Chain letter from the 13th Century. An amazing compendium of medieval book hands as written in 122 different British religious communities ca. 1225AD Of the content, 122 "tituli" or titles are the same proscribed text, other than the proper name of the religious house. The range of scales and rhythms and decorations as well as scribal competence is truly astounding. The document is fascinating in many ways beyond the scripts, of course. Thanks to Nicolete Gray's 1971 landmark "Lettering as Drawing" for the biblio reference! #drawing #lettering #manuscript #calligraphy #medieval #13thC #fontexplosion #britishlibrary British Library Egerton MS 2849 http://www.bl.uk/manuscripts/Viewer.aspx?ref=egerton_ms_2849!2_f008r See my Twitter @ideaswords /@AMindfulMark for a proper link. Egerton MS 2849/2 "The mortuary roll of Lucy of Hedingham was produced c.1225-1230 to mark the death of the foundress and first prioress of the Benedictine nunnery of Castle Hedingham in Essex. The prioress is only identified as Lucy, and her identity is uncertain; she was probably a noblewoman connected to the de Vere family, as Aubrey de Vere (b. c. 1115, d. 1194), 1st earl of Oxford, founded the nunnery in 1191. The roll is believed to be the oldest intact English illuminated mortuary roll. The roll was sent to 122 religious houses in the southern half of England, each writing an answer to a request for prayers made by Agnes, Prioress of Hedingham, for the soul of her predecessor Lucy. The respondants include the Cambridge Franciscans, established there in 1226, hence the dating of the roll to approximately 1225-1230. The roll comprises two parts, which are now stored separately: Egerton MS 2849/1 is the first part of the roll, including the heading, illumination and tituli (responsive prayers added by various houses) 1-6, and Egerton MS 2849/2, which is the second part of the roll, including tituli 7-122." (at Galena Design Foundation)