Enrichment · Passion Projects

Read it as
it was written.

An old letter is easier to read than it looks once you know the habits: the long s, “ye” for “the”, raised letters, a line over a missing n. Type it line by line with the marks archivists use for what you cannot read, track the puzzling words, and get a clean, honest transcription you can share with family.

Start transcribingWhat you get

Your transcriptions

The worked example is made up: a 1743 letter between brothers with a double-year date, “ye” for “the” and two readings still in doubt. Saved on this device only.

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What you get

Enrichment · Passion ProjectsFree

What you finish with
A record per document with its title, kind, date exactly as written and year, handwriting style, writer and where the original is kept; a line-by-line transcription with one-tap marks ([illegible], [?], [sic], [torn], crossed-out text, page breaks); puzzling words with line, appearance, best reading and confidence; conventions met. Counts words, lines and uncertain readings; flags old-style dates before 1752 and lost line breaks.
Who it is for
Family historians, students using primary sources and anyone holding a box of old letters. Combines the old handwriting transcription assistant and the handwritten letter transcription tool.
Format
Browser transcription form with a saved record per document. Prints the transcription, a list of every document or a blank form; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); exports and imports a file.
Access
Free. No account, no sign-in and nothing to install. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The Passion Projects space in Caveat Enrichment.
Support
Questions about access, an order or a correction: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Work from a good scan, zoomed in, rather than the fragile original.
  2. Type line by line, keeping the spelling and the line breaks.
  3. Mark what you cannot read with the buttons instead of guessing.
  4. List puzzling words and compare their letters with words you can read on the same page.
  5. Print the transcription with the scan for relatives to check.

Start transcribing

Habits of old writers

Five things old writers didſlong sreads as s: “ſhall” is “shall”yᵉye“the”: y stands for the old letter thornWᵐWmWilliam; raised letters end a short formñline over nnn or mn: “Hañah” is “Hannah”inst.inst.this month; ult. last month, prox. next
Transcribe them as written; explain them in a note. A reader can always modernize; nobody can recover what was silently changed.

The 1752 calendar change

Until 1752, Britain and its colonies began the legal year on March 25 and used the Julian calendar. A date between January 1 and March 24 was often written with both years, such as 1743/4. Record it exactly as written and add today’s year in a note; changing it silently confuses everyone who checks your work later.

Mark, do not guess

Archivists keep a transcription faithful and put every addition in square brackets: [illegible] for what cannot be read, a question mark for a doubtful reading, [sic] for an error in the original. A clean copy for reading can come later, made from the faithful one.

Sources

  1. National Archives (U.K.). Palaeography: reading old handwriting 1500–1800, a practical online tutorial (nationalarchives.gov.uk).
  2. Library of Congress. By the People: transcription conventions (crowd.loc.gov).
  3. National Archives (U.S.). Citizen Archivist: transcription tips (archives.gov).
  4. Calendar (New Style) Act 1750, 24 Geo. II c. 23 (legislation.gov.uk).

The worked example is made up. Handwriting styles and abbreviations varied by place, period and writer; these are common patterns, not rules. Nothing you type is sent to Caveat. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.