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Old handwriting is discovered every day in many different contexts: in the parish church on memorials and stained glass windows, in the family Bible and old letters, in old wills and perhaps even in the title deeds to your home. Historians, including many who are researching local and family history, encounter apparently impenetrable documents when they turn to the archives.

Until the invention of printing in the fifteenth century, and for most purposes long after, writing was done with pen, pencil, brush or other tool held in the hand. This `manuscript' handwriting interests both calligraphers, for the way in which it is done, and historians, who need to decipher the content. [n this book archivists David Iredale and John Barrett provide a guide to the development of handwriting through the ages and introduce the reader to the many styles found in old documents in the British Isles. The difficulties likely to be encountered and the conventions, particularly concerning abbreviation, used by scribes and clerks from time to time are explained and illustrated by many examples in the text. At the end of the book specimen documents of types likely to be encountered from all periods are analysed, explained and transcribed.

John Barrett and David Iredale are the authors of three other books in this series, Discovering Local History, Discovering Your Family Tree and Discovering Your Old House.