Hand: Land Grants, Hand 2 (47v16–18), BL Cotton Domitian vii, fols. 15–45 (and added fols.)

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

Although not listed as two separate hands by Ker, Ker, Catalogue, p. 186 (no. 147) it seems clear that the last three lines of the second grant were added at a later date. The pen is much thinner, with no shading at all, and the hand lacks the forward-leaning aspect and more disciplined appearance of the preceding five lines. The text is also grammatically independent of the first section and starts a new line after punctus at the end of line 15. Ascenders are very long, sometimes two or more times minim-length, and are normally barbed. Descenders are mostly straight but can curve slightly left. Minims show approach-strokes, slightly curved bodies, and small feet. Single-compartment a appears throughout, the shape of which approximates a teardrop but the back is angled at close to 45°. Only one example of æ is found, the a-component of which is teardrop-shaped, and the lower curve of the e-component reaches below the bowl of the a. Round c appears throughout with the upper and lower curves of roughly the same length. The back of d is long, angled at about 45°, and straight. Round e appears throughout, the tongue of which is horizontal in final position or angled when medial; the tongue was written in a single stroke with a following minim, but no tall ligatures are present. The tongue of f is flat, straight, and slightly shorter than the hook. The top of g is ~-shaped, and the body is somewhat angular and very open. The shoulders of h, m, n, and r are often quite angular and the minims can be angled back to the left. The foot of r is often quite long, and all four letters can be deeply split. Low s was most commonly used, and this also can be deeply split. Low s also has a prominent approach-stroke which can be as long as the hook itself, the resulting letter sometimes looking more like a y than an s. Long s appears once (ascyred, 47v17) with a straight and relatively short descender, and a prominent flat-bottomed wedge. The scribe seems to have preferred ð over þ, although the brevity of the text makes conclusions difficult: only two words begin with this sound, one of which was written with ð and the other þ (ðer, 47v16; þis, 47v17). The structure of ð is much like that of d, although the back tends to be longer; the through-stroke is hooked down at the right and can also be hooked up at the left or can barely pass through the back. Straight-limbed and round y appear, neither dotted; the former shows the right branch hooked left, and the tail of the latter is very rounded but does descend below the base-line. The top of 7 has a prominent upward hook at the left and can rise slightly before descending vertically.