Home >> Science & Nature >> Artifacts

Writing Quills Information

The word "pen" comes from the Latin word "penna," meaning "feather." Quills were created using the strong feathers of a bird such as a goose or a swan. Before the fountain pen and the ballpoint pen, quills were very popular. Quills allowed for exceptional writing quality and were used to write many important documents over the course of time.

History
- Pens were originally made from a reed or piece of bamboo, with a nib shape cut at the end to hold ink. However, they needed to be sharpened often. Quills came into use as early as the seventh century. In the Western world, the quill was the most widely used instrument for writing for over a thousand years. By the mid-19th century, metal nibs on a wooden base were being used in place of quills. However, during the Civil War, officers were still issued twelve quills for each quarter. Based on this information, quills were expected to last only a week. Officers could substitute one steel nib pen for the quills if they wished.
How Quills Were Made
- Strong flight feathers of geese were most often used to create quills but swan feathers have been used as well. After plucking the feather, some of the feathery pieces were removed from one side of the feather to prevent rubbing against the writer's hand. The quill was then placed into hot sand, where it remained until the sand cooled. This not only hardened the quill but strengthened it as well. Next, the shaft of the feather was carved. A sharp knife was used to create and sharpen the point and slit it for writing.
Writing With a Quill
- Writing legibly with a quill takes practice and patience. The pressure that we use today when writing with pencils and ball point pens is much too hard for a quill. Light pressure must be used when writing with a quill and slanting of the hand is required in order to prevent the ink from clumping onto the page. Dipping the quill back in the ink when it has run out is necessary and may need to be repeated several times, depending on the length of the document.
How the Quill Pen Works
- After being dipped in ink, the ink settles in the barrel. As contact with the paper is made, the ink flows to the tip and leaves a mark on the paper. This is why the quill is split. The split allows the ink to flow through the crevice onto the paper.
Famous Documents
- There are many famous documents that were written with quills. From the Magna Carta to "The Crisis," written by Thomas Paine on December 23, 1776, many important historical documents were written with a quill. It was with a quill that Thomas Jefferson wrote "When in the course of human events... ." The United States Constitution was also written and signed with a quill pen.

Artifacts