Old weights and measures (England)
Before William the Conqueror introduced units based on the Roman system in England in 1066 , there was already an Anglo-Saxon system of measurement based on barley grain and gyrd (rod) and probably with Germanic roots.
The British system was later enshrined in the Magna Carta of 1215 with the definition of what was then the capital, Winchester . The standards were updated in 1496, 1588 and 1758. The last bronze Imperial Standard Yard was cast in 1845. Officially, the British system has been replaced by the decimal system (based on meters). However, the metric system does not find many friends in the UK, so the government has made it a criminal offense to sell goods in pounds and ounces.
On June 17, 1824, a parliamentary act stipulated that weights and measures should be the same for the united kingdoms of England , Scotland and Ireland .
Lengths
| unit | German | before 1066 | after 1066 | comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| barleycorn | Stye | Basic unit | 1/3 inch | see also grain |
| digit | finger | ¾ inch | ||
| ynch | Anglo-Saxon customs | 3 barleycorns | 1 uncia | |
| nail | nail | 3 digits | ||
| palm | Hand (palm) | 3 inches | Width of the palm | |
| hand | Hand (wide) | 4 inches | Width of the hand with the thumb applied | |
| shaftment | small range | 6½ ynches | 6 inches | Width of the palm with the thumb extended |
| span | wide range | 3 palms | Width of the palm with the thumb and little finger extended | |
| foot | foot | mostly 13 ynches | roman pes (smaller) | |
| cubit | forearm | 18 inches | ||
| ell | Ulna / elbow | 20 nails = 45 inches | for clothes | |
| yard | step | 3 feet | introduced after 1066 | |
| fathom | Thread, fathom | 6 feet | Wingspan with outstretched arms to fingertips | |
| rod, gyrd | rod | regional: 15-18 feet | 16½ Roman feet | |
| (Gunter's) chain | Chain (length) | 66 foot | from 17th century for land surveying | |
| furlong | Furrow length | 40 rods | based on large stadium | |
| mile | mile | Roman mile: 5000 feet , from 1592 8 furlongs (5280 feet ) | ||
| league | Leuge, league hour | mostly 3 miles | ||
Surfaces
| acre | Field, tomorrow | 1 furlong × 4 rods |
|---|
Weight
| grain | Gran, grain | |
|---|---|---|
| scruple | Scruples | 20 grains |
| pennyweight | Penny weight | 24 grains |
| dram | drachma | 1 ⁄ 16 ounce = 1 ⁄ 256 pound = 27.34375 grains |
| dram apothecaries | Apothecary drachms | 3 scruples = 60 grains |
| ounce | ounce | 16 drams = 437½ grains |
| ounce apothecaries / troy | Apothecary ounce, troy ounce, troy ounce | 8 dram apothecaries = 24 scruples = 480 grains |
| pound | lb | 16 ounces = 7000 grains |
| pound apothecaries / troy | Apothecary pound, troy pound | 12 ounce apothecaries / troy = 5760 grains |
| hundredweight | Hundredweight | 112 pounds |
| volume | ton | 20 hundredweights |
Counting measures
| score | 20th |
|---|
See also: Anglo-American system of measurement (further development)
Individual proof
- ^ Leopold Einsle, Systematic compilation of the most excellent European measures, weights and coins ..., Jos. Kösel'sche Buchhandlung, Kempten 1846, p. 34.