Signature Comparison

[rebeccaclaire86]

I'm in need of some extra opinions please as I'm going round in circles with this - and have been for a few years actually, I keep coming back to it and weighing the possibility up as I want to be absolutely certain.  The first signature is from a marriage record (at roughly the right time, but in the 'wrong' place by 40 miles, though currently looks like the most likely marriage for the couple so far).

The other three signatures are from poor law records that I know he signed as an Overseer at various points.

Is the marriage signature is a good enough match for this one to conclude it was the same individual?  I think it is a really close match except for the loop of the W and the shape of the t's which bothers me.

Would welcome opinions!  Thank you

[Andrew Tarr]

Is the marriage signature is a good enough match for this one to conclude it was the same individual?  I think it is a really close match except for the loop of the W and the shape of the t's which bothers me.

I agree with your 'differences', but they must be outweighed by similarities.  It would be helpful to know the dates of all these documents - how separated they are in time ? People's signatures did evolve, as did the writing implements they used.  Metal nibs and quills could scratch the paper, which may cause the changes in those 't's for example.

[Biggles50]

Today we have hundred of print format styles to choose from.

Certainly in the time that we learned “joined up writing” as a youngster the Teach at that time told us of the Writing Style that it was called.  There was not one Style being taught in Schools but many different ones that were in use by the Education Authorities at that time.

My Father’s writing Style was taught in a Lancastrian school, my Maternal Grandparents were from Yorkshire and Cheshire and all three were very different.

What I am leading up to is that the Style of your signatures are all very scimitar and to me would indicate that the hands that created the signatures were taught their writing style within a geographical region.

[Andrew Tarr]

.... that the Style of your signatures are all very scimitar ...

Without wishing to divert this thread, what kind of predictive text came up with this ? 
Or was it voice recognition ?

[martin hooper]

I would say there's enough doubt for it to be unsafe to conclude it's the same person.

Martin

[coombs]

Today we have hundred of print format styles to choose from.

Certainly in the time that we learned “joined up writing” as a youngster the Teach at that time told us of the Writing Style that it was called.  There was not one Style being taught in Schools but many different ones that were in use by the Education Authorities at that time.

My Father’s writing Style was taught in a Lancastrian school, my Maternal Grandparents were from Yorkshire and Cheshire and all three were very different.

What I am leading up to is that the Style of your signatures are all very scimitar and to me would indicate that the hands that created the signatures were taught their writing style within a geographical region.

BIB, that does sound interesting, and may be handy for those researching elusive ancestors who we knew could write as we have the signing marriage certs or witnessing them etc.

As for Rebecca Claire's Wm Wyatt, I would probably keep in mind that the signatures you posted may be from different people, especially as Wyatt is a common name. There are similarities but some subtle differences.

If you could give dates and locations of the Wm Wyatt's we may be able to help further.

[rebeccaclaire86]

Thanks for the replies; the signatures are quite close together in terms of date, the first is from 1796, the others (two middle ones) are 1801 and the last one is 1805.

[Biggles50]

.... that the Style of your signatures are all very scimitar ...

Without wishing to divert this thread, what kind of predictive text came up with this ? 
Or was it voice recognition ?

Damn.

My Dyslexia strikes again

[DianaCanada]

I think 1 and 4 are similar, but 2 is different, in fact all the letters are different when comparing to 1.

Just today I was comparing signatures of a witness on two siblings’ marriages - a third (assumed) sibling was a witness and her signature was amazingly similar, so I said aha, that’s her (uncommon first name too), but when I looked at her signature when she married, it was different.  Typical of family history - more confusion!