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Comment by wolfi1 | original | Handwritten 200-year-old dismissal notice found on roof tile
[−]wolfi1 · 2026-11-15 Sun 14:08 UTC · link
how high was the rate of illiteracy then? I' guessing it was still high at that point in time, which makes you think why it was written out in the first place.
[−]post-it · 2026-11-15 Sun 15:53 UTC · link
1820s literacy rate in England was around 50%, though significantly higher for men.
[−]sowbug · 2026-11-15 Sun 16:20 UTC · link
The writing on the tile is surprisingly neat and legible, especially considering the medium.

Perhaps messy handwriting back then was less common, on the theory that either you knew how to write neatly, or you didn't know how to write at all.

[−]b112 · 2026-11-15 Sun 18:02 UTC · link
You had to write slower with a steel quill pen, I'd think. Dipping in ink pot, etc.