'V's substituted for 'U's on the exterior facade of Foxton's old courthouse.
'V's substituted for 'U's on the exterior facade of Foxton's old courthouse.
Foxton Historical Society co-chairman Jim Harper provides a response to a question he has been asked about a feature that often puzzles visitors to the Foxton Courthouse.
Jim explains, “Visitors over the years ask me about the bold lettering above the courthouse door. Their question is: why are there ‘V’sinstead of ‘U’s in the title?”
There seem to be a few parts to the longer answer to the question.
The Roman Alphabet had no letter U, just V. The letter U only came into printed use in the 17th century. Alongside this, English law borrowed much from Roman law. Also, the Romans certainly knew how to build impressive and authoritative looking buildings with cornices, columns and cupolas... all of which Foxton Courthouse has. How better to emphasise the majesty and authority of the law to the inhabitants of Foxton-Te Awahou than with this architectural statement?
A page in 17th-century book Dampiers Voyages uses two Vs for W (double U) and an F instead of an S.
So, Jim believes a shorter answer might be the designer of the Foxton Courthouse thought the signage showcased their classical knowledge.
Various buildings around the country that were meant to look impressive and Roman-esque also substitute V for the letter U. So, while the architects and designers did know how to spell, they probably found they could do something with the Latin they had been forced to learn at school.
However, Jim was not quite finished in his search for the history of U. Sarah Harper recently obtained a 17th-century book that shows publishers really meant it in those days when they used two Vs for W (double U) - or, as is done in Spanish, doble V.
