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EveryCow

Dung, hide and horn

Vellum

Fine calfskin limed, scraped and dried under tension, the writing surface of medieval manuscripts.

Vellum is a fine parchment made from calfskin. The skin is soaked in lime, scraped of hair and flesh, then stretched on a frame and dried under tension, which gives a thin, smooth, durable sheet. It was the writing surface of most medieval European manuscripts, from gospel books to charters, and is still made for calligraphers, bookbinders and some formal records.

What goes in

Calfskin: 71%71%Lime: 14%14%Wooden frame and cords: 14%14%3parts
  • Calfskin1071%, Thin and fine-grained.
  • Lime214%, Loosens the hair.
  • Wooden frame and cords214%, Hold the skin taut while drying.

Rough parts by weight. The ring shows each input's share of the product.

Made step by step

Each drawing shows the operation for that step. Quantities and timings differ from house to house and herd to herd; this is one traditional way, in outline.

  1. Step 1: Ferment Soak the calfskin in a lime bath for several days.
  2. Step 2: Shape Scrape off the hair and flesh on a beam.
  3. Step 3: Shape Stretch the skin on a frame and scrape it thin while wet.
  4. Step 4: Dry Leave it to dry under tension.
  5. Step 5: Serve Cut and finish the sheets for writing.
  6. Calfskin: 71%71%Lime: 14%14%Wooden frame and cords: 14%14%
    Finished Vellum, by share.

Making a sheet

The skin is soaked in a lime bath for days to loosen the hair, then scraped on a beam. Stretched on a wooden frame with cords and pegs, it is scraped thin with a curved knife while wet and left to dry taut. The tension sets the fibres flat. The finished sheet is pounced with fine powder to take ink.

Books of skin

A large medieval book could need the skins of many calves. The Book of Kells in Dublin is written on calf vellum, as were countless charters and bibles. The word comes from Old French velin, of calf. Paper replaced it for most uses, but vellum outlasts paper, and some national records were kept on it into recent times.

Where it is used

ManuscriptsCalligraphyBookbinding

The breeds behind it

Holstein FriesianMost calfskin today comes from dairy herds.

Also part of it, and being written: White Park cattle (Ancient white British breed of the medieval parks.).

More on EveryCow

No breeds here yet. New pages are added every day.

Sources and further reading

About this page

Original text and drawings by the EveryCow desk, written with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. The shares are a rough, illustrative ratio, not a recipe: every family and dairy makes it differently. If we have something wrong, tell us.

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

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