{"id":3270,"date":"2025-11-26T09:22:29","date_gmt":"2025-11-26T09:22:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/libraryblogs.is.ed.ac.uk\/newcollegelibrarian\/?p=3270"},"modified":"2025-11-26T09:22:29","modified_gmt":"2025-11-26T09:22:29","slug":"shorthand-in-the-new-college-special-collections","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/libraryblogs.is.ed.ac.uk\/newcollegelibrarian\/2025\/11\/26\/shorthand-in-the-new-college-special-collections\/","title":{"rendered":"Shorthand in the New College Special Collections"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Danielle Fox, Archive & Library Assistant, New College Library<\/strong><\/p>\n

Shorthand writing, also known as tachygraphy, stenography, or brachygraphy, is a system of writing that uses symbols and abbreviations to represent words. This method allows the writer to transcribe speech at the same rate it is spoken, making it ideal for recording sermons, lectures, and court sessions. While modern technology has reduced its widespread use, shorthand played a crucial role in communication for centuries and existed in various forms. We are lucky enough to have many wonderful examples of shorthand in our New College collections.<\/p>\n

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Bright, Timothy. Characterie (1588). University of Edinburgh, Heritage Collections. Df.9.141.<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

While shorthand can trace its origins back to ancient times, modern English shorthand systems largely emerged in the 16th and 17th centuries[1]<\/a>. In 1588, Timothy Bright published Characterie; An Arte of Shorte, Swifte and Secrete Writing by Character<\/em><\/a>, which introduced a refined system of shorthand that set the stage for future developments.<\/p>\n

Other systems followed, such as Thomas Shelton’s Short Writing<\/em> in 1626, and Isaac Pitman\u2019s shorthand in 1837.<\/em> Early English systems used arbitrary symbols for words or letters but eventually adopted phonetic systems. This meant that shorthand symbols focused on how words sounded, rather than how they were spelled, allowing writers to transcribe faster and capture the pace of speech.<\/p>\n\n\t\t