Top Tips For Deciphering Old Handwriting

We are often ask why it it that we have so much success deciphering old handwriting.  Part of that is experience but there are also some good tips to help make this easier.

Check out the National Records of Scotland's website Scottish Handwriting which gives free tuition on Scottish handwriting.  Whether you want to do all the exercises or use it as a reference for the style of old letters, it is an invaluable aid.

During the 16th and 17th centuries in Scotland, most legal documents were written in Latin or Scots so it's important to become familiar with Latin genealogy terms and also to have a good Scots dictionary or visit the Dictionary of the Scots Language online.

If you are looking at a document online or scanned into your computer then it is normally possible to make a negative image of the original.  This can often decipher unclear handwriting.

Get used to the style of the writer. If you are looking at a long document then this is easy but if you are looking at a document such as a birth/marriage/death certificate then try looking for other records that you are interested in from the same location around the same time period.  You will often find a registrar is there for many years and so you have more examples of their handwriting for reading practice.

If you have trouble deciphering a word then write down what you think it is and then search for the word online.  This will often give you good results and also an explanation of any unfamiliar words.  It's also a great way of pinning down streets and place names accurately. 

If you are completely stuck with a word, it helps to try to break it down into individual letters.  If this still proves a problem, look in the document for that letter in other words where you have been able to read a word.

A fresh pair of eyes can help!  Not only if you are tired, though that can be a problem at times but by asking someone else to look.  Everyone has their own way of looking at things and sometimes they can decipher a puzzling word or phrase.

The vocabulary used is often different to the words we use now however if you read a document and find a word that is unfamiliar, it does not mean that you have made a mistake. Transcribe what you see and make an educated guess as to what it might mean in the context of the document. Once again, it is worth checking online for the meaning of words if you are unfamiliar with them.

Along with vocabulary, spelling, grammar, and abbreviations have all changed over the centuries - and more than once!  Sometimes there is no shortcut but to research these!

Find out how we can help you decipher puzzling words or documents by contacting us for a no obligation chat at kintree@ymail.com.

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