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79-466: The yard (symbol: yd ) is an English unit of length in both the British imperial and US customary systems of measurement equalling 3  feet or 36  inches . Since 1959 it has been by international agreement standardized as exactly 0.9144  meter . A distance of 1,760 yards is equal to 1 mile . The US survey yard is very slightly longer. The term, yard derives from

158-494: A dicker of gloves consists of ten pairs, but a dicker of horse-shoes consists of twenty shoes. Also a dozen of gloves , parchment , and vellum contains in its kind 12 skins , or 12 pairs of gloves. Also a hundred of wax , sugar , pepper , cumin , almonds & alum , contains 13 stones & a half & each stone contains 8 pounds for a total of 108 pounds in the hundred . And appears as hundred of 100. And each pound of twenty-five shillings . And

237-402: A gallon . For example, a quart is a quarter of a gallon, and a pint is half of a quart, or an eighth of a gallon. These ratios applied regardless of the specific size of the gallon. Not only did the definition of the gallon change over time, but there were several different kinds of gallon, which existed at the same time. For example, a wine gallon with a volume of 231 cubic inches (the basis of

316-411: A pound of London. And twelve & a half pounds make a stone of London. And eight pounds of wheat make a gallon . Pound contains twenty shillings. And eight gallons make a bushel of London . Sacks of wool should weigh twenty-eight stones and usually weighs of wheat and weighs a sixth part of a load of lead . Six times twenty stone, make a load of lead, to wit the great load of London , but

395-641: A 1688 survey found the Exchequer no longer possessed the necessary standard but had instead been depending on a copy held by the Guildhall . Defined as 231 cubic inches , it differs from the later imperial gallon , but is equal to the United States customary gallon . The Winchester measure , also known as the corn measure, centered on the bushel of approximately 2,150.42 cubic inches, which had been in use with only minor modifications since at least

474-588: A brass ell at the Guildhall ; and a brass yard presented to the Clock-Makers' Company by the Exchequer in 1671. The Exchequer yard was taken as "true"; the variation was found to be + 1 ⁄ 20 to − 1 ⁄ 15 of an inch, and an additional graduation for the Exchequer yard was made on the Royal Society's standard. In 1758 the legislature required the construction of a standard yard, which

553-624: A commission was formed to reconstruct the lost standards, including the troy pound, which had also been destroyed. In 1845, a new yard standard was constructed based on two previously existing standards known as A1 and A2, both of which had been made for the Ordnance Survey, and R.S. 46, the yard of the Royal Astronomical Society . All three had been compared to the Imperial standard before the fire. The new standard

632-482: A committee of parliament proposed defining the standard yard based upon the length of a seconds pendulum . This idea was examined but not approved. The Weights and Measures Act 1824 ( 5 Geo. 4 . c. 74) An Act for ascertaining and establishing Uniformity of Weights and Measures stipulates that: In 1834, the primary Imperial yard standard was partially destroyed in a fire known as the Burning of Parliament .. In 1838,

711-419: A piece of one quarter yard cut from the full width of the roll; these pieces are popular for patchwork and quilting . The term "fat eighth" is also used, for a piece of one quarter yard from half the roll width, the same area as one eighth cut from the roll. For purposes of measuring cloth, the early yard was divided by the binary method into two, four, eight and sixteen parts. The two most common divisions were

790-2304: A predicta multiplicacione qe sunt lx. libre constituentes quinque petras. Ita sunt in le Carre viii. xx. xv. petre. secundum vero quosdam alios le Carre consistit ex xii. Weyes & hoc secundum troni ponderacionem. Weya enim tam plumbi quam lane lini sepi casei ponderabunt xiiii. petras. Et duo Weye lane faciunt saccum. Et xii. sacci faciunt le last. Last vero allecis continet decem miliaria. Et quodlibet miliare continet x.c. Et quodlibet c. continet vi. xx. Item last coriorum constat ex viginti dacris & quodlibet dacre constat ex decem coriis. Item dacre Cirotecarum constat ex decem paribus dacre vero ferrorum equorum constat ex viginti ferris. Item duodena cirotecarum pergameni & alute continet in suo genere xii. pelles vel xii. paria cirotecarum. Item centena cere zucarii piperis cumini amigdalarum & alome continet xiii. petras & dimid’ & quelibet petra continet viii. li. summa librarum in centena cviii. libre. Et constat centem ex v. xx. Et quelibet libra ex viginti quinque solidis. Et sciend’ quod quelibet libra de denariis & speciebus utpote in electuariis consistit solummodo ex pondere xx. s. Libra vero omnium aliarum rerum consistit ex viginti quinque solidis. Uncia vero in electuariis consistit ex viginti denariis. Et libra continet xii. uncias. In aliis vero rebus libra continet quindecim uncias. uncia est hinc inde in pondere viginti denariorum. Centena lini & Canabi & linee tele consistit ex cent’ ulnis. Et quelibet Centena consistit ex vi. xx. Centena vero ferri & solidorum constat ex v. xx. Garba asseris constat ex triginta peciis. Duodena ferri ex sex peciis Item seem vitri constat ex xxiiii. petris & quelibet petra constat ex quinque libris. Et ita continet le seem vi. xx. libras. Item binda anguillarum constat ex decem stiks. Et quelibet stik ex viginti quinque anguillis Binda pellium continet xxxii. timbr’ senellio cuniculorum & grisi continet quadraginta pelles. Cheef de fustiano constat ex tresdecim ulnis Caput sindonis ex decem ulnis Le rees allecium continet quindecim glenes. Et quodlibet glene continet viginti quinque capita. Item centene Mulvellorum & durorum piscium constat ex viii. xx. And an ounce weighs twenty pence. And twelve ounces make

