Doherty, Sean, Henderson, Stuart, Fiddyment, Sarah et al. (2 more authors) (2021) Scratching the surface:the use of sheepskin parchment to deter textual erasure in early modern legal deeds. Heritage Science. 29. ISSN 2050-7445
Abstract
Historic legal deeds are one of the most abundant resources in British archives, but also one of the most neglected. Despite the millions that survive, we know remarkably little about their manufacture, including the species of animal on which they were written. Here we present the species identification of 645 sixteenth–twentieth century skins via peptide mass fingerprinting (ZooMS), demonstrating the preferential use of sheepskin parchment. We argue that alongside their abundance and low cost, the use of sheepskins over those of other species was motivated by the increased visibility of fraudulent text erasure and modification afforded by the unique structure of their skin.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © The Author(s) 2021 |
Keywords: | parchment, DNA, ZooMS,,post-medieval |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of York |
Academic Units: | The University of York > Faculty of Arts and Humanities (York) > Archaeology (York) |
Depositing User: | Pure (York) |
Date Deposited: | 11 Jun 2021 12:50 |
Last Modified: | 01 Dec 2024 01:18 |
Published Version: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40494-021-00503-6 |
Status: | Published |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1186/s40494-021-00503-6 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:175128 |
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Filename: s40494_021_00503_6.pdf
Description: Scratching the surface: the use of sheepskin parchment to deter textual erasure in early modern legal deeds
Licence: CC-BY 2.5