Hand: Added Homily (164–70), BnF latin 943

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

This hand is fairly regular and gives a reasonably strong sense of cue-height. A medium-width pen was used, but with some shading. Ascenders are much shorter than minims and have prominent wedges. Descenders are also very short and can turn very slightly left. Minims are long and have prominent wedges but very small or no feet. Round a was used, the back close to vertical, the top thin and slightly rounded, and the lower curve thick. A similar but more rounded form was used for æ, the tongue horizontal and very high, and the hook very small, very angular, but rising slightly above cue-height. Horned c was used throughout, the back slightly broken but still quite upright. Bilinear d was used, the back extending left of the bowl. Horned e was used, the back and horn like those of c and the tongue and hook like æ. The tongue of f is short and tends to angle down slightly; the hook branches from the base-line but stays close to the descender before curving out; the high cue-height and short descender make the body seem disproportionately tall. The top of g is quite short and tapers on the right; the mid-section hangs from the centre, is usually fairly small, and curves into a large round closed loop, and the tail meets just below the leftmost point of the mid-section at the base-line. The shoulders of h, m, n, and r are all very rounded and the down-strokes tend to angle slightly out to the right; the foot of r is also quite rounded. Tall, round, and low s are all found throughout with little distinction; tall s is normally found before c, t, wynn, and initially, but can also be final or elsewhere; low s is infrequent and seems to have been used most often before tall s in the ‑esse ending; round s was used frequently and in any position. Tall s stands on the base-line, has a narrow hook, and reaches well above ascender-height. Round s has a small upper hook and a wide mid-section making the letter look laterally stretched. The conventional distinction was followed between ð and þ, the former having a long back which usually starts at about 45° but curves up to the vertical; the through-stroke is usually quite high, extends to the right, is thin, and is usually hooked down on the right but can be straight. Bilinear x is found, the upper branches curved down and the lower ones hooked right. Round and straight-limbed y were both used, both dotted. The tail of round y is long and the right branch is curled down. The right branch of straight-limbed y is hooked left, and the left branch often curves downward. The top of 7 is quite long and is essentially flat but turns up very slightly at the right; the descender is straight and quite vertical.