English Weights and Measures
How many times have you found a book referring to a measure that is no longer in use? Here is an attempt to bring some together for your use - however, if there are local Kentish measures that you know of, please let us know.
Units of Weight
16 drachms (dr) 1 ounce (oz) 28.35g
16 ozs 1 pound (lb) 0.453kg
14 lbs 1 stone (st) 6.35kg
2 st 1 quarter (qr) 28 lbs 12.7kg
4 qrs 1 hundredweight (cwt) 112 lbs 50.8kg
20 cwt 1 ton (tn) 2240 lbs 1016 kg
Units of Distance
12 inches (in) 1 foot (ft) 0.3048m
3 ft 1 yard (yd) 0.9144m
5½ yds 1 rod, pole or perch 5.029m
4 rods 1 chain 20.116m
10 chains 1 furlong 201.16m
8 furlongs 1 mile (mi) 1.609km
1760 yds 1 mile 1.609km
Also used was the League - about 3 miles.
Some material, such as canvas, was measured in Ells, 1 ell = 45 inches (1.14m).
From this came the saying 'Give him an inch and he'll take an ell' - now changed to a mile. Some materials had their own 'standard' measurements established by the guilds or by custom - Kentish broadcloth was 58 inches (147 cm) wide, 30 to 34 yards (27.4 to 31m) long and weighed 66 lbs (29.9kg).
Nautical Units
6 feet 1 fathom
100 fathoms 1 cable length
6080 feet 1 nautical mile
The International Nautical Mile is 6076.1 feet.
The name Fathom (6 ft or 1.8m) comes from the Old Norse fathmr meaning 'outstretched arms'.
Units of Area
144 square inches (sq in, in²) 1 square foot (sq ft, ft²) 0.092m²
9 sq ft 1 square yard (sq yd, yd²) 2.74m²
304¼ sq yds 1 sq rod, pole or perch
40 sq rods 1 rood
4 roods 1 acre (a, ac) 0.4047ha
4840 square yards 1 acre 0.4047ha
640 acres 1 square mile (sq mi, mi², ac) 2.59km²
In Norman times there were other measurements of land that were mainly used for tax purposes. The VIRGATE was usually 30 acres of arable land scattered among the common fields of a manor. It varied from as little as 10 acres to as many as 80 in some parts of the country. It was a quarter of a HIDE, and was also known as a 'yardland'. The HIDE was originally land considered sufficient for the maintenance of one family, and therefore roughly what one eight-ox plough team could keep in cultivation. It varied between 120 and 240 acres. The SULUNG appears in the Doomsday Book. 1 sulung = about 160 acres.
Units of Volume
1728 cu inches 1 cu foot
27 cu ft 1 cu yard
5.8 cu feet 1 bulk barrel
Units of Capacity
8 fluid drams 1 fluid ounce (fl oz) 0.028 litres
5 fl ozs 1 gill 0.142 litres
4 gills 1 pint 0.568 litres
2 pints 1 quart 1.136 litres
4 quarts 1 gallon 4.546 litres
2 gallons 1 peck
4 pecks 1 bushel
2 bushels 1 strike
4 bushels 1 coomb
8 bushels 1 quarter
5 quarters 1 wey or load
36 bushels 1 chaldron
36 gallons 1 bulk barrel
The Cran used for fresh herring was 37½ gallons.
Four herrings 1 warp
There were also different sizes of barrel
The Firkin of about 8 or 9 gallons and was normally used for butter and cheese.
The Kilderkin or Pin held about 16 or 18 gallons
The Hogshead held about 54 gallons.
The Puncheon held about 100 gallons.
The Pipe usually used for port and sherry held about 105 gallons.
The Tun used for beer and wine held 252 gallons.
Crops
1 bushel of wheat 60 lbs 27.21 kg
1 bushel of barley 50 lbs 22.68 kg
1 bushel of oats 39 lbs 17.69 kg
1 bushel of rye 56 lbs 25.40 kg
1 bushel of rice 45 lbs 20.41 kg
1 bushel of maize 56 lbs 25.40 kg
1 bushel of linseed 52 lbs 23.58 kg
1 bushel of potatoes 60 lbs 27.21 kg
Units of Alcohol (in honour of our local pubs and breweries!)
Beernip ¼ pint 0.142 litres
small ½ pint 0.284 litres
large 1 pint 0.568 litres
flagon 1 quart 1.136 litres
anker 10 gallons 45.46 litres
tun 216 gallons 981.93 litres
Wine and Spirits
tot (whisky) 1/6 or 1/5 or 1/4 or 1/3 of a gill
noggin (rum) 1 gill
bottle 11/3 pints
Champagne
2 bottle size 1 magnum
4 bottle size 1 jerboam
20 bottle size 1 nebuchadnezzar
Paper Measure
24 sheets 1 quire
20 quires 1 ream
21½ quires 1 printer's ream
2 reams 1 bundle
10 reams 1 bale
60 skins of parchment 1 roll
Paper sizes - Printing
Demy 22½ x 17½ in
Medium 23 x 18 in
Royal 25 x 20 in
Double Foolscap 27 x 17 in
Super Royal 27½ x 20½ in
Double Crown 30 x 20 in
Imperial 30 x 22 in
Double Demy 35 x 22½ in
Double Royal 40 x 25 in
Paper sizes - Writing and Drawing (Weights noted are in pounds of one ream)
Emperor 72 x 48 in
Antiquarian 53 x 31 in (236 lbs)
Double Elephant 40 x 26¾ in (140 lbs) - Largest size in which writing paper was made.
Grand Eagle 42 x 28¾ in
Atlas 34 x 26 in (100 lbs)
Colombier 34½ x 23½ in (100 lbs)
Imperial 30 x 22 in (72 lbs) - Largest size in which writing paper was ordinarily made.
Elephant 28 x 23 in (72 lbs)
Super Royal 27 x 19 in (52 lbs)
Cartridge 26 x 21 in
Royal 24 x 19 in
Medium 22 x 17½ in
Large Post 20 x 16½ in
Copy or Draft 20 x 16 in
Demy 20 x 15½ in
Post 19 x 15¼ in
Pinched Post 18½ x 14¾ in
Foolscap 17 x 13½ in
Brief 16½ x 13¼ in
Pott 15 x 12½ in
Paper sizes - Brown Paper
Casing 46 x 36 in
Double Imperial 45 x 29 in
Elephant 34 x 24 in
Double Four-pound 31 x 21 in
Imperial Cap 29 x 22 in
Haven Cap 26 x 21 in
Bag Cap 24 x 19 in
Kent Cap 21 x 18½ in
Book sizes
Folio (Fo) Sheet folded into 2 leaves or 4 pages
Quarto (4to) Sheet folded into 4 leaves or 8 pages
Octavo (8vo) Sheet folded into 8 leaves or 16 pages
Duodecimo (12mo) Sheet folded into 12 leaves or 24 pages
Sextodecimo (16mo) Sheet folded into 16 leaves or 32 pages
Octodecimo (18mo) Sheet folded into 18 leaves or 36 pages
Sources:
http://www.doustgenealogy.co.uk/engweights.htm
http://www.sizes.com/materls/paper19eng.htm
http://www.cenius.net/refer/default.php
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