Toward the end of the twelfth century in Europe the script of Carolingian Miniscule was starting to give way to an early gothic script with its sharp pointed serifs, while in the Celtic regions (Ireland Scotland, Wales, Cornwall, Brittany and Man) the Insular family of scripts still held sway (M. P. Brown 49).
Marguerite learned to read and write from her aunt, an anchoress, who would have taught her the prevailing script in the area, which would have most likely been insular cursive miniscule (a more quickly written form of the insular miniscule script. She writes frequently, mostly keeping her household accounts, but also corresponding with family and friends.
As with many people who are caught between to rival cultures, Marguerite is very conscious of her status in each. When dealing with her Welsh overlords, neighbors and gwely, she is careful to present herself as a Welsh woman using Welsh or Latin in her correspondence.
However, when presenting herself as her father’s steward and corresponding with her relatives in Europe, she tries to present herself as flawlessly Norman. She speaks the version of Norman French which she learned from her father and grandmother and attempts to follow all of the Norman fashions (she doesn’t worry too much about being behind in fashion as she lives so far from the Queen’s court, and many of her Norman neighbors are equally lagging behind) but in order to appear current she has learned the protogothic script which is in full use in all of the Angevin lands (M. P. Brown 73). However, since her aunt had always compared her handwriting to the scratching of barnfowl, she and her husband (who is illiterate) use the services of a scribe for business and official purposes.
I find no conflict with Marguerite using two different types of script for two different languages. It wasn’t too long ago that all schoolchildren were taught both printing and cursive with the two scripts being in use for different purposes. Even now, I use a printing script at work (I am an accountant) and another script (an odd blend of cursive and italic) when I am taking notes in a class/meeting or writing notes to my family.
Since Marguerite is corresponding with Olwen pen Aur a Welshwoman and an acquaintance on a personal matter, she will write her own letter using insular cursive miniscule.
Parchment and vellum were the materials for writing on, the ink was made from oak galls and iron and the pens were cut from quills and reeds.
Marguerite’s letter of introduction was written on parchment that was purchased on e-bay from a vendor affiliated with the Shire of Myrtleholt, Kingdom of An Tir http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=140402154839. Marguerite herself would have purchased her parchment sheets from a crafter who specialized in manufacturing parchment and vellum, probably in Gloucester, possibly in La Haie, definitely in Oxford or London. The letter is taking the form of a personal response to an invitation from an acquaintance to attend this year’s Golden Swan Festival (see figure 2.9).
The ink used was made from oak galls, iron and gum Arabic, this type of ink was used extensively in the twelfth century and continued to be used into the nineteen century. I found many, many recipes all very similar, so I opted to use the recipe already redacted in The Historical Sourcebook for Scribes by Brown and Lovett (page 13) (see figure 2.1).
I crushed Iron Sulfate dietary supplement pills for the copperas. The first batch of ink that I made came out too thick due to the poor math they used in converting from grams to ounces. The second batch came out much more usable (figures 2.2, 2.3, 2.4 & 2.5).
The quills I cut from goose flight feathers, and hardened in oven heated sand (figures 2.6, 2.7 & 2.8).
Marguerite learned to read and write from her aunt, an anchoress, who would have taught her the prevailing script in the area, which would have most likely been insular cursive miniscule (a more quickly written form of the insular miniscule script. She writes frequently, mostly keeping her household accounts, but also corresponding with family and friends.
As with many people who are caught between to rival cultures, Marguerite is very conscious of her status in each. When dealing with her Welsh overlords, neighbors and gwely, she is careful to present herself as a Welsh woman using Welsh or Latin in her correspondence.
However, when presenting herself as her father’s steward and corresponding with her relatives in Europe, she tries to present herself as flawlessly Norman. She speaks the version of Norman French which she learned from her father and grandmother and attempts to follow all of the Norman fashions (she doesn’t worry too much about being behind in fashion as she lives so far from the Queen’s court, and many of her Norman neighbors are equally lagging behind) but in order to appear current she has learned the protogothic script which is in full use in all of the Angevin lands (M. P. Brown 73). However, since her aunt had always compared her handwriting to the scratching of barnfowl, she and her husband (who is illiterate) use the services of a scribe for business and official purposes.
I find no conflict with Marguerite using two different types of script for two different languages. It wasn’t too long ago that all schoolchildren were taught both printing and cursive with the two scripts being in use for different purposes. Even now, I use a printing script at work (I am an accountant) and another script (an odd blend of cursive and italic) when I am taking notes in a class/meeting or writing notes to my family.
Since Marguerite is corresponding with Olwen pen Aur a Welshwoman and an acquaintance on a personal matter, she will write her own letter using insular cursive miniscule.
Parchment and vellum were the materials for writing on, the ink was made from oak galls and iron and the pens were cut from quills and reeds.
Marguerite’s letter of introduction was written on parchment that was purchased on e-bay from a vendor affiliated with the Shire of Myrtleholt, Kingdom of An Tir http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=140402154839. Marguerite herself would have purchased her parchment sheets from a crafter who specialized in manufacturing parchment and vellum, probably in Gloucester, possibly in La Haie, definitely in Oxford or London. The letter is taking the form of a personal response to an invitation from an acquaintance to attend this year’s Golden Swan Festival (see figure 2.9).
The ink used was made from oak galls, iron and gum Arabic, this type of ink was used extensively in the twelfth century and continued to be used into the nineteen century. I found many, many recipes all very similar, so I opted to use the recipe already redacted in The Historical Sourcebook for Scribes by Brown and Lovett (page 13) (see figure 2.1).
I crushed Iron Sulfate dietary supplement pills for the copperas. The first batch of ink that I made came out too thick due to the poor math they used in converting from grams to ounces. The second batch came out much more usable (figures 2.2, 2.3, 2.4 & 2.5).
The quills I cut from goose flight feathers, and hardened in oven heated sand (figures 2.6, 2.7 & 2.8).
It is written on parchment (the real thing - or maybe its vellum, I get the two confused) with Oak gall ink that I made myself with my own handcut goose quill pens. The script is Insular Miniscule (see below)
Bibliography:
Brown, Michelle and Lovett, Patricia. The Historical Source Book for Scribes. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, Inc, 1999.
Brown, Michelle P. A Guide to Western Historical Sripts from Antiquity to 1600. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1999.
Drogin, Marc. Medieval Calligraphy: It's History and Trechnique. New York: Dover Publications, Inc, 1980.
Brown, Michelle and Lovett, Patricia. The Historical Source Book for Scribes. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, Inc, 1999.
Brown, Michelle P. A Guide to Western Historical Sripts from Antiquity to 1600. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1999.
Drogin, Marc. Medieval Calligraphy: It's History and Trechnique. New York: Dover Publications, Inc, 1980.