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SCOTT SPURLOCK:
Paleography is the study

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of old handwriting, which
is of particular interest

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to students of
history, genealogists,

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family historians, and those who
are working on local history.

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Early modern Scotland
produced some

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of the most detailed and robust
records of any European nation.

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While their survival
is not comprehensive,

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it's estimated that
approximately 2 million pages

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of highly-detailed local
records survive for the period

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1560 to 1750, in the weekly Kirk
Session meeting minutes alone.

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These records represent a
wealth of detail pertaining

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to marriages, births,
deaths, legal disputes, witch

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trials, famines, floods,
and the list goes on.

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This level of detail and the
robust nature of these records

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is pretty impressive
when we consider

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that the population of
Scotland during this period

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peaked out at about
1 million people.

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I'm Doctor Scott Spurlock.

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And in this course, my
colleagues Doctor Lionel

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Glassey, Dr. Neil
McIntyre, and myself

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will introduce to you the
basics of paleography including

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letter shapes,
common contractions,

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and the configuration
and style of sources.

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NEIL MCINTYRE: In addition
to the practicalities

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of deciphering the
handwriting itself,

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this course will also
provide an overview

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of early modern Scottish
history in order

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to describe the society and
its structures that produced

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these invaluable records
including church, court,

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and legal documents.

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Lionel has five decades of
experience teaching paleography

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and has unlocked the
secrets of older handwriting

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for undergraduate and
post-graduate students

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and members of the
general public.

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He is regularly called upon
by scholars and archives

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to provide advice
on particularly

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difficult documents.

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I am an early modern
historian, and I

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have completed my doctorate
on the early covenanters

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I've designed the
Scottish history

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overview within the course.

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Scott teaches Scottish
church history

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in the theology and
religious studies department

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here at the
University of Glasgow.

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He has been teaching Scottish
history for two decades,

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and like the rest of the
team, with historical Scottish

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documents on a daily basis.

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SCOTT SPURLOCK: This course is
brought to you in collaboration

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with the national
records of Scotland.

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And we're grateful for their
generosity in allowing us

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to use materials for the
teaching of this programme.

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We hope you'll enjoy the
course as much as we've

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enjoyed developing it.

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[MUSIC PLAYING]

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