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Handwriting Deciphering & Recognition / Re: Translation of 1679 Probate - Latin to English
« on: Today at 10:45 »The introductions to these older probates, depositions etc in Latin use quite a few abbreviated words (with an above flourish).
I'm wondering if there's a book that contains typically abbreviated Latin words for these court documents?
There is no quick solution, and I know of no single book that will give you all the answers.
The wording and the forms of abbreviation used will vary according to the period, the diocese and the habits of any one clerk. Once you are familiar with the different forms of Latin wording that may crop up in probate clauses, the key is to practise with documents from different periods and in different hands, so that you can easily recognise the key phrases.
Some useful general resources for reading handwriting are pinned to the top of this board. Some of them include Latin:
https://www.rootschat.com/forum/handwriting-deciphering-recognition/
The York pamphlet that you linked to is good, and it does include advice for interpreting some commonly found Latin abbreviations.
A good general introduction to the wide range of Latin found in family and local history documents is Eileen A. Gooder: Latin for Local History: an Introduction (2nd edn, 1978). There is some help there with reading Latin abbreviations.
For the various forms of wording used in probate clauses, try Brooke Westcott: Making Sense of Latin Documents for Family & Local Historians (The Family History Partnership, 2014). It has no images, so it doesn’t help with reading the handwriting, but it gives you the various forms of wording you should be looking out for in probate clauses, and the meaning.
For help with both the language and the palaeography, including abbreviations, a recent book I have been recommending to students is Claire Jarvis: Teach Yourself Palaeography: a Guide for Genealogists and Local Historians (The History Press, 2022). This has plenty of images in both English and Latin and includes many practice exercises, with solutions, so that you can test your transcription skills.
Unfortunately, the National Archives’ online Latin Palaeography course has now been archived. It is no longer interactive, but it may still be worth a look:
https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ukgwa/+/https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/latinpalaeography/default.htm