Old English

[Vasquez109]

Does anyone know when the use of the ƒ (only sign I could find close enough) ceased to be used as the letter s.?

And what were the rules of using it??

Moƒt  interested!!!!

[Stovepipe]

The long-s was used in modern English - I've seen it in plenty of 19th century census documents, certainly as late as 1871 and possibly later.  Not sure what the precise rules for its use were, but I think its use was more limited towards the end.

[Vasquez109]

I remember trying to use it in school! Had really sloppy handwriting so sometimes it looked authentic!

[Ecneps]

Found these rules for the usage of long and short s, very complicated!

http://babelstone.blogspot.com/2006/06/rules-for-long-s.html


Barbara 

[Vasquez109]

Thanks for that. Made for a very interesting read.

[charlotteCH]

I 've been mislead way back by the long f sign and thought it was an S... I went hunting for Sydbury as a surname in Somerset until a kind more experienced researcher told me it was Lydbury. 
  
That was in early 19th C  registers... 1811   I think from shaky memory...
charlotte

[Vasquez109]

Was it from handwriting or was it from inscriptions?

[toni*]

very interesting article 

i thought that the long F preceded an S if there was a double S for example Drefsmaker

[Suttonrog]

I have many old books and documents using the long S. In my experience there were very few rules adhered to. On the same page you could find f, s, fs, ff and ss all interchangeable. You soon get used to it however. I think it depended on the preference of the printer or writer.

Rog