Hand: epsilon, Exeter 3500

Name
epsilon
Manuscript
Exeter 3500
Script
Unspecified
Scribe
Unspecified
Date
None
Place
None

epsilon - EXON Project

This hand may be recognised by the uncial form of A with an extended back that rises well above the headline; the tail of g is round (or, less often angular) and it remains open as the hairline that is supposed to close it is not visible; footed descenders (p & q); extended left leg of x finished in a flick upwards; suspension for -ur as a round a with extended tail; low profile -ct- ligature.

1. Letterforms

a.- Uncial form in which the back does rise slightly over the bowl. Often no head.

d.- Both forms in use. Straight-backed one has a short ascender ending in a triangular serif slopping right, whereas the uncial form shows a similarly short ascender slopping at about 45º and ending plainly without any serif or hairline.

e.- Round back with short, hairline tongue raising at about 45º, though only visible at word/line end.

g.- Round head with a short curved finishing stroke. The tail, which normally starts from the centre of the head though mostly below it (not commonly detached), may be either round or angular (flat at the bottom) and is closed by a hairline (that is not always visible).

h.- Ascender has a small triangular notch on the left. As for the legs, the left one may show a small finishing stroke as foot whereas the right one is angular, tucks in and it normally stays on the baseline.

p.- Footed with a slopping finishing stroke at the bottom (just like q).

s.- Long s, stands on the baseline, finishing stroke as ‘foot’ and serif on its left. Foot may be seen ligaturing with following letter (88r6 solidarios). Round capital S found at the end of entry on 110v8 solidoS.

t.- Vertical stroke does not cut across the horizontal one, which in turn is curved.

x.- Extended left leg which is made in a hairline. It goes well below the baseline (often reaching below the previous letter – 88r8 rex) and is finished in a flick upwards.

æ.-.

2. Treatment of minims, ascenders & descenders

Minims .- Stand on the baseline and are footed with a finishing stroke to the right.

Ascenders.- Rather short (esp. in comparison with other hands), about 1mm, normally finished on a triangular serif made by a finishing stroke slopping to the right. At times, the serif is the product of an approach stroke (88r5 Eboracum).

Descenders.- As with p, q is also ‘footed’ by a slopping finishing stroke.

3. Form of capitals

A. Often made in an uncial form with a very prominent back which often rises vertically and may be finished with a triangular serif, as most other ascenders (84v5).

H. Enlarged minuscule form used.

4. Forms of punctuation

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

5. Form of paraph (gallows mark)

A number of shapes found. Main two: J-shape in two strokes; three-stroke shape with wavy upper stroke.

6. Forms of abbreviation

Ampersand.- Extended finishing stroke which slopes upwards (slightly above the body of the sign) and finishes in a serif backwards.

et nota.- Not in use.

Overline.- Starts flat and curves upwards in a hairline.

-ur.- Very much like a round a made in a single stroke and with a long tail slopping upwards (uocatur 84v12).

-us.- 9-shaped compendium with an (occasionally) short lower component.

-orum.-.

q- forms.-

e cauda.- Both e and q show a ‘cedilla’ made with a pen flourish very similar to that used as a mark of abbreviation.

pr- forms.- .

other forms.-

est.-.

7. Forms of suspension

8. Ligatures

-ae-

-ct- ligature: very unpretentious ligature as a connecting hairline rises straight from top of c to t. (88r8-9).

-rt- ligature:

-st- ligature: 219v7.

-or-: only found very occasionally (304r17).

9. Method and form of annotation (signes de renvoi?)

Interlinear additions of letters/words/phrases.

10. Method of correction and correction mark

Erasures, subpunction

11. Treatment of numerals

Between dots (occasionally alongside ampersand). v instead of u.

12. Proportions and measurements

Codicology

- Pricking.-

- Ruling.-

13. Other idiosyncrasies (preferred spellings, usages, …)

.

What does he write?

King (Dn) – 83r8-19; 84v5-20; 85r16-v1; 88r3-10

King (Dn) – 94v8-15; 96r18-v2; 97r10-v9; 98r4-14

King (Queen Matilda) (Dn) – 110r5-13; 110v1-8; 110v18-11r7

Bishop of Coutances (Dn) – 121r1-v10 [opens quire]; 123r20-v11; 128r10-14; 135r7-11; 135r17-v11

Abbot of Glastonbury (Dn) – 161r1-2 [opens quire]

Abbot of Tavistock (Dn) – 179v6-12

Abbot of Buckfast (Dn) – 182r2-14

Saints (Dn) – 195r12-v6

Count of Mortain (Dn) – 210r2-9; 212v8-12; 213r20-v13; 216v9-14; 219r7-v18

Baldwin the Sheriff (Dn) – 294v17-5v20 [ends quire]; 296r1-7r4 [opens quire]; 299v16-301r9; 301v3-3v20 [ends quire]; 304r1-8r11 [opens quire]; 309v5-14; 310r3-14; 310r18-v4; 311v5-20 [ends quire]; 312r1-5 [opens quire]; 312r7-9; 313r5-10

Judhael (Dn) – 318v4-19v13; 326v1-31r17; 331v19-20 [ends quire]; 332r1-v23 [opens quire]; 334r17-v4

