Hand: Record (4v), BL Harley 55, fols. 1–4

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

The bodies in this section are low, relatively wide, and show a somewhat angular aspect, a moderately thick and flat pen, and a somewhat irregular cue-height. Ascenders vary in length but are longer than minims and have short forks at the top. Descenders also vary; they are usually straight but can be turned left at the tip. Minims have very thin approach-strokes and very small feet. The body of a is somewhat rounded, the top being formed with the same stroke as the back and can be long or very short. A similar structure was used for æ, although the top of the a-component tends to be longer and flatter, and the tongue and hook are both long. Round c is found with a relatively long hook. The back of d is short and angled at about 45°. Both the back and hook of e are round, and the tongue is straight and rising. The tongue of f is long and thin; it can be flat and on the base-line but can also be slightly above the line and concave up. The top of g can be flat, concave up, or ~-shaped; the mid-section often hangs from the right of this stroke but swings well to the left and then sharply back to the right before turning into an open tail with an upturned tip. The shoulders of h, m, n, and r can be quite angular, branching well below cue-height with a thin, straight rising stroke turning into a down-stroke which is very straight but can be angled slightly out to the right. Long s is found throughout, usually reaching down almost a full descender-length but sometimes barely extending below the base-line; the letter reaches up to ascender-height with an angular hook and an irregular wedge. The scribe used þ more often than ð; the latter has a long, straight, steep, fairly thin back, and a long, thin through-stroke which is curved down on the right. The south-west quadrant of x is long and hooked right; the north-east branch is hooked left, and the left-right stroke is concave up. Straight-limbed y is found throughout, both dotted and not. The top of 7 is hooked up on the left; the descender is unusual in that it is angled very slightly out to the right.