Hand: Booklist (55v), BL Cotton Domitian i, fols. 2–55

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

This hand shows a mixture of Insular and Caroline letter-forms. The aspect is square, the strokes are heavy, and ascenders and descenders are about as long as minims. Ascenders have prominent wedges, and descenders are straight or turn slightly left. The top of a is usually flat, and the body is formed either almost like u with a top-stroke or with the top and back in a single stroke; in both cases, the left side is slightly convex, and the south-west quadrant can be angular. The a-component of æ is rounder, although the top and back are still formed with a single stroke; the hook is always low, and the tongue starts at mid-height and is angled at about 45°. Round and horned c and e are both found, and the south-west quadrants of both are sometimes angular. The hook and tongue of e are usually like those of æ, but the tongue can be horizontal and hooked down slightly at the tip. Tall e is found before t, in which case the tongue is horizontal at cue-height and the hook remains below ascender-height. The back of d is straight, angled at about 10–30°, and extends beyond the body. The tongue of f is short. The top of g is flat or concave up, the mid-section is angular, short, and hangs from the left, and the tail is wide, open, and curved up at the tip. The shoulders of h, m, n, and r can all be slightly swollen. Round s is not infrequent, particularly in final position, low s occurs only in final position, and long s was used elsewhere. The scribe seemed not to distinguish between þ and ð (ða, þe, þis, æþestane s). The back of ð is long, thick, and concave down, and the through-stroke is hooked down at the tip. The north-east branch of x is hooked left, the south-east branch hooked up, and the lower left branch is long, thin, and essentially straight. The top of 7 is slightly concave up, and the down-stroke slightly wavy. Latin is not generally distinguished from Old English by script, although one example each of Caroline r and h are found in Latin titles, as are three of Caroline or semi-Caroline a.