Information about English Units
English unit is the American name for a unit in one of a number of systems of units of measurement, some obsolete, and some still in use. In spite of the name, it does not necessarily refer to the (non-SI) system of units still in widespread, but mostly unofficial, use in England and the rest of the United Kingdom. The system is known as the English System in the United States and elsewhere as the Imperial System. The American term 'English unit' includes the Imperial units as well as various other U.S. units such as the U.S. gallon (Queen Anne's wine gallon) and the U.S. bushel (Winchester bushel).
Various standards under the name 'English units' have applied at different times, in different places and for different things. Prior to the Battle of Hastings in 1066 the Anglo-Saxon system of measurement had been based on the units of the barleycorn and the gyrd (rod). This system presumably had Germanic origins. After the Norman conquest, Roman units were reintroduced. The resultant system of English units was a combination of the Anglo-Saxon and Roman systems.
Later development of the English system continued by defining the units by law in the Magna Carta of 1215, and issuing measurement standards from the then capital Winchester. Standards were renewed in 1496, 1588 and 1758. The last Imperial Standard Yard in bronze was made in 1845; it served as the standard in the United Kingdom until the yard was internationally redefined as 0.9144 metre in 1959 (statutory implementation: Weights and Measures Act of 1963).
The use of English units spread throughout the British Isles and to the British colonies. These units form the basis for the Imperial system formerly used in Commonwealth countries and the customary system used in the United States. Whilst these two systems are quite similar there are a number of notable differences between the Imperial and U.S. systems.
Usage of the term "English System" or "English Unit" is common in the US, but it is problematical. It can be ambiguous. It usually refers to either the Imperial System or the US Customary System, and in cases where these two systems differ, it is not clear which system is being described. Some people also call it the "British system" in the US. It is interesting to note, referring to this system as the British or English system, almost only occurs in the United States, mainly causing confusion in Britain when reading from American sources.
Units of volume included:
A Tun would actually be about 2,048 lb. but is a pretty close estimate given that you could derive the weight and volume all from mouthfuls of water.
In terms of (silver) currency a pound was 20 shillings of 12 pennies each (i.e. 240) from the late 8th century (Charlemagne/Offa of Mercia) to 1971 in Great Britain, but lighter than a troy one. Most old European currencies, like mark, shilling/solidus/groschen/øre, penny/pfennig/denar, taler/dollar/krone, florin/gulden/guilder/pound/złoty also belong into this monetary system.
See also: slug and poundal.
|240px|Winchester (
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An inch (plural: inches; symbol or abbreviation: in or, sometimes,
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Various standards under the name 'English units' have applied at different times, in different places and for different things. Prior to the Battle of Hastings in 1066 the Anglo-Saxon system of measurement had been based on the units of the barleycorn and the gyrd (rod). This system presumably had Germanic origins. After the Norman conquest, Roman units were reintroduced. The resultant system of English units was a combination of the Anglo-Saxon and Roman systems.
Later development of the English system continued by defining the units by law in the Magna Carta of 1215, and issuing measurement standards from the then capital Winchester. Standards were renewed in 1496, 1588 and 1758. The last Imperial Standard Yard in bronze was made in 1845; it served as the standard in the United Kingdom until the yard was internationally redefined as 0.9144 metre in 1959 (statutory implementation: Weights and Measures Act of 1963).
The use of English units spread throughout the British Isles and to the British colonies. These units form the basis for the Imperial system formerly used in Commonwealth countries and the customary system used in the United States. Whilst these two systems are quite similar there are a number of notable differences between the Imperial and U.S. systems.
Usage of the term "English System" or "English Unit" is common in the US, but it is problematical. It can be ambiguous. It usually refers to either the Imperial System or the US Customary System, and in cases where these two systems differ, it is not clear which system is being described. Some people also call it the "British system" in the US. It is interesting to note, referring to this system as the British or English system, almost only occurs in the United States, mainly causing confusion in Britain when reading from American sources.
