Hand: Alterations 1 (mostly fols. 87–108, 149–52), CCCO 279, pt. ii

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

Quite a number of alterations were made in similar hands which probably belong to one scribe. These alterations were all written in a small but regular script with dark ink. The hand is often forward-leaning and is sometimes more angular and sometimes more rounded. Ascenders are longer than minims and have wedges, and descenders are usually also longer than wedges and are straight and sometimes tapering. Minims show short barbs or approach-strokes and usually have small feet. An essentially teardrop-shaped a was used, the body of which is fairly wide and the back straight and angled at about 60°. The same form was used for æ, the tongue of which is straight and rising and the hook rounded and low. Semi-Caroline a is found twice, but these may have been written by a different scribe (-aunge, 62v25; sleacum, 151v7). The back of d is fairly thick, fairly long, and fairly steep, angled first at about 45° but then turning to be almost vertical. Round e was used, the body of which is normally narrow but very round and the tongue long, straight, and rising. The hook of f is rather angular. The top of g is relatively short and can be flat or concave-up, the mid-section descends straight down from the centre of the top-stroke, then turns sharply to the right or diagonally down and to the right at the base-line, and curves around in a wide, open tail which is horizontal or slightly hooked up at the tip. The shoulders of h, m, n, and r are all somewhat angular, and the down-strokes are straight; the down-stroke of r usually turns out in a long horizontal stroke to the right. Caroline r is found once (hi wæron, 96r7), although this may have been written by a different scribe. Only long and tall s were used, both of which show small wedges at cue-height and fairly narrow hooks. The scribe seemed to use þ exclusively, although there is little scope in the text for ð (but note hriþe, 85r12; nymþe, 88v14). Straight-limbed dotted y was used, the two branches of which both hook left and the tail of which can be straight or can hook right.