[sotd] February 24, 2005 [Palaeography: Reading Old Handwriting]
- From: "The Site of the Day" <sotd@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: sotd@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Thu, 24 Feb 2005 11:49:34 -0400
Site of the Day for Thursday, February 24, 2005
Palaeography: Reading Old Handwriting, 1500 - 1800: A Practical Online
Tutorial
Today's site, from the National Archives in the U.K., presents a
surprisingly interesting and genuinely instructive guide to deciphering old
manuscripts. Gentle Subscribers, who do not spend their days pouring over
old records and thus not in need of such assistance, may reconsider when
they think of all the digitized original documents available online --
ships' passenger lists in genealogical research, for example, -- whose
peculiarities of script may make them difficult to read.
"Palaeography is the study of old handwriting. This web tutorial will help
you learn to read the handwriting found in documents written in English
between 1500 and 1800. At first glance, many documents written at this time
look illegible to the modern reader. By reading the practical tips and
working through the documents in the Tutorial in order of difficulty, you
will find that it becomes much easier to read old handwriting. You can find
more documents on which to practice your skills in the further practice
section." - from the website
The site provides a starting point for the examination of old documents
with excellent tips for their reading and transcription; a quick reference
for numbers, money and measurements; and the tutorial itself, with ten
manuscripts from easiest to most difficult, including background historical
information. Uncover those interesting quirks in the development of
English, such as the inevitable "ye", as in "Ye Olde Village Shoppe", and
the always confusing "minims".
Trundle over to the site for this helpful guide on old documents at:
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/palaeography/
A.M. Holm
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