CUSTOMARY (OLD) WEIGHTS & MEASURES
Apples, Bushel lb 40 & up
Almonds, seron cwt 1.1/4 to 2s
basket cwt 1.1/4 to 1.1/2
Jordan, box lb 25
Anchovies, barrel lb 30
Beef (Irish), tierce of 38 pieces lb 304
Brandy, hogshead imp.gals 45 to 60
Puncheon imp. gals 100 to 110
1/4 cask imp. gals 20 to 25
Bricks, load No. 500
Bullion, bar lb15 to 30
Butter, firkin lb 56
tub lb 84
barrel lb 224
Calico, piece yds 28
Carnphor, box about cwt 1
Candles, barrel lb 120
Cheese, stone lb 16
Cider, pipe imp. gals 100 to 118
Cinnamon, bale lb 92.1/2
Cloves a rnatt, lb 80; chest. lb 200
Coal, ton (10 sacks of 2 cwt) cwt20
Newcastle chaldron of 3 wains cwt 52.1/2
estimated for boats at cwt 53
Cochineal ,seron lb 140
bag lb 200. 70,000 insects to a lb
Coffee, tierce cwt 5 to 7
barrel cwt 3 to 11
bag cwt 11 to 11
Mocha, bale cwt 2 to 2.1/2
Cocoa bag, about cwt 1,
cask, cwt 1.1/4
Cotton Wool (Virginia, Carolina, Georgia, West Indies)
bale lb 300 to 310
(New Orleans, Alabama) lb 400 to 500
(East India) bale lb 320 o 360
(Brazil), bale lb 196 to 250
(Egyptian), bale lb 1 80 to 280
Currants, butt cwt 15 to 20
Figs, Faro, frail lb 32
Malaga lb 56
barrel lb96 to 360
Fish, maze fish 615
last.. fish 13,200
Fish, warp fish 4
a long hundred fish 132
a barrel of herrings. gals 32
keg of sturgeon gals 4 to 5
Flour, peck or stone lb 14
boll of 10 pecks or stones lb 140
sack or 2 bolls lb 280
barrel , lb 196
Ginger (Jamaica), bag, about . cwt 1
(Barbados), bag, about cwt 1.1/4
(East India), bag, about cwt 1
Glass seam of lb 120
Gum Arabic, E. I. chest cwt 6
Turkey, chest cwt 4
Gunpowder, barrel . cwt 1
last 24 barrels or 2,400 lb
Hide;: dicker skins 10
last dickers 20
Hock aum . gals 30
Honey, gallon lb 12
Hops, pocket 1 cwt 1.1/2 to 2
bag nearly cwt 2.1/2
Indigo, E.I. about 3.1/2 maunds lb 260
(Guatemala) seron . lb 250
Lead, tother, or fodder lb 2,400
Mace, case, about cwt 1.1/2
Molasses, puncheon cwt 10 to 12
Muslin, piece yds 10
Mustard, cask lb 9 to 18
Nutmegs, casks lb 200
Nuts (Barcelona) lb 126
(Messina), bag cwt l.1/2 to 1.3/4
Oil, tun wine gals 252
imp. gals 210
ton lb 1,770
Olive, Oil, chest of 60 flasks imp. gals 125
jar imp, gals 25
Opium (East India.),chest 2 maunds, or lb 149.1/3
(Turkey).. lb 136
Pepper (black), Company’s bag lb 316
free trade bags lb 28, 56, 112
(white), bag, about cwt 1.1/2
Pilchards, hogshead (about 3,000 fish) gals 40
Plums. 1/4box. about lb 20
Plums, carton lb 9
Pork (Irish), tierce, 80 pieces, or lb 320
Potashes, barrel lb 120
Potatoes, bag lb 112 and 168, bushels 4 & 5
Quicksilver, bottle, about lb 84
Raisins,
Valencia, box, from about lb 30 to 40
a drum, about lb 24
a barrel cwt 1
(Malaga), a cask cwt 1
(Turkey), a cask cwt 2.1/2
(Ma)aga), a box lb 22
Rice, (East India), bag about cwt 1.1/2
(American), cask cwt 6
Resin, barrel, about cwt 2
Rum, puncheon gals 90 to 100
hogshead gals 45 to 50
Soap;barrel lb 256
firkin, lb 64
Soda, cask cwt 3 to 4
Steel, faggot lb 120
Stone of iron lb 14
butcher’s meat lb 8
glass lb 5
hemp lb 32
cheese lb 16
Straw load 11 cwt 64 lb
truss lb 36
Sugar (West India), hogshead cwt 13 to 16
tierce cwt 7 to 9
(Mauritius), mat or bag cwt 1 to 1.1/2
(East India), bag cwt 1 to 1.3/4
Tallow, cask, about cwt 9
Tapioca, barrel, about cwt 1.1/4
Tar, barrel imp. gals 261
Tea, India, Ceylon, Pakistan, East Africa,Indonesia.:
