Palaeography

Breaking the Code

Palaeography is “old handwriting”.  Other people’s writing is always tricky, but documents written hundreds of years ago by scribes with whom you have little in common are a particular problem for genealogists and local historians. Reading them is like codebreaking, and demands time and patience. Some background knowledge will help you to interpret documents and get a fuller picture of your ancestors' lives.

If you have discovered potentially useful documents in your research but cannot read them, you have three alternative courses of action:

• Give up

• Buy a book or go on a palaeography course

• Ask a Palaeographer

Books for learning palaeography

The best books currently available about palaeography are:

• Bernard Bischoff, Latin Palaeography, Antiquity and the Middle Ages (CUP) The "long view", invaluable whether you want to read Roman wax tablets or mediaeval texts and charters. 

• L C Hector, The Handwriting of English Documents A brilliant brief overview of what to expect of handwritten documents in English archives.

• Hilary Marshall, Palaeography for Family and Local Historians (Phillimore) The very best practical guide for reading Early Modern Latin and English documents. 

• Rosemary Sassoon, Handwriting of the Twentieth Century (Intellect). The best account of the diversity of English handwriting since 1850. 

Palaeography courses

You can learn palaeography online from the National Archives, or sign up for a course at your local University, perhaps as a module in a Local History diploma or MA course.  The University of Keele runs an excellent Summer School every year. Many local and family historians have developed their palaeographical and latin skills there over the past three decades. 

Palaeographers

Professional genealogists or archivists should have the know-how and experience to tackle most Latin, Anglo-Norman or English documents found in English archives.  A professionally-qualified archivist is usually on hand in every Record Office reading room, happy to help with the knottier bits of palaeography. 

Peter Foden is a freelance archivist, genealogist and palaeographer.  He has taught palaeography for the Universities of Birmingham, Keele, Leicester and Oxford. His expertise is available for one-to-one training in palaeography, mediaeval latin and historical research methods transcription, translation and interpretation of documents historical research projects (family, house, landscape or community)

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