Aids to reading, translating and understanding British and Irish
manuscripts
- Alcock, N.W., Old Title Deeds (1986).
- Gouldesbrough, P., A Formulary of Old Scots Legal Documents
(1985).
- The National Archives provides an online currency converter
to translate yesterday's money values into today's.
- University
of Nottingham: Manuscripts skills. Online guidance on using and
understanding old records, including their dating and use of former English
and Welsh units of weights, measurements and money. There are detailed
sections on accounts, deeds, manorial records and maps and plans.
Dating
Dictionaries and online translation
- Google Translate provides
online machine translation of numerous languages, including Latin, French,
Irish and Welsh into English. Its Latin translator is based on Classical
Latin and so may not cope well with Medieval Latin. It is accustomed to
Modern French, Irish and Welsh and so may not be much help with Norman
French or Old Irish and Welsh.
- An
Anglo-Saxon Dictionary, based on the manuscript collections of the late
Joseph Bosworth, edited and enlarged by T. Northcote Toller,
M.A. (1898).
- Babylon: collection of English to
Latin and Latin to English dictionaries, which can be used online or
downloaded.
- Celtic-Latin
Word-List: a checklist of distinctive vocabulary found in the texts
covered by the Royal Irish Academy's Dictionary of Medieval Latin
from Celtic Sources, the first volume of which has been published:
A. Harvey and J. Power, The Non-Classical Lexicon of Celtic
Latinity (2006).
- Dictionary of the Scots
Language combines electronic editions of the Dictionary of
the Older Scottish Tongue (12th to 17th centuries) and the
Scottish National Dictionary (18th century to the present
day).
- Eagle, A., The
Online Scots Dictionary.
- Gaelic Dictionaries
Online: a selection of dictionaries, some searchable, including
Irish, Manx and Scottish Gaelic.
- Latham, R.E., Revised Medieval Latin Word-List (1965).
- Lewis, C.T. and Short, C., A Latin Dictionary (1879).
- Martin, C.T., The Record Interpreter (1910, facsimile 1982).
Lists abbreviations of Latin and French words used in English medieval
documents and Latin forms of English place and personal names. Its
glossaries are online at the White
Trash Scriptorium.
- Nelson, L.H., Latin Word
List, which includes medieval meanings.
- Robinson, M. (ed.), The Concise Scots Dictionary (1985).
- Stuart, D., Latin for Local and Family Historians
(1995).
- Thomas, R.J., Geiriadur Prifysgol
Cymru: a dictionary of the Welsh language (1950-).
Etymological.
Glossaries
- Cox, N., and Dannehl, K., Dictionary of
Traded Goods and Commodities, 1550-1820 (2007). A dictionary of
terms used in documents relating to trade and retail in early modern
Britain.
- Gee, E., A Glossary of Building Terms Used in England from the
Conquest to c.1550 (Frome Historical Research Group 1984).
- Fisher, J.L., A Medieval Farming Glossary of Latin and English
Words Taken Mainly From Essex Records (Standing Conference for Local
History 1968).
- Milward, R., A Glossary of Household, Farming and Trade Terms from
Probate Inventories, 3rd edn. (Derbyshire Record Society 1986).
- Needham, S., A Glossary for East Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire
Probate Inventories (1984).
- For glossaries of modern terms for historic architectural detail see Fabric.
Handwriting guides
- Grieve, H.E.P., Examples of English Handwriting 1150-1750
(1954).
- Hector, L.C., The Handwriting of English Documents
(1958).
- National Archives, Paleography
provides a web tutorial to reading documents written in English between
1500 and 1800. Includes exercises.
- Marshall, H., Palaeography for Family and Local Historians
(2004).
- Postles, D.A., Palaeography covers
medieval charters and 16th and 17th-century manuscripts. Includes
palaeography exercises.
- Rosie, A., Scottish Handwriting 1500-1700 (1994).
- Scottish
Handwriting: online tuition in the palaeography of Scottish
documents 1500-1750.
- Simpson, G.G., Scottish Handwriting (1986).
- Tillotson, D., Medieval Writing
includes the history of scripts and interactive palaeography exercises.
Latin tutorials
- Gooder, E.A., Latin for Local History 2nd edn. (1978).
- National Archives, Beginner's
Latin: a beginners' guide to the Latin used in documents between
1086 and 1733.
- National Archives, Advanced
Latin: online tutorial with 12 lessons to teach medieval Latin
to an advanced level.