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Round hand
Round hand
Round hand
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George Bickham's Round hand script, from The Universal Penman, c. 1740–1741

Round hand (also roundhand) is a type of handwriting and calligraphy originating in England in the 1660s primarily by the writing masters John Ayres and William Banson. Characterised by an open flowing hand (style) and subtle contrast of thick and thin strokes deriving from metal pointed nibs in which the flexibility of the metal allows the left and right halves of the point to spread apart under light pressure and then spring back together, the popularity of round hand grew rapidly, becoming codified as a standard, through the publication of printed writing manuals.

Origins

[edit]

During the Renaissance, writing masters of the Apostolic Camera developed the italic cursiva script. When the Apostolic Camera was destroyed during the sack of Rome in 1527, many masters moved to Southern France where they began to refine the renaissance italic cursiva script into a new script, italic circumflessa.[1] By the end of the 16th century, italic circumflessa began to replace italic cursiva. Italic circumflessa was further adapted into the French style rhonde in the early 17th century.[1]

By the mid-17th century, French officials were flooded with documents written in various hands (styles) at varied levels of skills and artistry. As a result, officials began to complain that many such documents were beyond their ability to decipher.[1] France's Controller-General of Finances took proposals from French writing masters of the time, the most influential being Louis Barbedor [fr], who had published his Les Ecritures financière et italienne-bastarde dans leur naturel, circa 1650.[1] After examining the proposals, the Controller-General of Finances decided to restrict all legal documents to three hands, namely the Coulée, the Rhonde, and a Speed Hand sometimes simply called Bastarde.[1]

In England, Edward Cocker had been publishing copybooks based upon French rhonde in the 1640s. In the 1680s, John Ayres and William Banson popularized their versions of rhonde after further refining and developing it into what had become known as English round hand style.[1]

Golden age

[edit]

Later in the 17th and 18th centuries, English writing masters including George Bickham, George Shelley and Charles Snell helped to propagate Round Hand's popularity, so that by the mid-18th century the Round Hand style had spread across Europe and crossed the Atlantic to North America. The typefaces Snell Roundhand and Kuenstler Script are based on this style of handwriting. Charles Snell was particularly noted for his reaction to other variants of roundhand, developing his own Snell Roundhand, which emphasised restraint and proportionality in the script.[1]

See also

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References

[edit]
[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Round hand

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from Grokipedia
Round hand, also known as English roundhand or Copperplate, is a style of handwriting and that emerged in in the late and dominated 18th-century writing instruction, prized for its elegant, legible forms suitable for commercial and formal documents. Developed amid the Enlightenment's commercial expansion, round hand evolved from earlier italic and secretary hands into a practical yet ornate script, executed with a flexible pointed-nib pen to create characteristic thick downstrokes and delicate hairline upstrokes, often slanting at about 54 degrees to the right. Its fluid, rhythmic quality, emphasized by S-shaped flourishes in capitals and an underlying "," made it a staple in copybooks produced by writing masters between 1680 and 1740. The style's prominence is exemplified in George Bickham's influential The Universal Penman (1733–1741), a comprehensive of exemplary scripts from over 25 penmen, which standardized and disseminated round hand across Britain and its colonies for business ledgers, legal contracts, and personal correspondence. In America, it bridged class divides post-Revolution, with educators like John Jenkins adapting it for middle-class literacy through simplified stroke-by-stroke methods in copybooks, fostering widespread adoption in the growing industrial economy. By the , round hand influenced subsequent American scripts such as Spencerian, which refined its commercial efficiency for , while its techniques—requiring high-quality ink, or steel nibs, and lined paper—continued to underpin formal until the rise of typewriters and simplified . Today, round hand endures in modern revivals, valued for its aesthetic versatility in invitations, , and artistic lettering.