Historical English units
Length
- poppyseed
- ¼ of a barleycorn ; barleycorn : Basic Anglo-Saxon unit, the length of a corn of barley. The unit survived after 1066, redefined as 1/3 inch. Note the relation to the grain unit of weight. ; digit : ¾ inch ; finger : 7/8 inch ; hand : 4 inches ; ynch, inch : Anglo Saxon inch, 3 barleycorns. Based on the Roman uncia from 1066. ; nail : 3 digits = 2¼ inches = 1/16 yard ; palm : 3 inches ; shaftment : Width of the hand and outstretched thumb, 6½ ynches before 1066, 6 inches thereafter ; span : Width of the outstretched hand, from the tip of the thumb to the tip of the little finger, 3 palms = 9 inches ; foot : Usually 13 inches but also other variants. Shortened to 12 inches by basing it on the Roman pes from 1066. ; cubit : Forearm, 18 inches. ; yard : Introduced after 1066, 3 feet = 36 inches. ; ell : Elbow, 20 nails = 1¼ yard or 45 inches. Mostly for measuring clothing ; fathom : From one fingertip to the other, 6 feet ; rod : Saxon gyrd measuring stick, might have been from 20 "natural feet". Retained its length but redefined as 16 ½ Roman feet after 1066. ; chain : four linear rods. Named after the length of surveyor's chain used to measure distances until quite recently. Any of several actual chains used for land surveying and divided in links. Gunter's chain, introduced in the 17th century, is 66 feet. ; furlong : "One plough's furrow long" (Saxon furrow is furh), the distance a plough team could be driven without rest. This varied from region to region depending on soil type and local habit. In modern context, it is deemed to be 660 feet, 40 rods or ten chains. ; mile : Introduced after 1066, originally the Roman mile at 5000 feet, in 1592 it was extended to 5280 feet to make it an even number of furlongs, i.e. 8. ; league : Usually three miles. Intended to be an hour's walk.
Area
- perch: one rod, when referring to length; one square rod when referring to area; one rod by one foot by a foot and a half when referring to volume (usually specifically for masonry stonework)
- acre: area of land one chain (four rods) in width by one furlong in length. As the traditional furlong could vary in length from country to country, so did the acre. In England an acre was 4,840 square yards, in Scotland 6,150 square yards and in Ireland 7,840 square yards. It is a Saxon unit, meaning field. Probably meant to be "as much area as could be plowed in one day".
- rood: one quarter of an acre, confusingly sometimes called an acre itself in many ancient contexts. One furlong in length by one rod in width, or 40 square rods.
- carucate: an area equal to that which can be ploughed by one eight-oxen team in a single year (also called a plough or carve). Approximately 120 roods.
- bovate: the amount of land one ox can plough in a single year (also called an oxgate). Approximately 15 roods or one eighth of a carucate.
- virgate: the amount of land a pair of oxen can plough in a single year. Approximately 30 roods (also called yard land).
Administrative units
- hide: four to eight bovates. A unit of yield, rather than area, it measured the amount of land able to support a single household for agricultural and taxation purposes.
- knight's fee: five hides. A knight's fee was expected to produce one fully equipped soldier for a knight's retinue in times of war.
- hundred: or wapentake - 100 hides grouped for administrative purposes.
Volume
General
In both Britain and America, in addition to perch as a measure of length, there is also the perch which refers to the volume measurement of stone; one perch is equal to 16.5 ft × 1.5 ft × 1 ft = 24.75 cu. ft. of dry stone. The relationship to the unit of length (one perch = 16.5 feet) should be obvious.Units of volume included:
- Mouthful: about ½ Ounce
- Jigger: Mouthful × 2 = 1 oz.
- Gill: Jack × 2 = 4 oz (U.S.) or 5 oz (imperial).
- Cup: Jill × 2 = 8 oz.
