Hand: Main Hand and Endorsement, BL Stowe Ch. 34

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

The script in the boundary-clause of the charter is unusually square for this period, and indeed is a late example of Phase-V Square minuscule. The proportions are relatively square with short ascenders and descenders, and the former have consistent wedges. These ascenders stand in contrast to those of the Latin script which taper and are as long or longer relative to cue-height. Descenders often have small finishing strokes angled at about 45°, or can be turned very slightly left. Minims are upright, although not especially rigid, and show regular triangular wedges and horizontal feet. Straight-topped a was used, but the top is angled at about 30° and the left side is angled back at about 60°, almost meeting the vertical right side and giving the letter a triangular shape. The same structure is found in æ, and the tongues of æ and e extend slightly beyond the hook and are turned down. An angled stroke like that of a was also used for the south-west quadrant of c, e, o, and sometimes d, and all these letters can have small horns as a result. One tall-e ligature is found (herpoðes, line 15): the hook here is not especially high, but it extends forward beyond the descender of the following r and remains open. A low ligature also occurs with æ or e before t or g, where the tongue is horizontal and forms the top of the following letter and the hook is small and closed. The back of d is rounded and extremely short, and the entire letter is strictly bilinear. The tongue of f is very thick and straight, and g has a full, round, closed tail which extends beyond the width of the top-stroke on both sides. Low s was used throughout except before t or y when the long form was used. The conventional distinction between þ and ð was usually observed, with exceptions including oþ and ðone alongside the usual spellings of those words. The back of ð is prominent and vertical-tipped, and the through-stroke is straight with a slight upward tick on the left and a downward tick on the right. Round, dotted y is found throughout. Latin is carefully distinguished by script, and Caroline letter-forms were also used for Anglo-Saxon names in the witness-list.