How did they write in the Middle Ages?

Answer 1

Most people in the Middle Ages couldn't read or write because they didn't go to school. The few people who could write, used a quill pen, ie a pen made from a sharpened goose feather which they dipped in ink to write on parchment paper.

Answer 2

Most people could neither read nor write. At first only monks and clerks (churchmen) were trained to write, almost always in Latin. From the 13th century onwards more lay scribes were trained and they set up shops in towns (you would pay them to write a letter or book for you).

Writing was done with a penna (Latin for a feather), usually a quill from a goose. Ink was made from oak-galls, iron and gum Arabic - it is called "iron-gall" ink and it is slightly acidic, etching itself into the page (it is therefore permanent).

A scribe, whether a monk or a lay scribe, would first have to learn medieval Latin, then he would have to learn all the standard abbreviations for common Latin terms. This was done to save space and fit more text onto each page. In some manuscripts almost every word is abbreviated, making them very difficult to read.

Then the scribe would have to prepare his own quills and ink; he would also need parchment or vellum (the prepared skins of goats, sheep and calves). He would rule lines and margins using a piece of lead, then he could begin to write.

The style of writing changed several times during the medieval period, but even two scribes writing in the same style would form the letters differently, so the writing of an individual scribe can be identified.

The link below takes you to a page giving details of a monastic scriptorium where books and documents were written:

Answer 3

Most people were illiterate and did not use anything to write with. Up to the 11th century the main writing implement was the reed pen. This became obsolete by the early 12th century when quill pens took over and these were the common writing tool right up to the 19th century.

Quill pens are made from the central spine or quill of a large wing-tip feather, often from the domestic goose, but swan feathers and those from other large birds also work well. The "feathery" parts or barbs were stripped off the quill and the end was cut to make the nib; this nib had to be repeatedly re-cut as it was softened by the ink. A specific type of small knife was used for cutting the nib and this came to be known as a pen knife.

The Latin word for a feather is penna, from which the English word pen derives. Until the invention of the biro, the French word for a pen was une plume, which also means a feather.

In the monasteries and Church schools another writing implement was used - a stylus, which could be of bronze or bone. This had a pointed end and was for writing exercises or temporary notes on wax tablets (tabulae).

Answer 4

90 per cent of people could not read or write. Those that could had the option of writing on wax tablets (for taking quick notes or for school lessons) or writing more permanently on parchment or vellum.

Parchment was the untanned skins of sheep or goats which was treated by repeated washing, scraping and stretching. When it was very thin and smooth it was treated with a finely-ground chalk, cuttlefish bone or pumice to make it absorbent and white. This work could take many weeks.

Vellum was the skins of calves treated in just the same way - the result was a thicker, more durable and higher quality product for use in the finest books. The word vellum comes from Anglo-Norman French veelin, as does the modern word veal, meaning the meat of a calf.

Answer 5

Most people could not write in medieval times. However, those who could typically wrote in a form of elaborate cursive known as calligrahy.

Answer 6

Writing materials available in the middle ages included vellum, parchment, and paper.