869-523: A prototype measure is the statute II Edgar Cap. 8 (AD 959  x 963), which survives in several variant manuscripts. In it, Edgar the Peaceful directed the Witenagemot at Andover that "the measure held at Winchester " should be observed throughout his realm. (Some manuscripts read "at London and at Winchester".) The statutes of William I similarly refer to and uphold

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948-434: A short distance apart. In some places potatoes might be sold by the firkin—usually a liquid measure—with one town defining a firkin as 3 bushels, and the next town as 2 1/2 bushels. The pint was the smallest unit in the corn measure. The corn gallon, one eighth of a bushel, was approximately 268.8 cubic inches. Most of the units associated with the corn measure were binary (sub)multiples of the bushel: Other units included

1027-586: A standard measure of volume for wine, ale and corn (the London Quarter), and for weight, but does not define these units. Later development of the English system was by defining the units in laws and by issuing measurement standards. 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

1106-547: Is 60 pounds constituting five stones . So there are in the load 175 stones . But according to some others the load consists of 12 Weys and this is according to troni weight, Wey for both lead and wool linen tallow cheese weighs 14 stones . And two Weys of wool make a sack , And 12 sacks make a last . But a last of herrings contains 10 thousand, and each Thousand contains 10 hundred , and each hundred contains 120. A last of leather consists of twenty dicker , and each dicker consists of ten skins . Also

1185-534: Is a homonym of ‘yard’ in the sense of an enclosed area of land . This second meaning of ‘yard’ has an etymology related to the word ‘garden’ and is not related to the unit of measurement. In India Yard is colloquially known as Gauge or Guz . 1 Gauge is 3 feet. The origin of the yard measure is uncertain. Both the Romans and the Welsh used multiples of a shorter foot , but 2 + 1 ⁄ 2   Roman feet

1264-593: Is aforesaid, and in Breadth one Yard of like Measure; (3) and every such Cloth, both Broad and Narrow being well scowred , thicked, milled and fully dried, shall weigh xxxiv. li. the Piece at the least. XV. And that all Clothes named Check- Kersie and Straits , which shall be made after the said Feast shall contain being wet between seventeen and eighteen Yards, with the Inches as is aforesaid, and in Breadth one Yard at

1343-486: Is called an ell ( ulna , lit.  " arm "), a separate and usually longer unit of around 45 inches (1,100 mm). The use of the word ‘yard’ ( Middle English : ȝerd or ȝerde ) to describe this length is first attested in William Langland 's poem on Piers Plowman . The usage seems to derive from the prototype standard rods held by the king and his magistrates ( see below ). The word ‘yard’

1422-431: Is known as "Bronze Yard No. 11" The Weights and Measures Act 1878 ( 41 & 42 Vict. c. 49) confirmed the status of the existing yard standard, mandated regular intercomparisons between the several yard standards, and authorized the construction of one additional Parliamentary Copy (made in 1879 and known as Parliamentary Copy VI). Subsequent measurements revealed that the yard standard and its copies were shrinking at

1501-505: Is to be known that each pound of money & species as in electuaries consists only of pounds of 20 shillings . But pounds for all other things consist of twenty five shillings . An Ounce in electuaries consists of twenty pence and pound contains 12 ounces. But in other things the pounds contains fifteen ounces, the ounce in either case weighs twenty pence . Also hundred of Canvass , and linen cloth consists of one hundred Ells and each hundred consists of 120. But

1580-535: The Anglo-Saxon period, the North German foot of 13.2 inches (335 millimetres) was the nominal basis for other units of linear measurement. The foot was divided into 4 palms or 12 thumbs. A cubit was 2 feet, an elne 4 feet. The rod was 15 Anglo-Saxon feet, the furlong 10 rods. An acre was 4 rods × 40 rods, i.e. 160 square rods or 36,000 square Anglo-Saxon feet. However, Roman units continued to be used in

1659-733: The Anglo-Saxons , who were descended from tribes of northern Germany . The Compositio redefined the yard, foot, inch, and barleycorn to 10 ⁄ 11 of their previous value. However, it retained the Anglo-Saxon rod of 15 x 11 ⁄ 10 feet (5.03 metres) and the acre of 4 × 40 square rods. Thus, the rod went from 5 old yards to 5 + 1 ⁄ 2 new yards, or 15 old feet to 16 + 1 ⁄ 2 new feet. The furlong went from 600 old feet (200 old yards) to 660 new feet (220 new yards). The acre went from 36,000 old square feet to 43,560 new square feet. Scholars have speculated that