Ralph de La Pommeraye (Dn) – 336r18-v17; 341r8-v2

Walscin de Douai (Dn) – 347r9-18; 347v14-9v5

William de Moyon (Dn) – 356r1-8 [opens quire]

Alfred d'Epaignes (Dn) – 371r1-12 [opens quire]

Odo fitzGamelin (Dn) – 376v8-11; 379r1-2

Goscelm and Walter (Dn) – 388r1-9 [opens quire]; 388r17-v8; 391r15-v11; 395v18-6r9; 397r5-16

William Nanny-Goat (Dn) – 401r7-2v17

Theobald fitzBerner (Dn) – 408r3-5; 409r2-7

Roald the dubbed (Dn) – 411r12-14r8

French Knights (Dn) – 456r20-v3; 456v8-19; 462r14-v6

Nicholas the Crossbowman and Others (Dn) – 469r9-13

King’s Sergeants (Dn) – 475r8-15

English Thegns (Dn) – 481v18-2r10; 483r1-2; 489v9-13

Terrae Occupatae (Dn) – 495v14-17; 496r13-v17; 497r1-11; 497r15-v12; 497v15-21; 498r1-13; 499v21-500r1; 500r16-2v10; 503v18-4r12; 504r15-v11; 505v15-6r11

Other relevant information

Scribe only found in Devon entries.

- Same scribe added 4 entries on the outer margin on 84v. Same features as those described in main body of the text.

- Entry on 110v1-8 was copied on top of an erased text which had presumably been copied by gamma: this is the script of the subsequent entry and it looks the same type of ink, judging from the remaining scribbles (incl. the tails of some g which follows the pattern of gamma).

a, Caroline

a, Caroline. epsilon

a, Caroline. epsilon

a, Caroline. epsilon

a, Caroline. epsilon

a, Caroline. epsilon

a, Caroline. epsilon
b

b. epsilon

b. epsilon

b. epsilon

b. epsilon

b. epsilon

b. epsilon

b. epsilon

b. epsilon
c

c. epsilon

c. epsilon
d, Angled-back

d, Insular. epsilon

d, Insular. epsilon

d, Insular. epsilon

d, Insular. epsilon

d, Insular. epsilon

d, Insular. epsilon

d, Insular. epsilon

d, Insular. epsilon

d, Insular. epsilon
d, Caroline

d, Caroline. epsilon

d, Caroline. epsilon

d, Caroline. epsilon

d, Caroline. epsilon
e

e. epsilon

e. epsilon

e. epsilon

e. epsilon
e caudata

e caudata. epsilon

e caudata. epsilon

e caudata. epsilon

e caudata. epsilon

e caudata. epsilon
f, Caroline

f, Caroline. epsilon

f, Caroline. epsilon

f, Caroline. epsilon
g, Caroline

g, Caroline. epsilon

g, Caroline. epsilon

g, Caroline. epsilon

g, Caroline. epsilon

g, Caroline. epsilon

g, Caroline. epsilon

g, Caroline. epsilon

g, Caroline. epsilon

g, Caroline. epsilon
h, Caroline

h, Caroline. epsilon

h, Caroline. epsilon

h, Caroline. epsilon
i

i. epsilon

i. epsilon
l

l. epsilon

l. epsilon

l. epsilon
m

m. epsilon

m. epsilon

m. epsilon

m. epsilon
n

n. epsilon

n. epsilon

n. epsilon

n. epsilon
o

o. epsilon

o. epsilon

o. epsilon

o. epsilon
p

p. epsilon

p. epsilon

p. epsilon

p. epsilon

p. epsilon
q

q. epsilon

q. epsilon

q. epsilon

q. epsilon

q. epsilon

q. epsilon
r, Caroline

r, Caroline. epsilon

r, Caroline. epsilon

r, Caroline. epsilon

r, Caroline. epsilon
s, Caroline

s, Caroline. epsilon

s, Caroline. epsilon

s, Caroline. epsilon

s, Caroline. epsilon

s, Caroline. epsilon
t

t. epsilon

t. epsilon

t. epsilon

t. epsilon

t. epsilon
u

u. epsilon

u. epsilon

u. epsilon

u. epsilon
V

V. epsilon

V. epsilon

V. epsilon
x

x. epsilon

x. epsilon

x. epsilon

x. epsilon

x. epsilon
7

7. epsilon

7. epsilon

7. epsilon

7. epsilon

7. epsilon
&

&. epsilon

&. epsilon

&. epsilon

&. epsilon

&. epsilon

&. epsilon

&. epsilon

&. epsilon

&. epsilon

&. epsilon
Gallows Mark

Gallow Mark. epsilon

Gallow Mark. epsilon

Gallow Mark. epsilon

Gallow Mark. epsilon
., punctus

., punctus. epsilon
overline, abbrev. stroke

abbrev. stroke. epsilon

abbrev. stroke. epsilon

abbrev. stroke. epsilon

abbrev. stroke. epsilon

abbrev. stroke. epsilon
ligature

ligature. epsilon

ligature. epsilon

ligature. epsilon