Heirlooms of paper and ink

18th century writers used personalised, creative flourishes that look so attractive today in our world of word-processing. Here’s one of the old documents in Georgiana’s family archive. Written using the sharpened end of a feather quill, on parchment made from calf-skin, it was signed and sealed in 1713.

This close up shows the now hardened surface but the sooty ink has hardly faded during three centuries. These precious documents are all that remain of her grandparents’ legacy.

Cumbria County Council D KEN 5 / 4 / 2