Hand: Manumissions, Hand 4 (8v1–9), Bodleian Bodley 579 (2675)
- Name
- Manumissions, Hand 4 (8v1–9)
- Manuscript
- Bodleian Bodley 579 (2675)
- Script
- Unspecified
- Scribe
- Unspecified
- Date
- Saec. xi1
- Place
- Tavistock
Stokes, English Vernacular Script, ca 990–ca 1035, Vol. 2 (PhD Thesis, University of Cambridge, 2006)
This very square hand is quite shaded, with a relatively flat pen producing thick vertical and thin horizontal strokes. Ascenders are straight and thick, tending to be quite long, and with fairly regular wedges. Descenders are also thick and straight but are shorter, though usually longer than minims. Minims have small approach-strokes or wedges, and feet are small and not regularly applied. A form of flat-topped a appears throughout which is horned, very square, and written much like a u with a top-stroke. Flat-topped horned æ is also found, the tongue of which is straight and close to horizontal and the hook fairly wide. The back of d is straight and relatively long but only angled at about 30°. The tongue and hook of e are like those of æ; e is usually horned and straight-backed but can be more rounded. The tongue and hook of f are both short. The top of g is relatively wide and slightly concave up, and the mid-section hangs from the centre of the top, extends a short distance down and left, then turns fairly sharply right, then back in a fairly rounded loop which usually meets the mid-section just after it turns right. The shoulders of h, m, n, and r can be quite rounded but can also be very angular. Low s was used throughout except for a single occurrence of the tall form (stane, line 2). The scribe used þ exclusively except for ðe and ða which he written consistently with ð, and ælfgyð (line 7). The back of ð is long and angled at about 30° before turning up at the tip, and the through-stroke turns down only very slightly on the right and barely passes through the back on the left. Straight-limbed dotted y was used throughout, the right branch of which is hooked left and the tail straight. The top of 7 is short and turns up at the right, and the descender is quite vertical.