Hand: Hand 2 (25v–45v, 91r–218r), BL Royal 7.C.xii, 4–218

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

This square hand has a fairly level cue-height, clear spacing between lines, and a relatively heavy appearance with some shading. Ascenders are usually short and thicken as they rise, ending with a fairly large and rather flat-topped wedge. Descenders are longer, thinner, and taper, but do not turn left. Minims can be upright or slightly forward-leaning, and have small approach-strokes and feet. Flat-topped a was used throughout: the left side is constructed like a minim and so has a small horn, the top is very flat and horizontal, and the back also straight and upright. Much the same structure was used for æ, the tongue being straight and close to horizontal and the eye small but slightly above cue-height. Round c appears throughout with a small hook. Bilinear d was used, the back long and reaching to the preceding letter. Horned e also appears, the back vertical, the tongue long and close to horizontal, and the eye small but slightly above cue-height. The tongue of f is of mid-length or longer and tapers to the right. The top of g is long but fairly thin; the tail hangs from the left, curving only very slightly to the left before angling at about 60° down and right, then curving around in a relatively small, nearly closed loop which extends slightly under the preceding letter but does not reach as far right as the top does. The shoulders of h, m, n, and r are all somewhat rounded, starting with a nearly horizontal stroke and then curving around to the vertical. The down-stroke of r is often angled in to the left before turning out in a thick foot, and the descender is consistently shorter than that of other letters. Long, low and round s were all used: long appears before p and wynn, and low and round were used without any clear distinction except perhaps that round s was normally used before t. Long s does not reach down by a full descender-length and has a low bulging hook which meets the following letter beyond its down-stroke; round s has a long, flat upper hook, a shorter lower hook, and stays largely within cue-height. The scribe preferred ð to þ, although both letters do appear; the back of ð is long, angled at about 30–45°, and vertical-tipped; the through-stroke is slightly concave down and has a small downward hook on the right. Straight-limbed dotted y was used throughout, the right branch hooked left and the tail hooked slightly right. The top of 7 is flat and hooked up at the left; the descender is straight and vertical. Latin is distinguished from Old English by script only on 134r, 173v, 203r, and 213v.