Decipher those difficult documents

As it’s National Handwriting Day today, I thought it would be an ideal opportunity to take a look at some of the online tools available (freely, of course) to help you read old documents that contain unfamiliar writing or language.  Known as palaeography, this is a skill that genealogists will often wish they had kept up.  So even if you’ve already acquired it, check out the resources listed below and refresh your knowledge!

Most of these involve a bit of effort to familiarise yourself with different alphabets and numerals as well as equivalent date, money and measurement systems.  But if you have struggled to interpret antiquated handwriting or words, learning how to approach them will be a great investment of your time and brainpower.

Below are some websites that offer free tutorials and digital images to help you to practice reading documents from the 16th to the 18th centuries.  Because some older types of documents can include Latin words or phrases (or be written entirely in Latin), I’ve included a helpful resource for tackling that, as well as a dictionary of the Scots language, as that can sometimes crop up in documents north of, and around, the Border.

z    National Archives – This short course, "Palaeography: reading old handwriting 1500-1800", contains ten practice documents and a fun ducking stool game.

z    Scottish Handwriting –  If your research takes you back to the 1700s or earlier in Scotland, this website will prove invaluable.  It features online tutorials, coaching, and a problem solver for when you’re really stuck.  

z    University of York – Download the PDF booklet “Reading the Past: 16^th and 17^th century English handwriting”. This is a great introduction to the art of transcribing.  It includes a variety of sample documents to practice with, along with transcripts and explanatory reading notes.

z    FutureLearn – Sign up for a free three-week interactive course in Scottish palaeography.  Teachers from the University of Glasgow provide the written material and present excellent YouTube videos on different aspects of palaeography.  The course also covers some English documents.

z    Learn Medieval Latin – This National Archives guide for beginners takes you through the process of learning essential Latin step by step.

z    Dictionary of the Scots Language – Especially useful with Burns Night in the offing! 

My top tip for developing your palaeography skills is to be patient with yourself.  If you're finding a word or letter impossible to decipher, take a break from it altogether.  When you return to it, you'll be surprised at how suddenly it becomes clear.

Just to make sure you've checked out these resources thoroughly:  What’s a boll? (Hint: not the weevil kind)