- Pint
- Cup × 2 = 16 oz. (U.S.) or 20 oz (imperial) (and a "Pint's a pound the world around" or in Britain, "A pint of pure water weighs a pound and a quarter")
;Quart: Pint × 2 = 32 oz. (U.S.) or 40 oz (imperial) ;Pottle or Half Gallon: Quart × 2 = 64 oz. (U.S.) or 80 oz (imperial) ;Gallon: Pottle × 2 = 4 Quarts = 128 oz. (U.S.) or 160 oz (imperial) ;Peck: Gallon × 2 ;Kenning: Peck × 2 = 4 gal. ;Bushel: Kenning × 2 = 8 gal. ;Cask, Strike, or Coomb: Bushel × 2 = 16 gal. ;Barrel: Cask × 2 = 32 gal. ;Hogshead : Barrel × 2 = 64 gal. ;Butt or Pipe: hogshead × 2 = 128 gal. ;Tun : Butt × 2 = 256 gal. (A tun is a ton)
Chart showing the relationships of volume measures.
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A Tun would actually be about 2,048 lb. but is a pretty close estimate given that you could derive the weight and volume all from mouthfuls of water.
Wine
| gallon | rundlet | barrel | tierce | hogshead | firkin, puncheon, tertian | pipe, butt | tun | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | tun | |||||||
| 1 | 2 | pipes, butts | ||||||
| 1 | 11⁄2 | 3 | firkins, puncheons, tertians | |||||
| 1 | 11⁄3 | 2 | 4 | hogsheads | ||||
| 1 | 11⁄2 | 2 | 3 | 6 | tierces | |||
| 1 | 11⁄3 | 2 | 22⁄3 | 4 | 8 | barrels | ||
| 1 | 13⁄4 | 21⁄3 | 31⁄2 | 42⁄3 | 7 | 14 | rundlets | |
| 1 | 18 | 311⁄2 | 42 | 63 | 84 | 126 | 252 | gallons (US/wine) |
| 3.79 | 68.14 | 119.24 | 158.99 | 238.48 | 317.97 | 476.96 | 953.92 | litres |
| 1 | 15 | 261⁄4 | 35 | 521⁄2 | 70 | 105 | 210 | gallons (imperial) |
| 4.55 | 68.19 | 119.3 | 159.1 | 238.7 | 318.2 | 477.3 | 954.7 | litres |
Brewery
| gallon | firkin | kilderkin | barrel | hogshead | (butt) | (tun) | Year designated | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | tuns | |||||||
| 1 | 13⁄4 | butts | ||||||
| 1 | 3 | 51⁄4 | hogsheads | |||||
| 1 | 11⁄2 | 41⁄2 | 77⁄8 | barrels | ||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 9 | 153⁄4 | kilderkins | |||
| 1 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 18 | 311⁄2 | firkins | ||
| 1 | 8 | 16 | 32 | 48 | 144 | 252 | ale gallons (ale) | (1454) |
| = 4.62 | = 36.97 | = 73.94 | = 147.88 | = 221.82 | = 665.44 | = 1164.52 | litres (ale) | |
| 1 | 9 | 18 | 36 | 54 | 162 | 2831⁄2 | ale gallons (beer) | |
| = 4.62 | = 41.59 | = 83.18 | = 166.36 | = 249.54 | = 748.62 | = 1310.09 | litres (beer) | |
| 1 | 81⁄2 | 17 | 34 | 51 | ale gallons | 1688 | ||
| = 4.62 | = 39.28 | = 78.56 | = 157.12 | = 235.68 | litres | |||
| 1 | 9 | 18 | 36 | 54 | ale gallons | 1803 | ||
| = 4.62 | = 41.59 | = 83.18 | = 166.36 | = 249.54 | litres | |||
| 1 | 9 | 18 | 36 | 54 | imperial gallons | 1824 | ||
| = 4.55 | = 40.91 | = 81.83 | = 163.66 | = 245.49 | litres |
Weight
The Avoirdupois, Troy and Apothecary systems of weights all shared the same finest unit, the grain, however they differ as to the number of grains there are in a dram, ounce and pound. Originally, this grain was the weight of a grain seed from the middle of an ear of barley. There also was a smaller wheat grain, said to be ¾ (barley) grains or about 48.6 milligrams.Avoirdupois
- grain (gr)
- 64.79891 mg, 1/7000th of a pound
; dram/drachm (dr) : 27.34375 gr (sixteenth of an ounce) (possibly originated as the weight of silver in ancient Greek coin drachma)
; ounce (oz) : 16 dr = 437.5 grains ≈ 28 g ; pound (lb) : 16 oz = 7000 grains ≈ 454 g (NB: 'lb' stands for libra) ; quarter : ¼ cwt ; hundredweight (cwt) : 112 lb (long) or 100 lb (short) ; ton : 20 cwt Additions: ; nail : 1/16 cwt = 7 lb ; clove : 7 lb (wool) ; stone (st) : 2 cloves = 14 lb (an Anglo-Saxon unit changed to fit in) ; tod : 2 st = ¼ cwt (long)
Chart showing the relationships of weight measures.
