Hand: nu, Exeter 3500

nu - EXON Project

This hand may be recognised by the long diagonal stroke in the ampersand reaching below the baseline; the F-shaped Gallows mark.

1. Letterforms

a.- Triangular bowl which may be rather large and occasionally reach up to the headline. Its head often leans over it, occasionally going over the headline.

d.- Despite the short stint, both straight and round forms are used. The former has an ascender that is normally about double minim-height (occasionally longer) and a rather wide bowl; the latter has an ascender that rises (also to about double minim-height) at 45º before turning up.

e.- Short lower component with barely rises from the baseline. The projecting tongue is very thin (hairline).

g.- Head has the shape of a vertical lozenge whereas the tail starts on the right of the head, is round, wide and open. It is also made of two strokes.

h.- Forked ascender. Left leg stands on the baseline while right one tucks in.

p.- Descender is about minim-length and ends in two hairline finishing strokes.

s.- Hood on the left. Footed by a thin, slopping stroke on the baseline. Head is round but not very hooked.

t.- Curved shaft may occasionally cut across the horizontal bar slightly.

x.- Equal-limbed form with right leg ending in a curl.

æ.- N/A.

2. Treatment of minims, ascenders & descenders

Minims .- Approach stroke at the top and finishing stroke as foot.

Ascenders.- Normally forked by the addition of an approach stroke (b, straight d, h, l).

Descenders.- They are finished with a sloping hairline (also seen in q) which seems to be made of two separate strokes, especially in the case of p.

3. Form of capitals

4. Forms of punctuation

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

5. Form of paraph (gallows mark)

F-shaped form. Top stroke is flat whereas vertical one curves backwards. Small cross-stroke.

6. Forms of abbreviation

Ampersand.- Long and straight diagonal stroke reaching below the baseline. The a-component can be rather wide and the finishing stroke shows a small approach stroke and is curled.

et nota.- Not used.

Overline.- Reversed c form.

-ur.- c-shaped with tail rising at about 45º and curling upwards at top.

-us.- N/A.

-orum.- N/A.

q- forms.- ‘qua’ formed with open a.

e cauda.- q-cauda used once. y-shaped.

pr- forms.- In ‘pro’, hook is a continuation of the bowl, slopping downward into a vertical finishing stroke.

other forms.-

est.-.

7. Forms of suspension

Abbreviation mark in the shape of a small, curved downward stroke. Rather dissimilar from most other scribes in the text.

8. Ligatures

-ae- N/A.

-ct- ligature: N/A.

-rt- ligature: N/A.

-st- ligature: N/A.

-or-: N/A.

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

Marginal addition in 29v15.

10. Method of correction and correction mark

N/A.

11. Treatment of numerals

Between dots. Only minims used in this stint.

12. Proportions and measurements

.

Codicology

- Pricking.-

- Ruling.-

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

This scribe favours ‘gildum’ instead of ‘geldum’ as omicron does, the scribe following on this stint.

What does he write?

King (Queen Matilda) (Do) – 29v14-16

Other relevant information

None.