History

Origins

Round hand developed in in the late 17th century, emerging around the 1660s primarily through the work of writing masters such as John Ayres, as a refined evolution from earlier and incorporating elements of the more fluid to enhance legibility and ease of writing. , a style derived from medieval court hands, had been the standard for English documents since the early 1500s, but its angular forms often hindered quick reading and production. In contrast, italic—characterized by connected letters and smoother strokes—offered greater speed and clarity, making it an attractive alternative for practical use. The key influences on this transition stemmed from 16th-century Italian writing masters, particularly Ludovico degli Arrighi and Giovanni Antonio Tagliente, whose printed manuals popularized the chancery italic (cancelleresca corsiva) across . Arrighi's Operina da imparare di scriuere littera cancellarescha (1522) and Tagliente's Lo modo etz reggla de scriuere littera corsiva (1524) demonstrated elegant, rounded letterforms that English scribes and educators adapted over time to suit vernacular needs, blending them with local traditions. This italic influence contributed to the later development of round hand, as English writing masters sought a "natural" script that balanced aesthetic appeal with functionality. Ayres and other masters like Elias Bouaz and Thomas Johnson promoted round hand in their writing schools and early copybooks, such as Ayres' A Tutor to Penmanship (1695), which showcased its pointed-nib techniques for commercial use. Initial adoption occurred primarily in commercial and legal contexts, where the need for rapid, unambiguous transcription drove the preference for these fluid forms over the denser . Merchants and clerks favored the new script for account books and contracts, as its connected strokes allowed faster execution without sacrificing readability in high-volume correspondence. By the late , round hand elements appeared in business ledgers and trade documents, reflecting broader humanistic influences on English . Specific early examples of round hand survive in late 17th-century manuscripts, illustrating its distinctive fluidity. The earlier A Booke Containing Diuers Sortes of Hands (1570), compiled by French writing master Jehan de Beauchesne and English engraver John Baildon, had introduced italic alongside and court hands, serving as an early English manual that helped promote italic influences leading toward later scripts like round hand. holdings include 17th-century letters and legal papers exhibiting these developing scripts, illustrating the emergence of round hand.

Golden Age

The round hand flourished as the dominant script in from approximately to 1800, becoming the standard for elegant and legible writing in both commercial and personal contexts. It was widely taught in writing schools, where masters instructed students in its precise forms for practical applications such as business records and fine correspondence, emphasizing clarity and speed suitable for an expanding mercantile . This period marked the script's institutionalization, with writing masters promoting it as a national style that reflected English commercial efficiency and masculinity. A pivotal achievement in standardizing round hand was George Bickham's The Universal Penman (1733–1741), an expansive anthology of engraved exemplars that compiled contributions from 25 leading writing masters, showcasing the script's versatility through alphabets, flourishes, and ornamental pieces. Published in weekly parts and bound into volumes, the work utilized copperplate engravings to reproduce the delicate thick-thin contrasts and flowing lines of round hand with unprecedented fidelity, making high-quality models accessible to a broader audience of learners and professionals. Its influence extended the script's prestige, serving as a key reference for penmanship education across social classes. The script's popularity peaked around the 1740s, coinciding with advancements in metal-engraved copybooks that enabled mass production and dissemination of instructional materials. These innovations facilitated the spread of round hand to the American colonies through immigrant writing masters and imported copybooks, where it influenced official documents, personal letters, and educational practices in colonial schools. In regions with public education, such as New England, boys and girls alike practiced round hand to develop legible and aesthetically pleasing writing, adapting the English style to local needs while maintaining its core elegance.

Decline

The decline of round hand began in the early , driven primarily by technological innovations in writing instruments. The of steel-pointed pens, starting in the and becoming widespread by the , introduced stiffer nibs that were less suited to the broad-edged, uniform strokes of round hand. This shift encouraged the adoption of more fluid, shaded scripts like Spencerian cursive, which Platt Rogers Spencer developed in the 1840s and published in 1848, gradually replacing round hand as the dominant style by the 1850s. Industrialization amplified these changes, diminishing the cultural and practical value of ornate handwriting. Advances in steam-powered printing presses from the 1810s onward enabled cheaper and faster of books, documents, and copybooks, reducing reliance on skilled penmen for replication. By the 1850s, the proliferation of affordable steel pens further democratized writing, favoring efficiency over elegance, while the invention of in 1868—commercialized in the 1870s—prioritized mechanical uniformity and speed (up to 130 words per minute compared to 30 with a pen), rendering elaborate styles like round hand unnecessary for business and administrative needs. A pivotal occurred with the , introduced by Austin Norman Palmer in 1894 as a simplified evolution of . This system emphasized arm-based muscular movement for rapid, legible business writing, explicitly critiquing ornate copybook methods as inefficient; it became the standard in American schools by the , solidifying the obsolescence of round hand for everyday use. Round hand lingered in niche applications, particularly for formal and engraved stationery, where its aesthetic appeal retained value into the early before being fully supplanted by modern techniques.

