Script History- Insular

Question 1

What is an issue with the dating and localisation of Insular manuscripts and script?

Answer 1

Insular scribes rarely identified themselves, which means that dating has to be done by palaeographical, codicological, art historical and historical methods.

Question 2

How did the Roman scripts come to England?

Answer 2

In overall terms, it is useful to think of the Augustinian mission bringing the Roman scripts to England.
The mission came from a deeply literate culture which was operating at a high level of literacy
The books the Augustinian mission would have bought with them would have been in Roman uncial, and some in capitals

Question 3

How did the Insular scripts come to England?

Answer 3

The ‘Irish’ mission during the conversion of the Anglo-Saxons in the 6th century
– By this point, Unicial script had already been bought to England by Augustine of Canterbury

Question 4

How is the development of script in the British Isles different to what happened on the continent?

Answer 4

The origin and development of script is different than on the continent, as there, New Roman Cursive formed the basis of national forms of writing. WHEREAS, in Britain Roman Half-Unical was the foundation– dual influence

Question 5

How/when did Insular scripts spread to the continent?

Answer 5

Insular scripts later spread to the continent in centres under the influence of ‘Insular’ monks
Insular script was influential on the development of Caroline minuscule

Question 6

What must we assume the majority of books initially bought to Ireland were in– hence what the Insular script was based/ borrowed from?

Answer 6

Assume that most were written in Half-Uncial— Once they had their models, the Irish monks then developed their own style of writing

Question 7

What is the highest grade of Insular script?

Answer 7

Insular Half-Uncial

• • Its grand use was used almost exclusively for grand liturgical books
• • the Lichfield Gospels are in this

Question 8

Describe the influences/development of Insular Half-Uncial…

Answer 8

Insular Half-Uncial is a stylised development of Roman Half-Uncial and the celtic artistic tradition which influenced the script
– had become set by the end of the 6th century (roughly speaking)

Question 9

Where is the most spectacular/finest version of Insular Half-Uncial found?

Answer 9

In the Book of Kells

Question 10

Examples of English Insular Half-Uncial?

Answer 10

The Lindisfarne Gospels
The Book of Durrow
The Durham Cassiodorus

Question 11

What is Insular Half-Uncial also known as?

Answer 11

Also known as Insular Majuscule - but it is not technically a majuscule scrip as it has ascenders and descenders

Question 12

What is the earliest copy of English round Half-Uncial?

Answer 12

The Lindisfarne Gospels

Its very similar to the Irish model but there are some differences to indicate country of origin

Question 13

Two features of how Insular Half-Uncial is written?

Answer 13

. It is essentially a bilinear/majuscule script but it does have some ascenders and descenders
. The script is widely spaced but some letters run together and often touch on both sides

Question 14

What does an Insular Half-Uncial A look like?

Answer 14

It has the ‘oc’ form

Question 15

What does an Insular Half-Uncial G look like?

Answer 15

It resembles a ‘T’ with a small loop below the baseline

Question 16

What does an Insular Half-Uncial Y look like?

Answer 16

It has a rather contorted form - like an ‘S’ with a weird medial tail

Question 17

What is a characteristic Insular feature?

Answer 17

The cross fertilisation of scripts- prone to variation

Question 18

Discuss the formation of Insular minuscule…

Answer 18

Insular minuscule rapidly displaced half-uncial as it was more cursive and convenient.
It probably came into existence contemporaneously with the national hand, but the need for a quicker script was obviously felt

Question 19

What is the first dated example of Insular Minuscule?

Answer 19

In the Book of Armagh- written 807

Question 20

The use of Insular minuscule in England…

Answer 20

Spread to England by Irish missionaries and it was adapted to Old English
– It was to become the prominent script for vernacular manuscripts until after the Norman Conquest

Question 21

How did Insular minuscule change throughout the time it was used in England?

Answer 21

By the end of the 10th century, Caroline Minuscule had had quite an affect , due to increased intercourse with the continent and political changes

Question 22

How does Insular Minuscule differ from Insular Half-Uncial?

Answer 22

Insular minuscule uses half-uncial letter forms as its base, but compresses them laterally and points are drawn very thin– it is a minuscule hand.