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Messages - stenog

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1
Handwriting Deciphering & Recognition / Re: Code in a Non-Conformist Register
« on: Monday 11 July 22 17:34 BST (UK)  »
And finally... the O.P.'s last snippet containing entries 70 and 80. Again, a bit cryptic.

I take had it at the church in entry 70 to mean that he (naughtily) took communion at the (established) church. What the bread sing might mean I have no idea!

Entry 80's last two words defeat me. I can only guess that they are a person's name, in which case a someone Dale.

Here they are:

70. Mary Catermole. from the establishment. May. 3. left us on the [?]bread [?]sing
withdrawn because her husband had it at the church. died 1821.

80. Mrs. Barret. left us with [?]T[...]e [?]Dale.

S.

2
Handwriting Deciphering & Recognition / Re: Code in a Non-Conformist Register
« on: Monday 11 July 22 16:47 BST (UK)  »
The O.P.'s second page, containing entries 60 to 67. A couple of head-scratchers here which elude me, particularly entry 62. The shorthand notes are very telegrammatic.

A repeating phrase is "from the establishment", which I take  to mean someone who has come over from the established Church of England.

Anyway, for what it's worth, here's as far as I have been able to get:

61. Mrs. Groom (his Wife.) Ditto. from the establishment. 1800 removed ...

62. Elizabeth Burton. Ditto. t[...]r and farm it hope great change knew her of late. removed ...

63. Rebecca Cockerel Mar. 4. 1798. servant to my mother l[...]en. removed ...

64. Mary Masterson. 1799. servant to my sister l[...]en.

65. Sybilla Hill. 1798 from the establishment. died ...

...

67. Sarah Dawson. Mr Vagham Hill's servant. married ...

3
Handwriting Deciphering & Recognition / Re: Code in a Non-Conformist Register
« on: Monday 11 July 22 13:15 BST (UK)  »
Here is the next most extensive fragment.

There may be a hint if innuendo in here if you squint really hard, but it would need an expert in biblical exegesis to confirm (or deny). At face value it appears nevertheless to be a ringing endorsement for the particular family.

... dead
May well be [?] the first fruit of it yet comelier and gracious hearted and all follow the Lamb whither so ever He goeth til they join Him on Mount Zion.
May. 2. 1796. Six members now living who were ...

Crib attached.

S.

4
Handwriting Deciphering & Recognition / Re: Code in a Non-Conformist Register
« on: Monday 11 July 22 12:38 BST (UK)  »
Had completely forgotten that the shorthand in the O.P.'s post was still a conundrum. Thank you for reviving it.

I have successfully tracked down the exact shorthand method used: Rich's Short-Hand, Improved by Dr. Doddridge, London 1830. Scan available at:

https://cdm15457.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p15457coll1/id/50

The entry for William Hill reads as follows:

51. William Hill. Ditto. Received [sc. communion] once with the Methodists when Mr. Anderson in haste administered it. Did it as he told me last Friday without proper consideration and supposing that he might at the same time receive [sc. communion] with us but when he found that might not be the Cause and that they withdrew from hearing me [sc. preach], he went no more amongst them and desired Mr. Carr to cross his name out of the Class list. Died December 30. 1807. Aged. 81.

For the shorthand connoisseurs, I have marked up the O.P.'s image with a word-for-word transcription, attached herewith.

I'll post similar for the other snippets shortly.

S.


5
Handwriting Deciphering & Recognition / Re: Shorthand - repeat call
« on: Thursday 31 May 12 10:59 BST (UK)  »
Further updates. Having seen more of penndennis's shorthand pages, it looks like we have a young lady's shorthand practice, which involves transcribing hymns. The `Wm.' I thought we we had in hymn 2 is actually `Watts' (the symbols for `m' and for `ts' when written carelessly are very close). The text of hymn 2 can be found at hymnary.org.

My work here is done! Thank you again to the original hymn-spotters. I am helping penndennis identify the remaining hymns in his journal, off-thread.

S.

6
Handwriting Deciphering & Recognition / Re: Shorthand - repeat call
« on: Tuesday 29 May 12 11:49 BST (UK)  »
Collation done. Four classes of error:

1. Me dozing, and misreading perfectly clear-ish shorthand:

1v.c1.01 for    On    read    O
1v.c1.06 for    Pain    read    Prone    [also 1v.c1.07]
2r.c2.07 for    Lord God of all the world, on    read    Lord of all the worlds on
2r.c2.14 for    To    read   'Tis


2. Scribal error: the diarist simply gets the outline wrong

1v.c1.09 for  <C-W-T-S>  read  courts  [the shorthand clearly reads "couts"]


3. Systemic ambiguity in the shorthand: no way of knowing and I plumped for the wrong choice:

2r.c1.01 for  Doderidge  read  Doddridge


4. Variation: the diarist clearly departs from the published text. The shorthand is clear.

1v.c1.03 [This line is still a mystery. There is no way it can mean `daily I'm constrained to be']
1v.c1.04 for    Grace, Lord    original has    goodness
1v.c1.08 for    Lord    original has    O
2r.c1.04 for    ever    original has     early
2r.c2.08 for    <B-?>    original has    once  [the shorthand is unclear, but definitiely not `once']
2r.c2.15 for    Fro'    original has    and

S.

7
Handwriting Deciphering & Recognition / Re: Shorthand - repeat call
« on: Tuesday 29 May 12 10:33 BST (UK)  »
Great sleuthing everyone. It's very useful to have found a crib for those hard to read lines as it gives insight into the idiosyncracies of the author's hand and the ambiguities inherent in the system. I'm doing a collation right now, so we'll be able to see where I misread the shorthand, and where the shorthand diverges from the published text.

If anyone is interested, that is....

S.

8
Handwriting Deciphering & Recognition / Re: Code in a Non-Conformist Register
« on: Friday 25 May 12 18:22 BST (UK)  »
Well, hot on the heels of yesterday's success, I bring more glad tidings!

I have found the system used in the original poster's register. It was devised by one Jeremiah Rich in the 17th century, and was, despite its manifest shortcomings, hugely popular amongst non-conformist clergy and professors at Oxford university until well into the 19th century. In fact Pitman recounts a correspondence he had with an Oxford don, and friend of his, in the 1830s, who still used the system every day, and was still asked to teach it (though he professes to have steered all those prospective pupils towards Pitman's then state-of-the-art Phonography).

Rich's system is an absolute nightmare to decipher, I have discovered, as I am learning the system as I go. Not for the faint of heart is the original (and posthumous) publication, called `The Pen's Dexterity',  here: http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=rxZSAAAAYAAJ . Shelton and Mason were, I'm afraid, red-herrings, although the similarities in geometry are striking.

Line 2 of entry #51 [William Hill] which contains the `venus symbol', and gave rise to some speculation early in the thread, begins "<?> he told me last Sunday ... supposing that he might .... ". The venus symbol is actually the sign for Sunday (or maybe Friday.... depends which edition of Rich you look at. Sigh.)

Progress is slow, because the system is so complicated, but I'll get there :)

Sean.

9
Handwriting Deciphering & Recognition / Re: Code in a Non-Conformist Register
« on: Thursday 24 May 12 19:59 BST (UK)  »
Quote from: netti on Thursday 24 May 12 19:52 BST (UK)
stenog - you are amazing! thank you so much for all your hard work. I hope you have enjoyed the puzzle  :)

It beats the crossword hands down, and the best part is that the results actually matter to someone.

S.

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