Characteristics

Letterforms

Round hand letterforms are characterized by a uniform slope of 35–40 degrees to the right from the vertical for all letters, ensuring a consistent and harmonious flow across . This slant aligns the primary strokes of both capitals and minuscules, promoting and in extended writing. The script employs pressure-based to create thick downstrokes on both capitals and minuscules, while upstrokes remain as delicate hairlines, producing a striking contrast that defines its refined appearance. This technique, applied with a pointed , allows for dynamic variation in line weight without altering the pen's angle, emphasizing the script's fluid yet controlled aesthetic. Round hand features a simple, clear alphabet structure composed of rounded forms derived from ovals and compound curves, avoiding the excessive loops and angularity found in Gothic scripts. Letters are constructed with minimal lifts of the pen, fostering smooth connections and a sense of continuity that distinguishes it from more rigid historical styles. Specific proportions guide the design: capitals are typically twice the height of minuscules, with ascenders and extending proportionally to maintain balance. Even spacing between letters and words is prioritized for , achieved through uniform interlinear distances and optical adjustments that prevent crowding or gaps.

Flourishes

Flourishes in round hand represent the decorative extensions and ornamental elements that elevate the script beyond basic , featuring elaborate loops and swashes primarily on ascenders and to create rhythmic, flowing embellishments. These additions were crafted through the "command of hand" technique, a method emphasizing precise, free-hand control where the writer executed continuous strokes without resting the hand on the surface or interrupting the pen's motion, thereby demonstrating exceptional pen mastery and fluidity. This approach, highlighted in 17th- and 18th-century writing manuals, allowed scribes to produce intricate designs that integrated seamlessly with the rounded letterforms of the script. Prominent examples of flourishes include extended swashes on initials and capital letters, which often extended into sweeping curves or interconnected loops, as well as ornate extensions in signatures and headings that formed personalized motifs like knots or whorls. In Edward Cocker's Arts Glory (1669), such "curious knots and flourishes" adorned calligraphic specimens, serving as models for advanced practice. Similarly, works like The Pens Triumph (1658) incorporated flourishes depicting cherubs and birds, executed in a single continuous line to showcase technical prowess. These elements built upon the script's inherent 35–40 degree slope in letterforms, amplifying the graceful incline of decorative strokes. The purpose of flourishes was to impart elegance and personalization, transforming functional writing into an artistic expression that conveyed refinement and individuality. In 18th-century personal letters and legal parchments, they added visual distinction and aesthetic appeal, making documents more engaging and memorable while underscoring the writer's skill. According to historical analyses of writing manuals, these ornaments rendered "pleasant as well as profitable," aiding both pedagogical goals and social impression. Variations in flourish application reflected contextual demands, with more restrained forms in commercial settings to maintain clarity and speed for , contrasted against the lavish elaborations in artistic manuscripts intended for display. Eighteenth-century writing masters often critiqued excessive "gaudy knots and flourishes," advocating a subdued style for practical trade purposes while reserving opulent designs for ornamental works. This distinction ensured round hand's versatility across utilitarian and decorative uses.

Tools and Techniques

Writing Instruments

The primary writing instrument for round hand during the 1700–1800 period was the goose pen, selected for its flexibility and responsiveness when cut to form a pointed nib with squared shoulders and a narrow tip. This design allowed scribes to produce the characteristic thick-thin contrasts essential to the script by applying pressure on downstrokes. Preparation of the involved tempering it first by heating to harden the , followed by precise cutting techniques to ensure resilience and flow. Scribes would cut the quill's end at an , remove the inner , shape the point finely, and insert a slit for distribution, often using a specialized . These pens required frequent sharpening—or "mending"—every few pages to maintain sharpness and flexibility during extended writing sessions. Supporting materials included high-quality rag paper, made from and fibers, which provided a smooth, durable surface resistant to ink bleed. Iron-gall ink, formulated from oak galls, iron salts, and , was the standard for its permanence and dark pigmentation on such paper. The pointed nib of the facilitated pressure-based shading on downstrokes, as referenced in techniques for stroke production. By the late , early experiments with metal emerged as potential alternatives, though handmade and limited in production, with quills remaining dominant until the early .

