Signs of the Times (3)

Here is the next instalment of my handwriting series! Here I will examine a few more of the main protagonists of the Wars of the Roses and you can leave any comments or suggestions as you will.

First of all, let us consider that ‘most untrue creature living’, Henry Stafford, Duke of Buckingham. Here is an example of his signature, being the one he signed along with Richard and Edward V and which includes his motto.

So first of all, what does his motto say? If you know it, you might be able to make it out but, if you don’t, have a look and see if you can decipher it. No? Me neither. It is actually ‘Souvente me Souvene’, which means ‘Remember me often’; I guess he lived up to that – he is not forgotten is he? But back to his handwriting. His motto is almost impossible to make out and this indicates a deceptive nature. He does not reveal his thoughts and he keeps things hidden from view, disguised. His actual signature is more readable, but some of the letters are still obscure (the ‘i’s, ‘n’s, ‘m’s, etc), so I think the deceptive finding still stands. Compare Richard’s done at the same time (clear and legible):

Do you see the phallic symbol in the ‘s’ of ‘souvene’? Phallic symbols show that the person doesn’t keep to their society’s accepted sexual boundaries. The end of his signature could also be a phallic symbol. So what could that mean? Well there are some who wonder whether he might have been gay and in those days that would certainly be overstepping the normal boundaries, so that is a possibility. Keeping to this theme, look at his lower zone. The ‘g’ should be the only letter that enters this zone, but in fact it does not go very far below the level of the middle zone. However there are other letters whose loops enter the lower zone: ‘k’, ‘h’ and the end loop (I am unclear what letter this is meant to represent). There is also a large loop at the start of the second signature’s underline. Do you notice that they curl both ways? Maybe Buckingham was bisexual.

His signature seems to be over-elaborate with all the little extra squiggles and crosses. These extra little unnecessary marks can sometimes show the subject has obsessive compulsive disorder. We know he seemed to be something of a peacock and obsessed with his appearance.

It is interesting that his first name is smaller and has a lower case initial compared to the elaborate ‘surname’. Well actually it wasn’t so much a surname as a title – it represented the Dukedom that was his and I think this suggests the importance with which he viewed the title he had. It was more important than his personal name; prestige and nobility was everything to him. The first example doesn’t even have a first name there at all – his Dukedom WAS his identity.

I have mentioned the significance of ‘x’s in the signature before, but usually this is unconscious – he has deliberately put ‘x’s in. I don’t know whether ‘x’s were used to mean kisses, the way we do now – perhaps someone knows and can enlighten me. But why would he put kisses in his signature in those circumstances?

Finally, look at the section of signature delineated by the ‘x’s – right in the middle of it is the word ‘king’! Yes, I know that’s his name, but anyway…! And what is that little squiggle over the ‘m’ – could it unconsciously be a crown? I’ll leave you to decide.

Now let us move on to someone else whom we will never forget:

What? You can’t make it out? It’s the signature of Margaret Beaufort, after her son had usurped Richard’s throne. How deceptive do you think SHE was?!

Like Elizabeth Woodville’s, her middle zone is emphasised, but I am surprised that her high zone is not more prominent. Maybe she wasn’t as clever as we thought. She was definitely concerned with prestige, show and material possessions though. Also, note that she has added the ‘R’ for Regina after her name – I think she was investing her own ambitions in her son.

Her lower zone is surprisingly large as well, suggesting she was perhaps more sensual than might be expected. Well, she was married multiple times!

Notice how heavy and angular her signature is as well. It shows anger and violent emotions. Those lower zone ‘tails’ are sharp, like knives, and is it my lurid imagination or does the last lower ‘tail’ look like dripping blood!? Whatever, I definitely wouldn’t want to be on her bad side!

Her communication letters are open at the bottom, and distorted. The latter means she cannot be trusted and the former that she is the kind of person who would eat you up and spit you out, communicating in such a distorted and deceptive way, that you cannot believe anything she says.

She has one trait similar to Richard – they both have upright writing which means they like to be in charge and exert rigid self-control over their own emotions.

Finally can you see something in the middle that looks like a pitchfork? My book states that this sign denotes a devil’s fork, meaning a subject who feels plagued with demonic compulsions! Though she might have said they came from God.

For our third subject, let us look at her son, Henry VII. Here are a few samples of his signature:

Well, to start with we are unable to see how he communicated as there are no communication letters in his signature (‘o’s and ‘a’s), however we can see that his signature was large and usually bold. It was considerably larger than his wife’s Elizabeth of York, which means he felt superior to her. (Check your birthday and Christmas cards: if your name is written smaller than the sender’s they feel you are inferior to them and if yours is larger, they are self-effacing. Equal is best!).  On the other hand, his signature is so large he could be overcompensating for feelings of inadequacy.

His middle zone is, like his mother’s, emphasised. This shows a preoccupation with material possessions and a focus on the self and his own needs and desires.

I notice that the ‘Rex’ part of the signature is much less clear and smaller, perhaps because he felt inadequate in the role of king.

The signature is mainly angular but there are more rounded letters than in his mother’s – I think he might have had a softer side which he kept hidden, but he was certainly capable of violent outbursts of temper. My eyes keep getting drawn back to the extra long, loopy ‘y’ tail. It suggests a noose or a fishing line hooking you in, but that’s just my intuitive impression. It can also mean someone is sexy! I can’t believe henry was, since he is described as having brown teeth and bad breath! However, a long loopy tail can also show a liking for walking or dancing – perhaps he was a dancer? Or just overcompensating?!

The last signature is from his will, so he would have been older and his libido less. It is a shortened version, but to me looks more confident than the others, perhaps surprisingly as he might have written it while he was ill. But I think by this time he had grown into the role of king.

I also think the little twiddly bit on the end, that looks like a ‘6’ is a sign of OCD, and as it looks like a number (there is also an ‘8’-like shape in the tail of the ‘y’), it shows he was concerned with numbers – his accounts?

Again his signature is upright, showing a need for control. Overall, I get the feeling he could have been much nicer if his life had been more ‘normal’.

What about Henry’s wife, Elizabeth of York?  Here is her signature:

The first thing I notice is that there is a mixture of directions of slant.  This would suggest moodiness, with periods of sociability alternating with times of aloofness.

Like her mother’s, the middle zone is emphasised showing a preoccupation with material things and her own needs.

The one communication letter shows an ability to keep a secret and clear communication, which is reinforced by the fact that it is legible and not so disguised as some of the others.

It seems to be slightly sloping uphill which shows an optimistic and positive attitude – perhaps she was happy to be a queen.

The lower zone is not very elongated or prominent (especially the ‘q’) suggesting a less than average interest in sex.

The downward strokes are darker than the others, suggesting a temper or feelings of anger.

See the ‘ye’ – it resembles a candle flame to me which shows Elizabeth could feel strong fiery passions but they could go out easily too – so she could blow hot and cold. And, of course, candles were used a lot then – for reading, writing and sewing, so perhaps she enjoyed these activities.

There are broken lines in some of the letters which suggest she might have been under stress at the time.

The first three letters look more like ‘Fly’ than ‘Ely’ to me – is that what’s she’s thinking unconsciously?

And finally,  the ‘b’ and ‘e’ side by side look like a cat’s eyes – i would guess cats were her favourite animal.

I would be happy to hear what your thoughts are on these interesting signatures. And look out for the next, final installment, where I will consider some more of Richard’s friends and enemies.