chest, 19 in x19 in x 24 in approx. lb 110
half chest 18 in x 18 in x 20 in approx lb 100
Tiles, load tiles 1,000
Tobacco, hogshead cwt12 to 18
Train Oil, gallon lb 9
Turpentine, barrel cwt 2 to 2.1/2
Vermilion, bag lb 50
Whisky (Scotch), puncheon imp. gals 112 to 120
hogshead imp. gals 55 to 60
Wool, pack lb 2,403
tod lb 28
MEAT WEIGHT
8 pounds 1 stone
25 stone (beef) 1 barrel
28 stone (pork) 1 barrel
Irish Beef Irish Pork
8 pounds 1 piece 4 pounds = 1 piece
38 pieces 1 tierce 80 pieces = 1 tierce
FISH MEASURE SCOTCH LIQUID MEASURE
2 fish = 1 hand 4 gills = 1 mutchkin
37.1/2. imperial galls. = 1 cran 2 mutchkins = 1 choppin
13,200 fish = 1 last 2 choppins = 1 pint
COAL WEIGHT
14 Pounds 1 Stone.
28 1 Quarter Cwt.
56 1 Half Cwt.
1 Sack of 112 Pounds 1 Cwt.
1 Double Sack of 224 Pounds 2 Cwt.
20 Cwt or 10 Large Sacks 1 Ton.
21 Tons 4 Cwt 1 Barge or Keel.
20 Keels, or 424 Tons ‘ 1 Ship Load.
140 Cwt or 7 Tons 1 Room
25.1/2 Cwt 1 Chaldron.
By the Weights and Measures Act of 1889, all coal had to be sold by Avoirdupois Weight. A truck of coal weighs;on an average about 8 tons.
COKE MEASURE
3 Bushels = 1 Sack, 12 Sacks = 1 Chaldron.
TIMBER MEASURE
100 Superficial Feet of Planking = 1 Square.
120 Deals = 1 Hundred.
108 Cubic Feet . 1. = 1 Stack.
120 = 1 Cord.
50 Cubic Feet of Squared Timber, or }
40 , of Unhewn or 1 Load or Ton. } 1 Load or ton.
600 Square . of 1″ Planking }
WOOL WEIGHT
7 Pounds 1 clove
14 lb or 2 cloves 1 stone
2 Stones, or 28 lb 1 tod
6 Tods 1 Wey
2 Weys 1 sack
12 Sacks 1 last
20 Pounds 1 score
12 Score, or 240 lb 1 pack
In different counties the stone of wool varies from 12 lb to 16 lb; but the statutory value is 14 lb. Wool is weighed by wool weight only.
BREAD AND FLOUR WEIGHTS
1 quartern of flour 3 lbs. 8 ozs. avoirdupois
1 quartern of bread 4 lbs. 5 ozs. 8.1/2. drs. avoirdupois
1 peck of flour 14 lbs. avoirdupois
1 peck of bread 17 lbs. 6 ozs. 2 drs. avoirdupois
1 bushel of flour 56 lbs. (4 pecks)
1 sack of flour 280 lbs. (5 bushels)
WHEATEN BREAD
lb oz drm
A Peck Loaf weighs 17 6 2
A Half-Peck Loaf 8 11 1
A Quartern Loaf 4 5 8.1/2
A Quartern (or Quarter-Peck) of Flour 3 8 0
A Peck or Stone of Flour 14 0 0
A Bushel of Flour 56 0 0
A Sack of Flour, or 5 Bushels 280 0 0
Under wartime regulation bread had to be sold in loaves of 1 lb 14 oz or 15 oz.
Bakers are forbidden by Statute to sell bread by the peck or quartern.
CHEESE AND BUTTER WEIGHT
8 Pounds make 1 Clove or Half Stone.
32 Cloves or 256 lb 1 Wey in Suffolk.
42 Cloves or 336 lb 1 Wey in Essex.
56 Pounds of Butter 1 Firkin.
84 1 Tub.
224 1 Barrel.
GLASS WEIGHT
5 Pounds make 1Stone.
120 Pounds or 24 Stones 1Seam.
HAY AND STRAW
36 Pounds make 1 Truss of Straw.
56 Pounds 1 Truss of Old Hay.
60 Pounds 1 Truss of New Hay.
36 Trusses 1 Load.
1 Load of New Hay 19 Cwt 32 lb.
1 Load of Old Hay 18 Cwt.
1 Load of Straw 11 Cwt 64 lb
1 Cubic Yard of New Hay 6 Stone or 84 lb.
1 Cubic Yard of Old Hay 8 Stone or 1 Cwt
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