Script Type : minuscule
Script Family : Gothic
Date : 13th century
Location : England
Function : Document hand or charter hand
Distinctive letters : This script is easy to read as most of the letters, particularly the small letters, have the familiar forms of Caroline minuscule or perhaps a more angular protogothic type. English document hand has changed from the spiky style of the 12th century to something that resembles a book hand with exaggerated flourishes, more closely resembling the Continental diploma hands of the period.
As with all those scripts, s is tall while t is short and wide. The whole appearance of the script is given a certain calligraphic flourish with exaggerated and sometimes curling ascenders and descenders on letters such as b, d, g, h, l and the extravagant s.
The trick letter is q as the descender hooks to the left instead of the right.
The letters u and v are identical. There are no examples shown of j, k, x, y or z. The letter W, which does not occur in Latin, is here seen only as a capital at the beginning of English names. It is also presented in a swashbuckling style.
The script might also be referred to as a chancery hand, although this style was not restricted to the royal chancery. This particular document is in the format of a charter, but records a purely private transaction between individuals.
There are numerous abbreviations in the text. Pass the cursor slowly over the lines of text to work it out. To examine it in more detail, proceed to the paleography exercises.
Script
Index Paleography
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