The alt.usage.english FAQ   

• Why is "I" capitalized?

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     The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology (Wilson, 1988, ISBN
  0-8242-0745-9) says: "~I~ _pron._ 1137 _i;_ later _I_ (about 1250,
  in _The Story of Genesis and Exodus_); developed from the unstressed
  form of Old English (about 725) _ic_ singular pronoun of the first
  person (nominative case).  Modern and Middle English _I_ developed
  from earlier _i_ in the stressed position.  _I_ came to be written
  with a capital letter thereby making it a distinct word and avoiding
  misreading handwritten manuscripts.  In the northern and midland
  dialects of England the capitalized form _I_ appeared about 1250.
  In the south of England, where Old English _ic_  early shifted in
  pronunciation to _ich_ (by palatalization), the form _I_ did not
  become established until the 1700's (although it appears
  sporadically before that time)."

  
  
  Source: [Mark Israel, 'Spelling: Why is "I" capitalized?', The alt.usage.english FAQ file,(line 6905), (29 Sept 1997)]
  
  
  
  

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