Hand: delta, Exeter 3500

Name: delta
Manuscript: Exeter 3500
Script: Unspecified
Scribe: Unspecified
Date: None
Place: None

delta - EXON Project

This hand may be recognised by the form of its et nota, whose horizontal line is curved (like a c or even a u); Gallows mark often leans forward and its top stroke is wavy.

1. Letterforms

a.- It has an uncial form but in which the back very rarely reaches over the bowl, which often gives it a round impression. Even when back is taller, it is so rather slightly. Very short tail at word’s end.

d.- Both straight and round-backed forms in use. The former seems to be less frequent and it shows a small bowl (similar height to minims) and a straight ascender double its height and occasionally displaying a notch to the left, but by no means always. The round form is more common and its ascender, which rises at about 45º, ends in a vertical flick.

e.- Very small lower component, at times barely rising from the baseline. Projecting tongue is more visible at word end.

g.- It shows a round head with a finishing stroke that may ligature with the following letter. Its tail is relatively small and round, though it never closes. Also, it is normally detached from the head.

h.- Approach stroke at top of ascender. With regards to legs, the left one is footed by a endstroke whereas the right one tucks in and reaches slightly below the baseline.

p.- Approach stoke on the left and bowl is often open at the top (as with b). Straight descender.

s.- Long s. It has a notch on the left and it often goes (if only slightly) below the baseline. Head is round and may occasionally appear detached from the main body as well as rather wide.

t.- Vertical stroke does not cross horizontal one.

x.- The four limbs tend to have the same length and both legs stand on the baseline, even if the left one is often thinner. Top right limb often has a downward finishing stroke.

æ.-.

2. Treatment of minims, ascenders & descenders

Minims .- Short (1mm) and displaying feet in the shape of a finishing flick to the right.

Ascenders.- Ascenders are often double the height of minims, which tend to be 1mm tall. Similarly, they normally display a triangular notch on the left.

Descenders.- They are normally straight and about double the size of minims or slightly below that.

3. Form of capitals

A. Enlarged form of uncial a with a triangular bowl and a short head with approach stroke.

D. Enlarged round d (Donitona 195v15).

W. Idiosyncratic form made of two wide Vs which cross their left and right arm respectively forming a third v. The left arm of each V begins with a curved approach stroke, whereas the right one starts a horizontal approach stroke too.

4. Forms of punctuation

Punctus simplex seems to be only form of punctuation in use.

5. Form of paraph (gallows mark)

The sign normally leans forward and its horizontal line is wavy. Three strokes only.

6. Forms of abbreviation

Ampersand.- Diagonal stroke may reach below the baseline and ends with an upward curl. Final line starts with an approach stoke and meets the diagonal stroke at the halfway or below.

et nota.- The horizontal line is curved, looking more like a u or even sideways, like a c. Also it stands very high, reaching well beyond the headline and other ascenders. It also goes below the baseline.

Overline.- Curved upwards finishing on a hairline. This scribe shows a very neat form of the abbreviation mark used more commonly: an attenuated s-shaped sign not too dissimilar from the et nota.

-ur.- formed as a round a with a diagonal back and a tail that reaches no higher that the main body of the shape and rises at 45º.

-us.- 9-shaped compendium touching on the letter very often (just like the abbreviation mark).

-orum.-.

q- forms.- round a for qua.

e cauda.- Attenuated s-shaped cedilla.

pr- forms.- Hook for pro starts parallel to baseline (halfway down the descender).

other forms.- open a for par.

est.-.

7. Forms of suspension

8. Ligatures

-ae-

-ct- ligature:.