Handwriting activity

Today we know lots about Florence Nightingale from her letters, some are quite difficult to read because handwriting has changed a lot since then. See our post about Florence Nightingale’s letters.

Handwriting was an important part of learning and when the first matron of Salisbury General Infirmary was interviewed she was asked to provide an example of her handwriting. This would prove her level of education and would have been quite unusual level of literacy in 1760 for women. See our post about the appointment of the first matron.

Can you do your own versions of the handwriting below taken from the 1760 register of donors for Salisbury Infirmary? Click on the images to enlarge.

Download

Download the handwriting activity sheet (pdf) and print off to experiment with different writing styles.

 

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