Reading medieval local records

Newton, K.C.

pp 81-94

Study of the chief characteristics of medieval handwriting and suggestions on how to decipher medieval documents. The author focuses on court hands, which were the specialised scripts generated by the law courts from the 12th century onwards. He suggests that developments in handwriting are relatively easy to identify by period, and so are often essential in the dating of a document. The article provides examples of i) abbreviations, including tables of signs and marks; ii) signs of contraction and suspension; iii) modification of letters; iv) abbreviation by superior letter; and v) runes. The article is extensively illustrated, with examples of original documents and translated texts (NB this article was subsequently reprinted: 07 03 88-91)

The Amateur Historian Volume 3 Number 2 Winter 1956-7