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Palaeography  

Introduction to transcribing document 6

Try your hand at transcribing document 6. You can print out the document and work through it yourself on paper. A full transcript is available for you to check your own work.

Transcription tips - READ THESE FIRST!

Extract from auditor's report, sale of Crown lands at Bulmershe, Berkshire. 17 June 1544. Cat ref: E 318/11/507. Crown copyright - enlargement opens in a new window

This document is written in a legal hand; one of the variants used in the Exchequer.

In this document you should watch out for:

  • Letter forms

Watch out for 'biting' (the running together of curved letters), which can make words hard to read. See, for example, redde, line 7. Refer to the Alphabet for individual letters.

  • Abbreviations

The writer of this document has made great use of abbreviations for 'er'. (Also 'ar' on occasions.)

Symbol used above letters to show that 'er' follows This symbol appears on 'n', 'm', and 'v' to show that they should be followed by 'er'.

Represents 'ser' This symbol represents 'ser'.

Represents 'er' or 'par' This symbol can represent both 'per' and 'par'. The context should help you decide which it is.

Represents 'cer' This symbol represents 'cer'.

Other abbreviations

Represents plural or genitive ending This symbol is used at the end of a word to replace the plural or genitive ending. It could be standing in for 'es', 'is' or 'ys', and it might not be clear which one you should use. In this case it is suggested that you expand it as 'es'.

Represents missing 'e' after the letter 'm' A small flourish after an 'm' in this document represents a missing 'e'; see, for example, Item, line 5 and following.

Be aware of the use of superscript letters (those written above the line or word), which occur for example in appurtenances, line 9. And remember where you see ye, for example, in line 11, the y represents a 'thorn' and shall be transcribed as 'th'. In the last line however, the 't' in yt is not superscript (above the line) and so should be transcribe as 'yt', that is 'it'. Had it been yt then you would normally transcribe as th[at]t.

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