Hand: Hand 2 (fols. 110v15–115v), TCC R.5.22 (717), fols. 72–158

Name

Hand 2 (fols. 110v15–115v)

Manuscript

TCC R.5.22 (717), fols. 72–158

Script

Unspecified

Scribe

Unspecified

Date

Saec. x/xi

Place

Unknown (Sherborne prov?)

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

This hand is much closer to Square minuscule than G.180-1 is: proportions are square, the script is heavy, and the aspect is dominated by frequent use of tall æ and e. Ascenders have heavy wedges and are usually about the length of minims but can be longer. Descenders are straight, and minims usually have slightly split wedges and horizontal feet. Flat-topped a is found, although a round form with the top and back formed in one stroke is more common. The a-component of æ is quite straight but is angled at about 50–60°, the tongue in low æ is straight and rising but turns horizontal, and the hook is round. A flat-topped and more horned æ is sometimes found. Very common is tall æ with a horizontal tongue just below cue-height and a rounded and fairly wide hook. Both low and tall e are also found, the backs of which are vertical and horned and the tongues and hooks like those of æ. Round c is found, as is round d, the back of which is short and barely reaches above cue-height. The hook of f branches from below cue-height and the tongue is often concave up. The top of g is flat, and the mid-section hangs from the left, curves back to the right, and then curves around again to the left; the tail is normally closed but can be open, and the body can be quite S-shaped. The shoulders of h, m, n, and r are all somewhat rounded, and r can be nearly majuscule in form. Long, low, and round s are all found: round only initially, long before p, t, and wynn, and low in any position. The scribe preferred þ to ð. The back of ð is not especially long but is quite thick, angled at about 30–40°, and is usually straight but can curve up slightly. The first, left-right stroke of x is concave down, the upper right branch extends slightly above cue-height and is hooked left, and the lower left branch is long, straight, and hooked right. Straight-limbed dotted y is normal, the right branch of which is usually hooked left, and the tail is straight or hooked right. Round dotted y is also found, though infrequently. The top of 7 is slightly concave up and the down-stroke is close to vertical. Latin is distinguished by script.