19thC Shorthand?

[Penda]

Hello, all.  We're working on the first episode of a new podcast about 18th and 19thC crime, here in the UK. 

And I want to briefly discuss shorthand.

The reason being, we are going from reporters' accounts of an 1841 court case and I noticed, across numerous newspapers, the (always anonymous) reporters' transcripts/accounts of the case are almost verbatim.  Which makes me think they were all using a very efficient form of shorthand.

I know nothing about 19thC shorthand - apart from the fact Dickens learned it when a very young man, to work for Hansard's.  (Reporting the speeches made in the Houses of Parliament).  And that is the beginning and end of my knowledge.

I know I can run Google searches etc but am thinking there may be some folk here with some info for me and some original insights.  Were there many forms of shorthand or just one?  Would a middle aged journalist who learned his trade in Georgian times, have the same shorthand as someone younger who learned, say, early Victorian?

It is seriously impressive.  Although a % of articles were syndicated, many seem to have been written by different people and yet usually their transcripts of what was said in court, accord.

For this city, at these dates, there are no known official court transcripts, so all we have to play with are the numerous journalists' accounts.

It's just a little tangent I'd like to briefly go down.  But any info would be really, really interesting and useful...

[AAAndrew]

My knowledge is not deep, nor terribly specific. I do know that the idea of shorthand goes back quite a long way, probably from whenever there were scribes taking dictation. In the 19th-c there were several different schools of shorthand. Some were better suited to writing with a pencil, some with a flexible steel pen, like Gregg.

In 1841, the reporters would have been writing with a pencil in a notebook. In that year, it would most likely have been Taylor (?). I think Pitman introduced his style right around that time (1830's, 40's?), so reporters in 1841 who were proficient had most likely learned Taylor.

Of course, some developed their own version of an established style, and some developed their own shorthand altogether. I've seen examples where people are trying to decipher an example of obvious shorthand, though it conforms to no known school.

I'm sure you can find more details around. There are still people who like to learn shorthand. I wish I would have learned it before college, it would have made taking notes that much more efficient.

Andrew

[Erica McPhee]

If you go to the home page and search "shorthand" (without the quotes) you will get a great number of threads talking about shorthand. It's amazing the info out there. There are also a few links to some of the old texts with lessons.

Your project sounds fascinating! 

[AAAndrew]

Not an hour after writing this response, I'm searching for another text in the Univ. of Michigan's Early English Books collection and come across an advertisement from 1680 from a writing master. One of the services he offers is to teach you a form of shorthand he's modified to make his own.

Not directly related to your question, but I thought it was interesting. 

"Short-hand also he Teacheth with great expedition, he having abreviated, corrected, and amended the same, to make it the more facile, easy, and plain to the Learner."

https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eebo/a26120.0001.001?rgn=main;view=fulltext;q1=Penmanship+--++Study+and+teaching