Stroke Production

Stroke production in round hand emphasizes precise control over the flexible pointed to generate the script's contrast between thick and thin lines. Practitioners apply modulated on downstrokes to splay the nib's tines, creating bold, shaded lines that form the weighty elements of letters. In contrast, upstrokes employ light , allowing the nib to close and produce delicate hairlines. This variation, combined with the nib's flexibility, ensures consistent line quality with gradual swelling, distinguishing the method from broad-edged tools. The foundation of round hand letters builds from basic and curved line forms, which serve as the building blocks for constructing the entire . These basic forms—ranging from simple vertical and horizontal lines to varied oval shapes—are repeatedly practiced in copybooks to develop and uniformity. For instance, ovals approximate the rounded bodies of letters like 'o', 'a', and 'e', while straight lines define ascenders and , enabling scribes to compose complex forms through sequential compounding. This systematic approach prioritizes rhythm and proportion, fostering the script's flowing yet structured appearance. Optimal hand position supports steady execution by resting the on the writing surface, with forearms parallel to the for stability and reduced fatigue. The writing hand remains relaxed, allowing finger and movement to guide while the arm provides anchoring. A consistent pen angle of 45–55 degrees relative to the horizontal is maintained throughout, aligning the with the slant for even distribution and predictable thickness. This posture facilitates smooth pulling motions rather than pushing, promoting flow and preventing catches.

Legacy

Influence on Modern Scripts

The Copperplate script, synonymous with round hand or English Roundhand, continued into the , adapting its foundational forms and principles for and formal writing. This evolution preserved the techniques of round hand, where pointed nibs create contrast through pressure on downstrokes to thicken lines while keeping upstrokes thin, a method central to both styles for achieving elegant line variation. Similarly, round hand influenced the developed in the United States during the , which retained these shading principles in business and educational handwriting, simplifying the flourishes for faster execution while maintaining the rounded, flowing letterforms. In , round hand's emphasis on smooth, legible curves impacted transitional serif fonts, notably John Baskerville's 1757 typeface, whose italic variant directly drew from round hand models to introduce more upright, calligraphic transitions between thick and thin strokes. This influence extended to broader legibility principles in modern designs, where the rounded terminals and even stroke modulation from round hand-inspired contributed to cleaner, more readable forms in digital and print media, as seen in the evolution from to humanist sans-serifs like . The 20th and 21st centuries saw a revival of round hand through its descendant styles in , particularly in elegant applications like wedding invitations, where simplified Copperplate variants provide a romantic, handcrafted aesthetic. This resurgence, part of the broader starting in the late and accelerating post-1900, has been facilitated by online tutorials since the , enabling widespread learning of round hand techniques via platforms offering video guides and printable worksheets. In the 2020s, round hand has seen renewed interest through platforms and workshops, with resources like boards and tutorials promoting its practice. In digital contexts, round hand has been adapted into simplified fonts emulating 18th-century forms, such as Snell Roundhand, designed in 1966 by based on 17th-century round hand scripts and integrated into suites for versatile use in contemporary design software. These adaptations prioritize the script's fluid legibility while reducing ornate elements for screen rendering and vector editing.

Notable Practitioners and Works

George Bickham, an English engraver and calligrapher active in the early , is renowned for compiling The Universal Penman, a seminal collection of writing exemplars published in 52 parts between 1733 and 1741. This work featured 212 engraved copperplates drawn from the hands of 25 prominent penmen, including E. Austin, John Bland, and Joseph Champion, demonstrating varied applications of round hand from basic alphabets to elaborate flourished compositions. Bickham's compilation not only preserved diverse mastery of the script but also contributed to its standardization through accessible copybooks for merchants, clerks, and scholars. John Seddon, a late 17th-century writing master (c. 1644–1700), exemplified early ornamental proficiency in round hand with his The Pen-Man's Paradise, Both Pleasant & Profitable, published around 1695. This copybook included 33 engraved plates showcasing intricate pen-flourished designs and alphabets, blending practical letterforms with decorative elements to appeal to both business and artistic audiences. Seddon's work influenced subsequent engravers and practitioners by highlighting the script's versatility for formal documents and embellished manuscripts. Robert Williams, an 18th-century English penman, advanced round hand instruction through his Without a Borrowed Hand, a copybook from the early 1700s that emphasized fluid, joined letterforms suitable for everyday use. His specimens focused on the script's and speed, providing models for learners to replicate without relying on printed aids, thereby promoting authentic quill-based execution. Exemplary artifacts of round hand include the engraved plates from The Universal Penman, which served as models for generations of scribes, and colonial American documents influenced by the style, such as the engrossed parchment of the Declaration of Independence (1776), penned by Timothy Matlack in a clear, formal round hand variant. Additionally, surviving quill-written ledgers from London merchants, dating to 1720–1750 and held in collections like the Drapers' Company archives, illustrate the script's practical deployment in trade accounts, with precise entries reflecting daily commercial precision.

