Here is a good question for the list members... We have just bought a letter of 1806, written from Carnock Manse in Scotland to a brother in Edinburgh, and it includes this intriguing sentence quote We have had pretty good weather and the harvest is just about beginning. We are traversing the hills every day seeking Crow quills but can find no Men O' War, but plenty of small. unquote Does anyone know of this kind of designation for quills - was there a general standard for sizing them? We had not realised that crow quills would have been used, as most mentions we have seen are to goose quills, but suppose that any good large feather would provide a source for a pen. any information appreciated Eunice and Ron in Queensland
Hi List Haven't come across any Men O'War but crow quills are still sold - albeit in metal form from art suppliers. Crow quills can be cut to a much finer point and were used by artists rather than writers. regards Keith Feeney -----Original Message----- From: E & R Shanahan [mailto:ears@gil.com.au] Sent: 16 July 2004 00:44 To: OLD-ENGLISH-L@rootsweb.com Subject: [OEL] quill pens query Here is a good question for the list members... We have just bought a letter of 1806, written from Carnock Manse in Scotland to a brother in Edinburgh, and it includes this intriguing sentence quote We have had pretty good weather and the harvest is just about beginning. We are traversing the hills every day seeking Crow quills but can find no Men O' War, but plenty of small. unquote Does anyone know of this kind of designation for quills - was there a general standard for sizing them? We had not realised that crow quills would have been used, as most mentions we have seen are to goose quills, but suppose that any good large feather would provide a source for a pen. any information appreciated Eunice and Ron in Queensland ==== OLD-ENGLISH Mailing List ==== Going away for a while? Don't forget to UNSUBSCRIBE! OLD-ENGLISH-L-request@rootsweb.com --- Incoming mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.705 / Virus Database: 461 - Release Date: 12/06/2004