Online Helps for Reading Old English Handwriting
Access online tutorials and helps for reading the handwriting in old English records at the following web sites:
- England & Wales Handwriting 1500 to 1800 (click on links on upper left side of page)
- English Handwriting 1500-1700
- Scottish handwriting in 16th-18th century documents
- Latin (click on the link at bottom of page)
- English, German, Dutch, Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese (the non-English tutorials are presented in both English and in the native language)
- Upload and read old Handwriting RootsChat Deciphering Handwriting Help. (Free).
- Thoyts, E. E. How to Decipher and Study Old Documents. London: Elliot Stock, 1893. Digital images on Internet Archive. Note the chart on page 134 of Set Chancery, Common Chancery, Court Hand, and Secretary Stuart Period letter forms.
Other web sites can be found by going to Cyndi's List - Handwriting & Script or by doing a search on Google for terms such as handwriting, paleography, or Old English with the term England. Category;Scotland Language and Handwriting