Course Handbook - Faculty of History

The lectures are intended to provide a survey of the development of script in the West
within an historical context from late antiquity until c.1500. The emphasis will be on
methodology, approaches and context, whereas the specialist classes will focus more
closely upon practical problems of reading, transcribing, naming and dating; additional
practice in reading and transcribing will be provided each week as homework.
All the lectures and the specialist classes in your period are compulsory but you are
additionally free to go to the other specialist classes.
See Section 6.1, page 18, for details of the examination in Palaeography.
5.2.1 Outline Lectures in Palaeography Dr T Webber
Latin Palaeography c. AD 100-c. AD 1050; Latin and Vernacular Palaeography c.
AD 1050-c. AD1500
There will be two lectures each week during the Michaelmas Term, to be held in
on Mondays, 10.00 am – 11.00 am (from 11 October) in the History Faculty and
on Tuesdays, 11.00 am – 12.00 noon (from 12 October) in the English Faculty.
These lectures aim to give students both an understanding of the relevance of
palaeography for historical analysis and interpretation and an introduction to the
methodological issues involved in palaeographical analysis. They are also
intended to enable students to see how the palaeography they will study within the
specialist classes for their own chosen option fits into the development of script
across the medieval period. The lectures will examine the development of script
and scribal practices from c. AD 100-c. AD 1500, the dynamics of that
development, and the characteristics and functions of the different types of script
and scribal practices, including the medieval systems of abbreviation.
In order to avoid delaying the history of late medieval script until the second half
of the Michaelmas Term, the palaeography lectures have been split into two
concurrent series, each beginning at the start of term: one set (Mondays, 10.00 am
– 11.00 am) will cover the period c. AD 100-c. AD 1050; the other (Tuesdays,
11.00 am – 12.00 noon) c. AD 1050-c. AD1500. They should, however, be
viewed as a single series: for example, certain questions of methodology relevant
to the entire Middle Ages will only be discussed in the Monday lectures. The
Monday lectures will focus upon Latin palaeography only, but the Tuesday
lectures will include some consideration of the palaeography of texts (literary and
documentary) written in the vernacular (especially English and French).
Students will be provided with bibliographies and photocopied specimens of script.
5.2.2 Practical Palaeography Classes for Option 1 Dr T Webber
Early Medieval Palaeography (5 th -10 th
classes
century): eight one-hour transcription
These classes aim to teach students to identify, read and date the handwriting
found in early medieval books and documents from western Europe. The
specimens studied will all be in Latin. The classes will examine the scripts that
evolved from those employed in late antiquity: capitals, uncial, half-uncial, the
various local and regional minuscules, and Caroline minuscule. Some
consideration will also be given to the diplomatic of the documents. Students will
be asked to transcribe specimens each week as homework, to name the script and
to comment briefly upon criteria for dating.
Students will be provided with bibliographies, guidelines on the conventions for
transcription, a guide to the more common conventions and symbols of
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