Hand: Marginal Directions (p. 94 = 47v), Durham Cathedral A.IV.19

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

These notes were written quickly with minimal pen-lift, a thin pen, and with very long and narrow proportions. Ascenders have heavy wedges, and both ascenders and descenders are long. Minims can show small wedges but usually show approach-strokes; feet are horizontal and fairly long. A somewhat rounded but essentially teardrop-shaped a is found. A similar but wider form was used for æ, and no tall æ is found. The strokes of c are fairly well balanced, and e can be horned, both horned and high, or round. The back of d is fairly long, fairly straight, and angled at about 45°. The mid-section of g hangs from the centre and is very small; it swings down and left, and then curves around in a large, open hook. The shoulders of h, m, n, and r are all deeply split and somewhat angular, although this seems more because of rapid writing than any deliberate design. Long s is found before t, and low s elsewhere; long s is longer than the Caroline form. The text has no scope for ð if the conventional distinction was followed, but the scribe once wrote siðþan. The back of ð is long and vertical-tipped, and the through-stroke is thin and fairly straight. The top of 7 is fairly short, is concave up, and can be very tall, and the descender is essentially vertical and is hooked up and right at the tip. No f, x, or y is found. Latin is distinguished by script.