)
Troy and Tower
The Troy and Tower pounds and their subdivisions were used for coins and precious metals. The Tower pound, which is based upon an earlier Anglo-Saxon pound, was abolished in 1527.In terms of (silver) currency a pound was 20 shillings of 12 pennies each (i.e. 240) from the late 8th century (Charlemagne/Offa of Mercia) to 1971 in Great Britain, but lighter than a troy one. Most old European currencies, like mark, shilling/solidus/groschen/øre, penny/pfennig/denar, taler/dollar/krone, florin/gulden/guilder/pound/złoty also belong into this monetary system.
Troy
- grain (gr)
- ≈ 65 mg ; pennyweight (dwt) : 24 gr ≈ 1.56 g ; ounce (oz t) : 20 dwt = 480 gr ≈ 31.1 g ; pound (lb t) : 12 oz t = 5760 gr ≈ 373 g ; mark: 8 oz t
Tower
- tower ounce
- 18¾ dwt = 450 gr ≈ 29 g ; tower pound : 12 oz T = 225 dwt = 5400 gr ≈ 350 g
Apothecary
- grain (gr)
- ≈ 65 mg ; scruple (s ap) : 20 gr ; dram (dr ap) : 3 s ap = 60 gr ; ounce (oz ap) : 8 dr ap = 480 gr ; pound (lb ap) : 5760 gr = 1 lb t
Others
- Merchants/Mercantile pound
- 15 oz tower = 6750 gr ≈ 437.4 g ; London/Mercantile pound : 15 oz troy = 16 oz tower = 7200 gr ≈ 466.6 g ; Mercantile stone : 12 lb L ≈ 5.6 kg ; Tron pound (Edinburgh/Scots) : 16 oz Tron ≈ 623.5 g ; Butcher's stone : 8 lb ≈ 3.63 kg ; Sack : 26 st = 364 lb ≈ 165 kg The carat was once specified as four grains in the English-speaking world. Some local units in the English dominion were (re-)defined in simple terms of English units, such as the Indian tola of 180 grains.
| Pound | Pounds | Ounces | Grains | Metric | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| avdp. | troy | tower | merc. | lond. | metric | avdp. | troy | tower | (gr) | (g) | (kg) | |
| Avoirdupois | 1 | 175⁄144 | 35⁄27 | 28⁄27 | 35⁄36 | 10⁄11 | 16 | 147⁄12 | 155⁄9 | 7000 | 453.59 | 9⁄20 |
| Troy | 144⁄175 | 1 | 16⁄15 | 64⁄75 | 5⁄6 | 3⁄4 | 1329⁄175 | 12 | 124⁄5 | 5760 | 373.24 | 3⁄8 |
| Tower | 27⁄35 | 15⁄16 | 1 | 4⁄5 | 3⁄4 | 7⁄10 | 1212⁄35 | 111⁄4 | 12 | 5400 | 349.91 | 7⁄20 |
| Merchant | 27⁄28 | 75⁄64 | 5⁄4 | 1 | 15⁄16 | 7⁄8 | 153⁄7 | 141⁄16 | 15 | 6750 | 437.39 | 7⁄16 |
| London | 36⁄35 | 6⁄5 | 4⁄3 | 16⁄15 | 1 | 14⁄15 | 1616⁄35 | 15 | 16 | 7200 | 466.55 | 7⁄15 |
| Metric | 11⁄10 | 4⁄3 | 10⁄7 | 8⁄7 | 15⁄14 | 1 | 173⁄5 | 16 | 171⁄7 | 7716 | 500.00 | 1⁄2 |
See also: slug and poundal.