References

  1. https://blog.typekit.com/alternate/a-history-english-round-hand-and-the-universal-penman/
  2. https://www.6nc.org/18th-century-copperplate-handwriting/
  3. https://daily.jstor.org/before-palmer-penmanship/
  4. https://folgerpedia.folger.edu/Technologies_of_Writing_in_the_Age_of_Print
  5. https://script.byu.edu/english-handwriting/alphabet/handwriting-history
  6. https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-Ayres
  7. https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/renaissance-reform-of-the-book-and-britain/conclusion/06AA27673CE39FB7B1DF9432103BA9D6
  8. https://folgerpedia.folger.edu/mediawiki/media/images_pedia_folgerpedia_mw/7/79/AlphabetBook2020.pdf
  9. https://academic.oup.com/book/12661/chapter/162623274
  10. https://www.mountvernon.org/library/digitalhistory/digital-encyclopedia/article/writing-in-the-18th-century
  11. https://digital.library.manoa.hawaii.edu/items/show/31901
  12. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/364103
  13. https://americanhistory.si.edu/explore/stories/dont-write-cursive-yet
  14. https://talesoftimesforgotten.com/2022/10/23/the-decline-of-cursive-isnt-historically-as-big-of-a-deal-as-most-people-think/
  15. https://www.frontieramericanillustratednews.com/post/introduction-to-19th-century-penmanship-how-to-do-it
  16. https://www.europeana.eu/en/stories/from-quills-to-typewriters-how-the-industrial-revolution-changed-our-writing-culture
  17. https://www.hagley.org/librarynews/muscular-movement-masses-palmer-method-business-writing
  18. https://www.dempseyandcarroll.com/pages/invitation-etiquette
  19. http://www.zanerian.com/VitoloCopperplateBook2017.pdf
  20. https://www.britannica.com/topic/round-hand-script
  21. https://uniqueatpenn.wordpress.com/2015/03/04/writing-about-writing-in-early-modern-writing-books/
  22. https://letterformarchive.org/news/inside-calligraphic-menagerie-of-swashbuckling-scribes-and-cursive-critters/
  23. https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/108092-original-english-roundhand/
  24. https://www.6nc.org/quill-pens-the-18th-century-way/
  25. https://www.instructables.com/Making-a-quill-pen/
  26. https://herreputationforaccomplishment.wordpress.com/2014/06/19/manufacturing-quill-pens/
  27. https://paper.lib.uiowa.edu/european.php
  28. https://regencyredingote.wordpress.com/2009/09/18/ink-regency-writing-fluid/
  29. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/9954/9954-h/9954-h.htm
  30. https://pennavolans.com/copperplate-why-calligraphers-hate-the-name-but-use-it-anyway/
  31. http://johnbaskerville.co.uk/downloads/JohnBaskervilleTextOnly.pdf
  32. http://idsgn.org/posts/know-your-type-baskerville/
  33. https://www.bellafigura.com/customize/calligraphy/
  34. https://design.tutsplus.com/articles/mastering-calligraphy-how-to-write-in-roundhand-script--vector-25652
  35. https://www.pinterest.com/deskitems/calligraphy-in-the-round/
  36. https://www.typewolf.com/snell-roundhand
  37. https://peoplesgdarchive.org/item/10020/the-universal-penman-p-209andnbsp
  38. https://www.americanantiquarian.org/publications/BeyondMidnight.pdf
  39. https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_Gg-4F-77
  40. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5d803c2f9951a30338c602eb/t/5d880c91cd2e0118a86b66e2/1569197209829/01_Without_a_Borrowed_Hand_by_Robert_Williams.pdf
  41. https://prologue.blogs.archives.gov/2021/07/01/the-power-of-penmanship-writing-the-declaration-of-independence/
  42. https://www.tradeinearlymodernlondon.amdigital.co.uk/Documents/Detail/ledger-1718-1720/29159612
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