Round hand

George Bickham's round hand script, from The Universal Penman, c. 1740–1741

Round hand (also roundhand) is a type of handwriting and calligraphy originating in England in the 1660s primarily by the writing masters John Ayres and William Banson. It is characterised by its round oval letterforms, open flowing style, and contrast of thick and thin strokes. Its popularity of round hand grew rapidly, becoming codified as a standard, through the publication of printed writing manuals.

The typefaces Snell Roundhand and Kuenstler Script are based on this style of handwriting. Charles Snell was particularly noted for his reaction to other variants of round hand, developing his own Snell Roundhand, which emphasised restraint and proportionality in the script.

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