See also
- Feudalism
- Domesday Book
- Weights and measures
- History of measurement
- Comparison of the Imperial and US customary systems
- Plan for Establishing Uniformity in the Coinage, Weights, and Measures of the United States
- Approximate conversion of units
- Metrication
External links
- English Customary Weights and Measures
- Jacques J. Proot's Anglo-Saxon weights & measures page.
- Alexander Justice, "" (London, 1707).
units of measurement have played a crucial role in human endeavour from early ages up to this day. Disparate systems of measurement used to be very common. Now there is a global standard, the International System (SI) of units, the modern form of the metric system.
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Si, si, or SI may refer to (all SI unless otherwise stated):
In language:
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In language:
- One of two Italian words:
- sì (accented) for "yes"
- si
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Motto
Dieu et mon droit (French)
"God and my right"
Anthem
No official anthem specific to England — the anthem of the United Kingdom is "God Save the Queen".
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Dieu et mon droit (French)
"God and my right"
Anthem
No official anthem specific to England — the anthem of the United Kingdom is "God Save the Queen".
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Motto
"Dieu et mon droit" [2] (French)
"God and my right"
Anthem
"God Save the Queen" [3]
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"Dieu et mon droit" [2] (French)
"God and my right"
Anthem
"God Save the Queen" [3]
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Imperial units or the Imperial system is a collection of units, first defined in the British Weights and Measures Act of 1824, later refined (until 1959) and reduced.
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Battle of Hastings was the decisive Norman victory in the Norman conquest of England. The location was Senlac Hill, approximately six miles north of Hastings, on which an abbey was subsequently erected.
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Norman conquest of England began in 1066 with the invasion of the Kingdom of England by William the Conqueror (Duke of Normandy), and his success at the Battle of Hastings resulted in Norman control of England.
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The ancient Roman units of measurement were built on the Ellenas system with Kemetian, Avram, and Kiengir influences. The Roman units were generally accurate and well documented.
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Anglo-Saxon is the collective term usually used to describe the ethnically and linguistically related peoples living in the south and east of the island of Great Britain (modern Great Britain/United Kingdom) from around the early 5th century AD to the Norman conquest of 1066.
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Motto
Dieu et mon droit (French)
"God and my right"
Anthem
No official anthem specific to England — the anthem of the United Kingdom is "God Save the Queen".
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Dieu et mon droit (French)
"God and my right"
Anthem
No official anthem specific to England — the anthem of the United Kingdom is "God Save the Queen".
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Magna Carta (Latin for "Great Charter", literally "Great Paper"), also called Magna Carta Libertatum ("Great Charter of Freedoms"), is an English charter originally issued in 1215.
