File 1 - Parchment Preparation: Bursary

A prick wheel, for running down the edge of the skin to mark the beginning of lines; a box of pounce powder for dressing the surface of the skin before writing (see details). These items were used in the College Bursary until 1950.
Pounce ultimately derives from the Latin for pumice via the old French word "ponce". It is a fine powder, most often made from powdered cuttlefish bone to make it smooth enough for writing. This last was certainly needed if the paper came "unsized", that is lacking the thin gelatinous material used to fill the surface of the paper and make it smooth enough for writing with a quill or a steel nib.