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Scribal Profile
Polychronicon Scribe
Profiles for this Scribe:
1. England, London, British Library MS Cotton Tiberius D. VII Volume 1
 
Current Manuscript:England, London, British Library MS Cotton Tiberius D. VII Volume 1
Folios:1-164 (vol. 1) 165-168v (vol. 2)
Sampled Folios:44v, 61r
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Image Rights:Reproduced with permission of The British Library. All images on this website are reproduced with permission of the Libraries, Archives, and Owners of the manuscripts. Manuscript images that appear on this website remain in the copyright of the libraries where the manuscripts are held. Use of these images for any purpose other than private study without written permission of those libraries is prohibited by law.
 
A
Usage: names
the scribe's 'a' varies little in construction though the upper and lower lobes may vary in size.
Usage: wepontak
Usage: taake
the scribe's graph size is inconsistent.
Usage: Warwykschyre
occasionally the upper lobe is flattened and appears more of a triangular shape.
 
D
Usage: democryt(us)
the scribe's 'd' generally has a rounded lobe and oval loop.
Usage: yruled
very occasionally the lower lobe is more square. The scribe does not appear to put tags on final d's.
Usage: hadde
Usage: Dorsete
as well as this more individual version, the scribe also uses an enlarged form of lower case 'd' as representative of upper case.
 
G
Usage: god
double compartment 'g' with slight overhang to the right of the lower lobe.
Usage: cokkyng
the extension to the right from the middle of the upper lobe is tagged here, perhaps because it is the final letter of the word.
Usage: brynggyng
the lower compartments are slightly further advanced than the upper lobes giving the graph the appearance of a slight lean backwards.
Usage: Gloucetreschyre
a simple form of upper case 'G'.
 
H
Usage: hundrded
a neatly executed letter with little variation. The looped head is triangular and the tail usually loops back from a point below the stem.
Usage: schyres
Usage: strechcheþ
Usage: Herfordschyr
this may be the scribe's upper case graph which is the same as the lower case. Where it is possible to tell, the names for other shires use the upper case version of the letters.
 
R
Usage: robbery
long 'r' is used in all positions except after 'o'. There is an approach stroke and in initial position, the fork of the letter is at or just below the lower level of following graphs.
Usage: baar
'r' in final position with fork well below the level of the previous letter. There is a slight upward tilt at the end of the shoulder.
Usage: forþ
'z'-shaped 'r' is used after 'o'. An otiose stroke descends in a curl from the lower left of the graph.
Usage: Ryuer
upper case 'R'.
 
S
Usage: som tyme
both long 's' and sigma 's' are used in initial positions. Sigma 's' is also used frequently in final position.
Usage: ys
a rather jerky form of 8-shaped 's' is used in final position.
Usage: Estsex
long 's' is used in medial and final positions.
Usage: Scotlond
upper case 'S' of the same form as lower case sigma 's'.
 
W
Usage: wyn
there is very little difference in the formation of 'w' with straight left limb, looped at the top, a looped top to the middle arm with 'B' shaped element to the right.
Usage: wiþ
some of the scribe's 'w's look a little straggly.
Usage: lawe
a taller thinner graph in the middle of a word.
Usage: Walysch
there is no difference in the shape of the upper and lower case graph. Here the letter is slightly bigger than following letters.
 
Y
Usage: robbery
'y' always has a rather tortured look. The two limbs are often parallel and the tail squares off the space between the two limbs before curling round counter-clockwise to form the tail.
Usage: conteyneþ
in this example the right limb is more curved than usual.
Usage: tyme
Usage: arystotel
 
Thorn and Yogh
Usage: conteyneþ
thorn is used frequently for all definite articles, demonstratives, pronouns etc. It is also used for present tense verb endings. The stem tilts slightly.
Usage: norþfolk
here thorn replaces 'th'. This is not always the case but the scribe may use thorn rather than 'th'.
Usage: Ȝorkschyre
yogh is used as equivalent of 'y' as well as occasionally 'gh'.
Usage: Ȝoroastes
yogh is also used as equivalent to the 'tz' sound of the plural.
 
Some Upper Case Letters
Usage: Protheus
Usage: Chestreschyre
Usage: Eorldom
Usage: Nyn(us)
 
Serendipity
Usage: Ampersand
the scribe has two variants of ampersand.
Usage: Ampersand
Usage: bactrians
on some folios, final 's' appears in this form with extended head-stroke which curls up at the end.
Usage: s(er)uauntes
the final s.
Centre for Medieval Studies, University of York, King's Manor, York YO1 7EP