Spanning two centuries of English manuscripts, and unlocking access to a wealth of archival resources, both original and digital.
Intensive online course. This two-week course gives an intensive, skills-based and comprehensive overview of early modern English handwriting. Rigorous but accessible, it is suitable both for those coming to early modern handwriting for the first time, and for those looking to refresh or improve their palaeographical skills.
At your own pace. The course has a blend of asychronous content – videos that can be watched and rewatched at your own pace – and synchronous content: daily live sessions via Zoom where you can meet your fellow students and ask any questions.
This course is suitable for:
- Students, particularly at taught or research postgraduate level, whose studies involve early modern manuscripts in physical or digital form
- Archivists, curators and cataloguers working with early modern material
- Family and local historians, genealogists, and history teachers working on Tudor, Stuart or Georgian England
- Anyone who wants to learn how to read early modern handwriting, whether for research, study or general interest
The course includes:
- An introduction to all the major types of early modern handwriting, including court hand, secretary hand, italic and mixed hands
- A guide to commonly encountered features of early modern manuscripts, including abbrevations, contractions, numbers and dates
- Examples drawn from a wide range of manuscripts, including letters, notebooks, diaries and other forms of life-writing, accounts, wills and inventories
- Discussion of literary manuscripts – prose, poetry and drama – and their relationship to print
- An in-depth look at selected manuscripts from Durham’s world-renowned collections
- Guidance on archival organization, and on finding the material you need in catalogues and databases, printed and online
By the end of the course you will have:
- The foundational skills required to read and transcribe a wide range of early modern manuscripts
- A knowledge of the different types of early modern handwriting and their development over time, and the ability to estimate the date of undated manuscripts
- A broad historical awareness of early modern manuscript culture, including scribal production and the circulation of texts
- An understanding of the issues involved in presenting and editing manuscripts for publication or in a dissertation
Format. The course is delivered online, using digital images. The daily live sessions will be held twice to cover different time zones. Links to the Zoom meetings will be available on each lesson, with login details shared by email.
Time investment. This is an intensive course, and while the online content can be watched at your own pace, you should aim to devote 5 to 6 hours daily to the course in order to make the most of it and consolidate the knowledge and skills acquired. The transcriptions will help you to keep track of your progress, and the live sessions will allow you to ask questions and receive any guidance you need to help you stay on track.
Assessment. The course will be assessed through a portfolio of transcriptions submitted throughout the duration of the course, and a ‘mini-edition’ of a manuscript submitted when the course is completed.
Pricing. The full price for this course is £700.
Payment will be taken via Events@Durham once your application is confirmed as successful. We will be in touch with further details in due course.
Bursaries. There are a number of bursaries on offer. The cost of the course with a bursary is £375. Please select ‘Yes’ on the ‘Are you eligible for a bursary?’ question in our application form, and fill out the required response. You will be informed of the outcome of your bursary application together with your admission to the course.
Capacity. There are 24 places available for this course. If you cannot get a place in the course, we will automatically enter you in a waiting list, and will keep your details for the next round of the course (dates to be announced).
Schedule. The next course offering is 13-24 April 2026. Applications are now open.