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Winchester
Winchester ()
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Motto
"Dieu et mon droit" [2] (French)
"God and my right"
Anthem
"God Save the Queen" [3]
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"Dieu et mon droit" [2] (French)
"God and my right"
Anthem
"God Save the Queen" [3]
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Headquarters
(and largest city)
Official languages English
Membership 53 sovereign states
Leaders
- Head of the Commonwealth Queen Elizabeth II
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(and largest city)
Official languages English
Membership 53 sovereign states
Leaders
- Head of the Commonwealth Queen Elizabeth II
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U.S. customary units, also known in the United States as English units[1] (but see English unit) or standard units, are units of measurement that are currently used in the USA, in some cases alongside units from SI (the International System of Units
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Motto
"In God We Trust" (since 1956)
"E Pluribus Unum" ("From Many, One"; Latin, traditional)
Anthem
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"In God We Trust" (since 1956)
"E Pluribus Unum" ("From Many, One"; Latin, traditional)
Anthem
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Both the Imperial and U.S. customary systems of measurement derive from earlier English systems. These English systems had developed in England over several centuries since the Battle of Hastings in 1066. They were a combination of the Anglo-Saxon and Roman systems.
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poppy is any of a number of showy flowers, typically with one per stem, belonging to the poppy family. They include a number of attractive wildflower species with showy flowers found growing singularly or in large groups; many species are also grown in gardens.
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Barleycorn may mean:
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- a grain of barley
- English unit of length equal to 1/3 inch
- John Barleycorn, an ancient folksong
- William N Barleycorn, a Primitive Methodist missionary in Fernando Po
- John Barleycorn (novel) by writer Jack London
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digit (lat. finger), when used as a unit of length, is usually a sixteenth of a foot, i.e. 3/4″ or 1.905 cm (for the international inch). The width of an adult human male finger tip is indeed about 2 centimetres.
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finger (sometimes finger-breadth), is usually seven eighths of an inch or 2.2225 cm (for the international inch). The width of an adult human male finger tip is indeed about two centimetres. The inch, on the other hand, originates in the breadth of a thumb.
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hand (or handbreadth) is a unit of length measurement, usually based on the breadth of a male human hand and thus around 4 inches long (about 10 cm). When used to measure height, it is abbreviated "h" (for "hands") or "hh" (standing for "hands high")[1]
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1 inch =
SI units
010−3 m 0 mm
US customary / Imperial units
010−3 ft 010−3 yd
SI units
010−3 m 0 mm
US customary / Imperial units
010−3 ft 010−3 yd
An inch (plural: inches; symbol or abbreviation: in or, sometimes,
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A nail, when used as a unit, is usually one sixteenth of a certain base unit. In English usage the most common base units were the foot and the yard for length, the acre for area and the (long) hundredweight for mass.
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palm, when used as a unit of length, is usually four digits (fingers) or three inches, i.e. 7.62 cm (for the international inch).
In English this unit has mostly fallen out of use, as have others based on the human arm: digit (¼ palm), finger (7/24 palm), hand (4/3
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In English this unit has mostly fallen out of use, as have others based on the human arm: digit (¼ palm), finger (7/24 palm), hand (4/3
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shaftment, when used as a unit of length, is usually six inches or two palms, i.e. 15.24 cm (for the international inch). It is thought to be the distance from the tip of the outstretched thumb to the other side of the palm. In English this unit has mostly fallen out of use. .
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Span is the width of a human hand, from the tip of the thumb to the tip of the pinky finger. See also: English unit
In Slavic languages, the analogue of span is pyad (
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- 1 span
- = 9 inches
- = 0.2286 m
In Slavic languages, the analogue of span is pyad (
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1 foot =
SI units
0 m 0 mm
US customary / Imperial units
0 yd 0 in
A foot (plural: feet or foot;[1] symbol or abbreviation: ft or, sometimes, ′SI units
0 m 0 mm
US customary / Imperial units
0 yd 0 in
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Cubit is the name for any one of many units of measure used by various ancient peoples and is among the first recorded units of length.
The cubit is based on measuring by comparing – especially cords and textiles, but also for timbers and stones – to one's
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The cubit is based on measuring by comparing – especially cords and textiles, but also for timbers and stones – to one's
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1 yard =
SI units
0 m 0 mm
US customary / Imperial units
0 ft 0 in
A yard (abbreviation: yd) is the name of a unit of length in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customarySI units
0 m 0 mm
US customary / Imperial units
0 ft 0 in
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