Hand: Main Hand, BL Cotton Augustus ii.15

Name

Main Hand

Manuscript

BL Cotton Augustus ii.15

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)

This hand is irregular, poorly-written, and laterally extended not unlike G.686-1 but with more space between letters. Ascenders and descenders vary but are generally long, especially on the first line of the document. Ascenders can be quite straight and thick, especially at first, although they become less regular later. The tops of ascenders vary from well-formed wedges through approach-strokes to no decoration, and descenders are usually long and tapering. Minims are short, fairly thick, and show small wedges and small feet. Teardrop-shaped and round a are both found. Similar structures were used for æ, and both æ and e have wide hooks and have long horizontal tongues below cue-height. Horned e was used throughout, the tongue of which is often joined to the following letter, particularly to a and t. Round c was used throughout. The back of d can be horizontal but is usually short and rounded; it can also be very thick, long, and angled up with a vertical tip, particularly on the first line but also elsewhere. The tongue of f is flat, sits on the base-line, and is as long as the hook. The top of g is usually hooked up on the left and is slightly concave up; the mid-section is slightly angled but is close to vertical, and the tail is open, somewhat angular, and hooked upward at the tip; the whole letter is occasionally more rounded or more angular. The shoulders of h, m, n, and r can be quite angular, with thick, vertical down-strokes, or can be more rounded with thickening strokes through the shoulder. Quite square proportions are found in o, and only low s was used. No ð is found, and the body of þ is often quite rounded. Straight-limbed dotted y was used throughout, the right branch of which is hooked left, and the tail hooked right. The top of 7 is thick, very slightly rising, and hooked up on the left, and the down-stroke is vertical and tapering.