Hand: De Diebus Fesstis [sic], De epactis (Ker articles 10 and 11a: 91r25–91v29), BL Harley 3271

Name

De Diebus Fesstis [sic], De epactis (Ker articles 10 and 11a: 91r25–91v29)

Manuscript

BL Harley 3271

Script

Unspecified

Scribe

Unspecified

Date

Saec. xi1

Place

Unknown

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

This hand is similar to G.435-5 and G.435-6 but is somewhat more upright and shows a lower cue-height and wider bodies. Ascenders are long and often have heavy wedges. Descenders are long, tapering, and either straight or hooked left at the tip. Minims have approach-strokes and horizontal feet. The same essentially teardrop-shaped a is found as in the previous hands, with either a pointed or more rounded top, and Caroline a was used for biblical names. The same form of æ was used as is found in G.435-6 and G.435-5 except that the bulging tall ligature is much more common here; this tall form also has an open hook. Both short bilinear and a longer and more concave form of d are found, although the back is never angled much more than about 20°. Horned e is found with a vertical back and rising tongue, but a tall bulging ligature was also used with a slightly open hook. The tongue of f is concave up. The top of g is flat, the mid-section begins from the right-hand end of the top and forms a rounded zig-zag, and the tail is closed in a small round loop. The shoulders of h, m, n, and r are all rounded, and the down-stroke of r turns in to the left. Tall s is found before t, and low s is found elsewhere (but note long s in middes, 91v23). The scribe preferred ð to þ, the latter appearing infrequently. The back of ð is long and can be straight or slightly concave up, and the through-stroke is hooked down on the right. Straight-limbed dotted y was used, the left branch of which curves left, and the right branch is hooked left. The top of 7 is flat but has a very slight upward hook on the left tip. Latin is distinguished by script.