Hand: Third Continuous Gloss (11v, 13v, 12r, 15v, 18r), Durham Cathedral B.III.32

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

This scribe wrote with a fairly thin pen held fairly flat but with some shading. Ascenders are long, often several times longer than minims, and usually have wedges but are sometimes tapering. Descenders are shorter but still longer than minims and can be straight or turned left. Minims are small, fairly straight, and can have small wedges, small approach-strokes, or no decoration on top. Feet on minims are usually lacking but can be long and horizontal, particularly on the second stroke of m and n. The body of a is wider than it is tall, the top is straight and usually flat, the left side is convex, and the back is straight and angled at about 70–80°. The a-component of æ is more rounded or teardrop-shaped and is often slightly open at the top. The hook of æ and e is rounded, and the tongue is straight and angled up. Neither letter ever extends much above cue-height, although both can form ligatures with following down-strokes, g, or t. Round c was used throughout. Round d was also used, the back of which is long and extends over the preceding letter but does not rise much above cue-height. Both c and e can show a diagonal south-west quadrant. The tongue of f is long. The top of g is flat and can be short. The mid-section of g can hang from the middle, left or right of the top-stroke and is small, and the tail is closed in a round and usually quite large loop. The shoulders of h, m, n and r are usually fairly angular, the tops fairly flat, and the down-strokes vertical. Low and long s are found, long before t and usually at the start of syllables, and low elsewhere. The conventional distinction was followed between þ and ð. The back of ð is long, thin, often broken, and usually turned down at the tip. The through-stroke of ð is usually hooked down on the right. Straight-limbed dotted y was used throughout but the undotted form is also found; in both cases, the right branch is hooked left, and the tail is somewhat concave up.