Hand: Main Hand, Salt 84/4/41

Name

Main Hand

Manuscript

Salt 84/4/41

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)

Both Latin and vernacular scripts are quite regular and much the same in aspect, and the boundary-clause entirely lacks the long and narrow proportions typical of this script. Ascenders are still longer than minims and are slightly split, and descenders are straight and as long as or longer than minims. Minims themselves have curved approach-strokes and ticked feet. Round a is found throughout, although its shape varies somewhat from teardrop-shaped to more rotund. Much the same form was used for æ, the tongue of which is at cue-height and the loop consistently reaches above cue-height even when not in ligature. Round c is normal but horned c is found at least twice (cyme, cumbwelle, and perhaps acon). Both round and horned e were used, the tongue of which is straight and rising and the hook rounded and within cue-height. Bilinear d is found throughout. The tongue of f is short and straight. The top of g is ~-shaped, the mid-section is fairly short and hangs from left of centre, and the loop is wide, rounded, and closed with a hairline stroke. The shoulders of h, m, n, and r are all similar, branch below cue-height, and are somewhat rounded. Low s is normal, but the round form appears twice (stræte, ðwers), and the long once (swa). The scribe preferred ð to þ but used the latter for two of the three third-person singular verb-endings (cumeþ, gæþ, but þeligeð) The back of ð is long, angled at about 50–60°, straight or slightly concave up, and often turned up slightly at the tip; the through-stroke barely intersects the back in most instances, and is hooked downward at the right; in one case the through-stroke is bisected by the back, and is turned upward on the left and downward on the right. Round, dotted y was used throughout. The top of 7 is straight but rising.