When Transcriptions Get It Wrong: Why I Still Rely on My Paleography Training
This week, I’m reflecting on how learning to read old handwriting changed the way I understand Thomas Seymour — and why it still matters today.
Years ago, I learned paleography—the art (and challenge) of reading early handwriting. At the time, I didn’t realize how essential that skill would become in my research. I was simply fascinated by the thought of deciphering the very words that people like Thomas Seymour, Kateryn Parr, or Henry VIII had once written with their own hands.
Today, I’m more grateful than ever that I took the time to learn it.
Resources like British History Online, Letters and Papers, and other databases have made primary sources wonderfully accessible, and I use them constantly. But I’ve also discovered that transcriptions, even from reputable sources, aren’t always perfect. Sometimes a single misread word—especially in Tudor handwriting—can shift the meaning entirely.
When you’ve studied a person for as long as I’ve studied Thomas Seymour, those subtle details matter. His handwriting is chicken scratch—sloppy, inconsistent, and often rushed—but not cramped or decorative. It’s the kind of script that makes you squint, tilt your head, and mutter under your breath until the letters finally start to make sense. Yet once you’ve learned to recognize his particular way of forming words, a more human version of him begins to appear. What might seem abrupt or cold in a printed transcription can reveal warmth or wit when read directly from his hand.
That’s why it became so important for me to see and transcribe these old documents myself. There’s something deeply personal about studying the originals—whether through a digital image or, on rare occasions, in person. You can sense the motion of his hand, the pauses, the impatience. Every stroke tells you something about his mood, his urgency, and even his personality.
It’s a slow, sometimes maddening process. But it connects me directly to the sixteenth century—to the people themselves, not just the stories told about them. And that, for a historian, is priceless.
So if you love early modern history, I encourage you to at least dabble in paleography. You don’t have to be fluent to appreciate the difference it makes. Once you begin to read the words as they were written, you’ll see just how much can be lost—or found—in transcription.
Because in historical research, accuracy isn’t just about the facts—it’s about the handwriting that carries them.
Rebecca Larson is an independent researcher, writer, and host of the Tudors Dynasty & Beyond podcast. She’s has been researching Thomas Seymour since 2016, and focuses on re-examining his life, loyalty, and legacy in the Tudor court through original documents and more!