The further back in time we venture, the more likely we are to find unfamiliar handwriting and maybe text written in Latin (which was used in many legal documents before 1733). Such challenges can be met in more ways than one. As today, people had their own distinctive way of forming letters so if the problem is only understanding a particular letter, it is best to start by looking through the rest of a document written by the same individual in order to understand their distinctive script. However, this approach only works sometimes and deeper study may be needed.
Free online courses and articles created by The National Archives and others can help us understand the handwriting used in past centuries, the sort of Latin likely to be found in historical documents and to convert expressions that are not familiar to most modern readers.
Handwriting
- Reading old handwriting from 1500-1800
- English Handwriting Online 1500-1700 A course by Cambridge University which includes a 17th-century handwriting manual and help with dating scripts.
Latin
- Learn Medieval Latin - Stage 1
- Learn Medieval Latin - Stage 2
- Latin handwriting
- The elements of abbreviation in medieval Latin paleography by Adriano Cappelli
Roman numerals
Regnal Years
Dates expressed as regnal years frequently appear in legal and other documents. The format often used is the number of the year followed by the name of the monarch. A calculator which converts dates based on regnal years into the modern form can be found at
Feasts, dates and days
Calculators are also available for:
- The dates of Easter and other moveable feasts
- Converting old style dates to new style dates and vice versa
- Finding the day of the week for a specific date
Other resources
- A Glossary of Tudor and Stuart words by Walter W Skeat & Anthony L Mayhew [1914]
- Reading the Past by PM Hoskin, SL Slinn & CC Webb [2001] Facsimilies, transcripts and reading notes for 16th and 17th century English handwriting.
- The Record Interpreter by Charles Trice Martin [1910] A collection of abbreviations, Latin words and names used in English historical manuscripts and records.