Cambridge, Corpus Christi College, 367

Number of Hands: 7

Hand: 1

• Scope: major
• Script: Anglo-Saxon Insular minuscle
• Description: This scribe copied Item 1 (fols 1, 2, 7-10). The scribe uses a type of Anglo-Saxon Insular minuscule characteristic of the mid- to second-half of the twelfth century. The aspect is backward-leaning; the ascenders are slightly wedged. The descenders are either tapered or curve on the left. The hand does not extend too much either below or above the ruled line. The nib of the pen is cut in a squarish proportion to give to the script an angular duct. The scribe mixes both Caroline and insular features. 
• Summary of the characteristics of the hand:
  • Caroline a with a small lobe, which is not always closed, and pronounced head with a broken stroke of squarish proportion;
  • a diamond-shaped lobe of the b alternates with a more rounded bowl, wedged straight ascender, whose end turns slightly to the left;
  • c is slightly fractured, and starts with a thicker, dot-like onset stroke;
  • d has a thick left-leaning back, occasionally tapered backward to the right, and a small rounded lobe; its head can also be of squarish proportions and the length of the ascender varies;
  • æ is formed by an insular a and an e, which sits on shoulder of the a and terminates with protruding tongue on the right, at times, it sits on a protruding headstroke of the a;
  • small closed e with a short tongue to the right of the squarish head;
  • three forms of f: a Caroline f, sitting on the line with a tall ascender which occasionally curls onto itself with a closed stroke; a tailed f, with a long descender finishing with a long leftwards tail; and an insular form of f with a tapered descender;
  • there are three forms of g. A Caroline g with a rounded upper lobe with a small protrusion to the right, and a lower lobe which does not always close. The descender curves in a rounded, 90 degree angle to the left, stopping just past the line of the starting point of the lobe. The scribe also uses an insular form of g, which has an s-shaped descender curbing towards the right just after the writing line, and an open tail finished by a horizontal stroke. There is also a long and thin insular g with a tail curling towards the right and a flat head stroke;
  • Caroline h has a thick, wedged ascender and a right limb which sometimes curls under the line;
  • the minims of i, m, n and u are traced singularly, irregular in shape and their feet either finish with a small serif or with a sharper angle to the right;
  • tall, wedged ascender l has a shaft finishing on the line with a small foot curling to the right;
  • rounded closed o;
  • p and ƿ are barely distinguishable. However, p has a descender finishing with a right curl and a closed, squarish bowl which closes past the shaft on the left;
  • Insular r has a well defined shoulder and a descender which curves on the left. Caroline r is also used occasionally;
  • Caroline s has a flat head stroke; it alternates with a long s and an insular form with a tailed descender curving to the left;
  • t has a straight head;
  • x has an exaggerated descender curving right;
  • y is always dotted and the descender ends with a flick to the right;
  • ð has a pointed bowl and a wedged ascender;
  • þ can be formed by a back stroke 45 degree ascender finishing with a serif curving on the right;
  • ƿ is formed with a descender generally curving towards the left;
  • other features include: a two stroke D which has a upright stem and a wide bowl closing at the top in a narrow parallel stroke to the stem. Capitals are often, but not regularly, used after the punctus.
  • Litterae Notabiliores: Pen ink work is occasionally used to decorate litterae notabiliores. Enlarged initials are offset into the margin when they correspond with line beginnings.
  • Abbreviations: Use of ˥ nota; crossed through þ for þæt; a straight macron usually abbreviates m, n and i and -er is abbreviated with macrons, apostrophe or a superscript virgule.
  • Punctuation: Punctus on the line and punctus elevatus; hyphens curve up slightly at line-ends.
  • Ligatures: Use of de in the English, Latin and French texts and the st ligature in which the headstroke of the s curves and forms the shaft of the t.
  • Language: The scribe often departs from West Saxon features (Crawford 1922, pp. 429-436; Pope 1967, pp. 38-39; Rosier 1964, pp. 8-11)
  • Other manuscripts: This is the same hand as found in CUL Ii.1.33.

Hand: 2

• Scope: major 
• Description: Homilies (Items 2-11, fols 3-6 and 11-29) is written by one hand of s. xiimed. This hand is exemplified by a lateral breadth and an upright aspect, with an angular duct. The long lines, with an average of ten or more words per line, give the page a compressed appearance, and might be a result of the lack of resources for the production of these texts. It would make extemporised, public reading difficult; close, private reading of the page is a much more likely intended consequence of the mise-en-page.
• Summary of the characteristics of the hand:
  • ascenders are notched;
  • descenders sometimes curve to the left at the end; the descenders of f and þ lean backward;
  • minims are irregular, fairly rounded, and have distinct curved feet to the right.
  • usually Caroline a but has a very small head at times, making it look like a single-compartment a;
  • æ is formed with a single compartment a and an e, which sits on shoulder of the a;
  • d is rounded; its ascender is much shorter than that of ð;
  • e is quite rounded, and has a protruding tongue at line-ends. Occasionally, the scribe writes this graph with two distinct strokes, the tongue forming a second stroke;
  • f is insular form of f with a tapered descender that curves to the left;
  • g is most commonly insular with a 5-shaped descender curbing towards the right just after the writing line, and an open tail. There is also a Caroline form of g like a rounded s with a hook to the right;
  • h is very un-self-consciously penned: it is often more insular in character than Caroline. It has a short ascender, which is tagged to the left;
  • p and ƿ are barely distinguishable, though the bowl of ƿ is quite angular. However, p has a descender finishing with a right curl and a closed, squarish lobe which closes past the shaft on the left;
  • insular r has a well-defined shoulder and a descender which curves to the left. Sometimes, the shoulder curves right back onto the descender, giving it an appearance of a p; 
  • low and high s have a round headstroke. Uncial s is also used;
  • ð has a rounded bowl, a tall ascender which curves to the left and down at its end; the crossbar transects the ascender;
  • þ is distinctive with its split ascender and large, pointed bowl. It leans backwards somewhat;
  • ƿ is slightly backward leaning;
  • y is straight or slightly rounded and always dotted. It sometimes sits just on or below the line.
• Litterae Notabiliores: Pen ink work is occasionally used to decorate litterae notabiliores. Red-filled large initials are offset into the channel between the two vertical bounding lines, when they correspond with a new line. Many small capitals within the text are filled with red.
• Abbreviations: Use of ˥ nota; crossed through þ for þæt; a curved macron usually abbreviates m, n and i and -er is abbreviated with macrons, apostrophe or a superscript virgule.
• Punctuation: Punctus on the line and punctus elevatus. Accents are hooked at the end. Hyphens curve up at line-ends.
• Ligatures: Use of the st ligature in which the headstroke of the s curves and forms the shaft of the t.

Hand: 3

• Scope: major
• Script: caroline minuscule
• Description: (membrane, fols 45r-48r (Quire 10); Latin Life of Kenelm) is written in a good caroline minuscule hand of s. ximed, similar in appearance to the hand of the Cotton-Corpus Legendary.

Hand: 4

• Scope: major
• Description: Item 13: A hand of s. xii completes the text of (?).

Hand: 5

• Scope: major
• Description: Item 14, List of Books is in insular minuscule script of s. ximed.

Hand: 6

• Scope: major
• Description: Item 15, Vision of Leofric is in insular minuscule script of s. xi2. Caroline a is occasionally used.

Hand: 7

• Scope: major
• Description: Items 16-19 are written in a number of twelfth-century hands.