Court Hand

In old English practice, the peculiar style and form of writing in which court records were transcribed from the earliest period to the reign of George II, circa 1760.

This form of Latin shorthand was characteristically concise, strong, and absolutely uniform even though it was handwritten. Due to the numerous and unusual abbreviations and contractions, proficiency in the art of court hand was an important step in entering the "clerkship" profession. Court hand imported to the ancient record the essential quality of durability.