Introduction to Palaeography (3 Parts)

Synopsis

The series gives the student an opportunity of teaching himself the basic techniques of palaeography. Shots of original manuscripts are combined with animation techniques to show the derivation of letter forms from the Roman originals to the various later scripts. The films also show how the quill and other early writing instruments operated on parchment and paper.
1: Development from the Roman capital and cursive to the emergence of the basic West European script, the Caroline miniscule, relating this to the background of the emergence of a Christian culture, based on the possession of sacred texts.
2: Development of the book hands, the administrative scripts and the hybrid hands from their common Caroline basis to the end of the 13th century. Demonstrates the evolution and main features of the specialised hands employed by the administrative departments of the medieval state, and deals with the main forms of abbreviations, characteristic of official, or ‘court’ hands, as well as those of the book hands.
3: Development of Western European scripts from the 14th century to the standardisation brought by printing in the 17th century. Deals with the later Gothic scripts, the bastard script, and the humanist hands and their printed forms amongst the bookhands. The late medieval ‘court’ and ‘free’ hands, the Tudor secretary script and the humanist-influenced hands are covered in the section on administrative scripts.

Language

English

Country

Great Britain

Medium

Film; Video; Film. 16mm. sd. b&w. 27, 20, 20, min. Videocassette. Standard formats. b&w. 27, 20, 20, min.

Technical information

Black-and-white / Sound

Year of production

1972

Availability

OUT OF DISTRIBUTION

Subjects

Archaeology; Librarianship; Linguistics

Keywords

handwriting; manuscripts; medieval manuscripts; palaeography

Credits

Director

Nicholas Pronay

Writer

John Taylor

Contributor

Alan Haigh

Cast

Derek J G Holroyd

Distribution Formats

Type

Film

Format

16mm

Sections

Title

From Roman to Caroline

Synopsis

1: Development from the Roman capital and cursive to the emergence of the basic West European script, the Caroline miniscule, relating this to the background of the emergence of a Christian culture, based on the possession of sacred texts.

Title

Central Middle Ages

Synopsis

2: Development of the book hands, the administrative scripts and the hybrid hands from their common Caroline basis to the end of the 13th century. Demonstrates the evolution and main features of the specialised hands employed by the administrative departm

Title

From Gothic to printing

Synopsis

3: Development of Western European scripts from the 14th century to the standardisation brought by printing in the 17th century. Deals with the later Gothic scripts, the bastard script, and the humanist hands and their printed forms amongst the bookhands.

Production Company

Name

University of Leeds History Film Project

Name

University of Leeds Media Services

Notes

see Leeds University Television

Distributor

Name

Leeds University Television

Contact

Sally Popplewell (Sales supervisor)

Email

mediaservices@leeds.ac.uk

Web

http://mediant.leeds.ac.uk/vtcatalogue/ External site opens in new window

Phone

0113 343 2660

Fax

0113 343 2669

Address

Media Services
University of Leeds
Leeds
LS2 9JT