which a chantry priest leases his house and land in return for lodgings, in chancery style bastarda script. With paleography exercise.
• charter hand (late 16th century final concord, Latin) Final concord of 1584 involving land dealings in London, using a form of chancery bastarda that survived for centuries for these purposes. With paleography exercise.
• English personal, business and informal cursive
• formal personal cursives (14th and 15th century monastic pressmarks, Latin) Three inscriptions from books in monastic libraries indicating their location in the library, showing some diversity of personal hands. No paleography exercise as they are just short segments.
• informal cursive (15th century personal letter, English) One of the famous Paston letters, from around 1478, showing the untidy personal cursive of an impecunious student on the scrounge from his brother. With paleography exercise.
• personal cursive (15th century list of books, English) From the famous Paston letters, not a letter but a list of English books belonging to John Paston II, in his own hand. With paleography exercise.
• informal cursive (15th century petition, English) Petition to the chancery court of 1445-6 in which Richard Mountfort complains of several attempts having been made on his life, written not in beautiful chancery cursive but an eccentric personal hand with amazing spelling. With paleography exercise.
• personal cursive (16th century confession of sins, Latin) Document found sealed into a hole in a roof beam of an old house, evidently the final confession of a priest. No paleography exercise as yet, as I haven't fully deciphered it, but it is too good to leave waiting any longer.
• personal cursive (late 15/16th century genealogy, English) A genealogy of a branch of the Beauchamp family of Warwick, written out in the late 15th or early 16th century in cursive hand. With paleography exercise.
• personal cursive (early 16th century notes on a genealogy, English) Notes on the verso of the above document in a slightly later personal cursive hand. With paleography exercise.
• business cursive (mid 16th century city corporation minutes, English) A segment from a page of the minute book of the York Corporation of 1534-1544, in a rapid and flowing but neat cursive. With paleography exercise.
• French chancery style cursive
  • Secretary style chancery cursive (14th century royal letter close, French) A brief letter from King Jean le Bon to his treasurers ordering them to attend to the needs of one Adam de Beruwik, showing the less formal end of the French chancery spectrum. With paleography exercise.
• French cursive
• document cursive (14th century acquittance, French) Document of 1383 in which a French knight acknowledges payment from the paymaster of the king's wars for his participation in a campaign against the English, in a rather messy French cursive. With paleography exercise.
• document cursive (14th century acquittance, French) Companion to the above from 1385, in a rather more elegant cursive hand. With paleography exercise.
• document cursive (15th century land transaction deed, Latin) Very messy and damaged document which has served for centuries as a book cover, in a flourished but difficult cursive. No paleography exercise as yet due to the state of the document.
• Italian cursive
• legal cursive (later 14th century court roll, Latin) Segment from a damaged and fragmentary court roll recording a case involving the repayment of a debt, showing the compact and dense cursive used for such recording. No paleography exercise as yet, but I will work up something.
• notarial cursive (early 16th century legal document, Latin) Notarial document of 1500 concerning the payment of a large debt, in a beautiful italic style of notarial hand. No paleography exercise as yet, but something coming some time.