Hand: Addition Hand 1 (fols. 156–60), BnF latin 943

Name

Addition Hand 1 (fols. 156–60)

Manuscript

BnF latin 943

Script

Unspecified

Scribe

Unspecified

Date

Saec. x/xi

Place

Sherborne

Stokes, English Vernacular Script, ca 990–ca 1035, Vol. 2 (PhD Thesis, University of Cambridge, 2006)

This neat, quite well-written hand shows much influenced from Phase-V Square minuscule. It has the same angular lower curves of a, æ, c, and e, and also has an upright aspect not unlike that of G.256. It was written with a relatively thick pen which was held reasonably flat, although the hand is lighter than that of the main text. Ascenders are about the same length as minims and are thick, straight, and have regular but slightly forked wedges. Descenders are significantly longer, have bevelled tips, and can lean slightly to the left or be curved very slightly in that direction. Minims have short approach-strokes and horizontal feet. The form of a is essentially Connor’s Type II: the top is straight and can be flat or rising, and can be turned down slightly at the left. The back of a extends slightly above the top, and the lower curve is angled in to the right. The same structure was used for æ, the tongue of which is straight, thin, rising, and begins close to cue-height, and the hook low and just above cue-height. The lower curve of c can be angular and is longer than the hook which in turn can be fairly flat. The back of d is short, thick, slightly concave down, and nearly bilinear. The shape of e is like that of c; the tongue is high, turned down at the tip if final, and either thin and rising or quite thick; the hook is fairly flat and is hooked back to the left. The tongue of f is flat and slightly longer than the hook. The top of g is flat and relatively short; the mid-stroke hangs from slightly left of centre, is close to vertical, then turns approximately to the horizontal before curving around in an open hook with a vertical tip. The shoulders of h, m, n, and r are all quite rounded but the strokes do not thicken at all, and the foot of r is also rounded. Tall s is found before p, t, and wynn; elsewhere the low form was used. Tall s descends very slightly below the base-line and has a hook at cue-height. Low s has a small hook. The conventional distinction between ð and þ was largely followed. The back of ð is very steep, angled at about 70–80°, and is quite straight but sometimes very slightly concave down; the through-stroke is high, fairly short, and hooked down on the right. The first, left-right stroke of x is quite steep, the north-east branch is hooked left, and the south-west branch is hooked right. Both round and straight-limbed y are found, both dotted; the tail of the former can sometimes curl up and thicken at the tip. The top of z is flat, the diagonal stroke descends well below the base-line, and the third stroke is ~-shaped on the base-line. The top of 7 turns up very slightly at the right.