It is significantly faster. Your properly trained Victorian pansy scrivener could write (quite legibly) between 60-80wpm. That's about the pace the Constitution was written at, which is beautiful and easy to read. That's also faster than most people type.
But you were probably never properly trained to do it.
US schools teach the letter forms changed in the 60s (50s?). The forms and strokes were slightly altered to ensure learning the letters in favor of functionality and practicality.
Also, these days most schools only focus on handwriting for one or two grade levels and completely abandon it afterwards. And in that time, no one is ever taught how to properly hold a pen. Students are also encouraged to use pencils. Pencils (especially graphite and mechanical) lack the fluidity needed to properly hand write. This causes unnatural pauses that get imprinted on muscle memory for life.
Handwriting is very meticulous and can really only be learned by rote over a period of many years. And therein lies its value as a learning tool: it promotes focus and discipline, something modern youths seem to lack.
).
