Hand: Main Hand, Salt 84/5/41
- Name
- Main Hand
- Manuscript
- Salt 84/5/41
- Script
- Unspecified
- Scribe
- Unspecified
- Date
- Saec. x/xi
- Place
- Central Production (?)
Stokes, English Vernacular Script, ca 990–ca 1035, Vol. 2 (PhD Thesis, University of Cambridge, 2006)
The letter-forms in the boundary-clause are much the same as those of the vernacular sections in the body of the charter but were written with smaller bodies, proportionally longer ascenders and descenders, and a finer pen. Both scripts can have long, tapering descenders, but those of the witness-list can also be turned left or be simply straight. Insular letter-forms include single-compartment a which can be rotund or have a sloping, straight back. The a-component of æ is also found with both rotund and straight-backed forms, and, in the latter case, it can have a long tongue and can look almost like ;; this letter is especially wide in initial position. Both æ and e can have long, straight tongues joined to following letter. Round c was used throughout, and round e is common, although horned e also appears. The back of d can be bilinear, straight and angled at about 30–45°, or similarly angled but concave down, and the proportions of the boundary-clause are such that the back is more prominent in this part of the document. The descender of f is relatively short, and the tongue is flat, relatively long, and can pass slightly to the left of the down-stroke. The mid-section of g is short, wide, and turns to the horizontal before curving around in a wide, rounded tail which can be closed but is often open and hooked up at the tip. The top-stroke of g can be concave up or conjoined with the following letter such as o. Caroline h was used even in Anglo-Saxon names. The minim-strokes of m, n, and r are quite straight and upright, and the shoulders are moderately curved; r ends with a relatively large tick, particularly in the boundary-clause where it almost approaches a majuscule R. Tall s is infrequent, appearing only before t and wynn, although a single s+t ligature is found in the boundary-clause (westune, line 7); otherwise the low form was used. The conventional distinction between þ and ð was followed throughout. The structure of ð is identical to that of d with a short, straight through-stroke which is hooked down on the right. Round, dotted y is most common, although a single example of straight-limbed dotted y is found in the boundary-clause (wytte, line 8). The name asketel was written in Caroline script, but ulfketel and styr show Insular letter-forms, and Sif erð m is in mixed majuscules. One example of the Anglo-Caroline o+r monogram appears in the boundary-clause (beorhge, line 8). Latin is distinguished by script.