Drop Cap September 2014

[Egg Bramhill]

Interesting discussion re the relative size of drop caps and the subsequent visibility of their content. I suppose today the use of drop caps has largely gone out of use, if it remains then at the very best the drop cap is twice the size or less than the accompanying text.

However this wasn't always the case. On ancient manuscripts, hand drawn by mostly monks, it was quite common for the drop cap to fill the top eighth or even the top quarter of the page.

I attach an image of the Harwich Town Charter of 1604 granting borough status to the town by King James (1st of England, 6th of Scotland) dated 1604. The drop cap is of the letter 'T' and includes a image of King James.

This drop cap takes up at least a sixteenth of top left corner of the charter. Unfortunately I can't currently find the image of the whole first page of the charter.

As an aside. with only a few days to go until the referendum, please Scotland, stay with the union.