Hand: Main Hand, W.A.M. 67209

Name
Main Hand
Manuscript
W.A.M. 67209
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 small, neatly-written script has a somewhat upright appearance and a level cue-height; the pen was of medium width and held fairly flat. Ascenders are thick, long and straight, with small wedges; descenders are shorter and taper slightly. Minims are short, straight, and upright, with small wedges or approach-strokes and usually but not always with small feet. The shape of a is always close to teardrop, but the left side can be curved outwards and the straight angled top can be very short, giving the letter a more rounded appearance. Only one example of æ appears on the narrow fragment (wæs, recto line 20): it also has a teardrop-shaped a-component and a squinting eye with a straight rising tongue. Round c was used throughout, with a small hook, and d has a fairly long rounded back which normally remains within cue-height. Round e appears throughout, with a squinting eye and a long straight rising tongue; tall e was never used. The tongue of f is short and flat, and the hook is also short. The mid-section of g is quite small and the tail S-shaped but extending slightly to the right of the flat top. The shoulders of h, m, n, and r are all slightly angular and the minims straight, although the last shoulder of m in particular can be more rounded and swollen. Tall and low s were both used: tall seems to be the most common form, with low only finally or when doubled (but including þas sar, verso line 7). Tall s has a small hook at ascender-height and descends slightly below the base-line and tapers to the left; low s has a small hook. The conventional distinction was observed between þ and ð, although both could be used as capitals (see Ða and Þa, recto lines 18–19). The back of ð is long and thick, angled at about 30°, and vertical-tipped, and the short through-stroke is turned up on the left and down on the right. Straight-limbed y was used throughout, both dotted and undotted; the right branch is hooked left and the tail right. No examples of x or z can be found. The top of 7 is hooked up on the left, is angled up, and has a vertical descender.

a, Insular

a, Insular. Main Hand

a, Insular. Main Hand

a, Insular. Main Hand

a, Insular. Main Hand

a, Insular. Main Hand

a, Insular. Main Hand

a, Insular. Main Hand

a, Insular. Main Hand

a, Insular. Main Hand

a, Insular. Main Hand

a, Insular. Main Hand

a, Insular. Main Hand

a, Insular. Main Hand

a, Insular. Main Hand
æ, Insular

æ, Insular. Main Hand
b

b. Main Hand

b. Main Hand

b. Main Hand

b. Main Hand
c

c. Main Hand

c. Main Hand

c. Main Hand

c. Main Hand

c. Main Hand

c. Main Hand

c. Main Hand

c. Main Hand

c. Main Hand
d, Insular

d, Insular. Main Hand

d, Insular. Main Hand

d, Insular. Main Hand

d, Insular. Main Hand

d, Insular. Main Hand

d, Insular. Main Hand
e

e. Main Hand

e. Main Hand

e. Main Hand

e. Main Hand

e. Main Hand
f, Insular

f, Insular. Main Hand

f, Insular. Main Hand

f, Insular. Main Hand

f, Insular. Main Hand

f, Insular. Main Hand

f, Insular. Main Hand
g, Insular

g, Insular. Main Hand

g, Insular. Main Hand

g, Insular. Main Hand

g, Insular. Main Hand

g, Insular. Main Hand

g, Insular. Main Hand

g, Insular. Main Hand

g, Insular. Main Hand

g, Insular. Main Hand
h, Insular

h, Insular. Main Hand

h, Insular. Main Hand

h, Insular. Main Hand

h, Insular. Main Hand

h, Insular. Main Hand

h, Insular. Main Hand

h, Insular. Main Hand

h, Insular. Main Hand
i

i. Main Hand

i. Main Hand

i. Main Hand

i. Main Hand

i. Main Hand

i. Main Hand

i. Main Hand

i. Main Hand
l

l. Main Hand

l. Main Hand

l. Main Hand

l. Main Hand

l. Main Hand

l. Main Hand

l. Main Hand

l. Main Hand
m

m. Main Hand

m. Main Hand

m. Main Hand

m. Main Hand

m. Main Hand

m. Main Hand

m. Main Hand

m. Main Hand

m. Main Hand
n

n. Main Hand

n. Main Hand

n. Main Hand

n. Main Hand

n. Main Hand

n. Main Hand

n. Main Hand

n. Main Hand

n. Main Hand
o

o. Main Hand

o. Main Hand

o. Main Hand

o. Main Hand

o. Main Hand

o. Main Hand

o. Main Hand

o. Main Hand
p

p. Main Hand
r, Insular

r, Insular. Main Hand

r, Insular. Main Hand

r, Insular. Main Hand

r, Insular. Main Hand

r, Insular. Main Hand

r, Insular. Main Hand

r, Insular. Main Hand

r, Insular. Main Hand
s, Long

s, Long. Main Hand

s, Long. Main Hand

s, Long. Main Hand
s, Low

s, Low. Main Hand

s, Low. Main Hand

s, Low. Main Hand

s, Low. Main Hand

s, Low. Main Hand

s, Low. Main Hand

s, Low. Main Hand

s, Low. Main Hand
s, Tall

s, Tall. Main Hand

s, Tall. Main Hand
t

t. Main Hand

t. Main Hand

t. Main Hand

t. Main Hand
thorn

thorn. Main Hand

thorn. Main Hand

thorn. Main Hand

thorn. Main Hand

thorn. Main Hand

thorn. Main Hand

thorn. Main Hand

thorn. Main Hand
eth

eth. Main Hand

eth. Main Hand

eth. Main Hand

eth. Main Hand

eth. Main Hand
u

u. Main Hand

u. Main Hand

u. Main Hand

u. Main Hand

u. Main Hand

u. Main Hand

u. Main Hand

u. Main Hand
wynn

wynn. Main Hand

wynn. Main Hand

wynn. Main Hand

wynn. Main Hand
y, Straight

y, Straight. Main Hand

y, Straight. Main Hand

y, Straight. Main Hand

y, Straight. Main Hand

y, Straight. Main Hand
7

7. Main Hand

7. Main Hand

7. Main Hand

7. Main Hand

7. Main Hand
., punctus

., punctus. Main Hand

., punctus. Main Hand

., punctus. Main Hand

., punctus. Main Hand

., punctus. Main Hand

., punctus. Main Hand

., punctus. Main Hand
thæt

thæt. Main Hand