Secretary hand facts for kids
Secretary hand is a special style of handwriting that was popular in Europe, especially in England, Germany, Wales, and Ireland, during the 1500s and 1600s. It was used for many important documents and everyday letters. This unique script helped people communicate better as the world became more connected.
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What is Secretary Hand?
Secretary hand was a common way to write before the more familiar italic script became popular. It developed because people needed a clearer and more widely understood way to write. As business and personal letters increased, especially in cities and courts, a new writing style was needed.
This handwriting style was used by secretaries and clerks. It came from the quick, flowing handwriting used in business. Even though it had many loops and fancy curves, people used it a lot.
Different Kinds of Secretary Hand
By 1618, a writing teacher named Martin Billingsley described different types of Secretary hand. He even mentioned "mixed" hands that combined parts of Roman letters. There were also special hands, like "court hand," used only in certain legal courts.
Why Did It Change?
Around the time of King Henry VII, many writers started using the "Italian" style. This was a flowing script that was easier to read. However, it was also easier to copy or fake.
English ladies were often taught the "Italian hand." This was suitable for the occasional writing they might do. In plays from that time, stage directions and character names were often written in italic. The actual words spoken by characters were in Secretary hand. This is why we use italic text today to highlight certain words.
Who Reads It Now?
Today, experts who study old handwriting, called palaeographers, can read Secretary hand. Also, people who research family history (genealogists) and scholars who study old books and plays learn to read it.
An interesting fact is that a person named William Henry Ireland used Secretary hand to create fake documents. He pretended they were written by the famous playwright William Shakespeare.
Images for kids
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William Shakespeare's will, written in 1616 in Secretary hand.
See also
- Calligraphy
- Cursive
- Handwriting
- History of writing
- Italic script
- Palaeography
- Penmanship