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1738-523: The British Parliament determining the regulation of weights and measures . It also refers to similar royal and parliamentary acts of the Kingdoms of England and Scotland and the medieval Welsh states . The earliest of these were originally untitled but were given descriptive glosses or titles based upon the monarch under whose reign they were promulgated. Several omnibus modern acts have

1817-618: The Compositio may have represented a compromise between the two earlier systems of units, the Anglo-Saxon and the Roman. The Norman conquest of England introduced just one new unit: the bushel. William the Conqueror , in one of his first legislative acts, confirmed existing Anglo-Saxon measurement, a position which was consistent with Norman policy in dealing with occupied peoples. The Magna Carta of 1215 stipulates that there should be

1896-466: The Gospel of Matthew used it for a branch swayed by the wind. In addition to the yardland, Old and Middle English both used their forms of "yard" to denote the surveying lengths of 15 feet (4.6 m) or 16.5 feet (5.0 m), used in computing acres , a distance now usually known as the " rod ". A unit of three English feet is attested in a statute of c.  1300 ( see below ), but there it

1975-592: The Old English gerd , gyrd etc., which was used for branches , staves and measuring rods . It is first attested in the late 7th century laws of Ine of Wessex , where the "yard of land" mentioned is the yardland , an old English unit of tax assessment equal to 1 ⁄ 4   hide . Around the same time the Lindisfarne Gospels account of the messengers from John the Baptist in

2054-860: The Statute for the Measuring of Land . The act was not repealed until the Weights and Measures Act 1824 . In a law of 1439 ( 18 Hen. 6 . c. 16) the sale of cloth by the "yard and handful" was abolished, and the "yard and inch" instituted (see ell ). There shall be but one Measure of Cloth through the Realm by the Yard and the Inch , and not by the Yard and Handful , according to the London Measure. According to Connor, cloth merchants had previously sold cloth by

2133-460: The U.S. gallon ), and an ale gallon of 282 cubic inches, were commonly used for many decades prior to the establishment of the imperial gallon . In other words, a pint of ale and a pint of wine were not the same size. On the other hand, some measures such as the fluid ounce were not defined as a fraction of a gallon. For that reason, it is not always possible to give accurate definitions of units such as pints or quarts, in terms of ounces, prior to

2212-521: The US gallon ). Numerous acts of the Saxon kings are known to have been lost. Those that have survived include: 2 Edgar c. 8 (959  x 963): The statute also survives in a few other Old English and Latin copies, some which omit mention of London and describe " the measure held at Winchester", an indication that a standard ell or yard was nominally in use: John Quincy Adams 's 1821 report on

2291-595: The Weights and Measures Act 1963 . The Imperial Standard Yard of 1855 was renamed the United Kingdom Primary Standard Yard and retained its official status as the national prototype yard. The yard is used as the standard unit of field-length measurement in American , Canadian and association football , cricket pitch dimensions, and in some countries, golf fairway measurements. There are corresponding units of area and volume ,

2370-623: The Winchester Units , used from 1495 to 1587, as affirmed by King Henry VII , and the Exchequer Standards , in use from 1588 to 1825, as defined by Queen Elizabeth I . In England (and the British Empire), English units were replaced by Imperial units in 1824 (effective as of 1 January 1826) by a Weights and Measures Act , which retained many though not all of the unit names and redefined (standardised) many of

2449-431: The etymology of the other "yard" , some suggest it originally derived from the girth of a person's waist, while others believe it originated as a cubic measure . One official British report writes: The standard of measure has always been taken either from some part of the human body, such as a foot, the length of the arm, the span of the hand, or from other natural objects, such as a barleycorn, or other kind of grain. But

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2528-663: The hundred of iron and shillings consists of 100. The sheaf of [steel] consists of thirty pieces. The Dozen of iron consists of six pieces. The seam of glass consists of 24 stones , and each stone consists of five pounds. And so contains the seam 120 pounds. Also a bind of eels consists of ten sticks . And each stick of twenty-five eels. A bind of pelts consists of 32 timber of rabbits and squirrels contains forty pelts . A Chef of Fustian consists of thirteen Ells . A Chef of Sindon contains ten Ells . A Hundred of [ Garlike ] consisteth of fifteen Ropes , and every Rope containeth fifteen Heads. Also

2607-498: The iron yard of our Lord the King containeth 3 feet and no more, and a foot ought to contain 12 inches by the right measure of this yard measured, to wit, the 36th part of this yard rightly measured maketh 1 inch neither more nor less and 5 yards and a half make a perch that is 16 feet and a half measured by the aforesaid yard of our Lord the King. In some early books, this act was appended to another statute of uncertain date titled

2686-540: The square yard and cubic yard respectively. These are sometimes referred to simply as "yards" when no ambiguity is possible, for example an American or Canadian concrete mixer may be marked with a capacity of " 9 yards " or "1.5 yards", where cubic yards are obviously referred to. Yards are also used and are the legal requirement on road signs for shorter distances in the United Kingdom, and are also frequently found in conversation between Britons much like in

2765-410: The statute measure . So a land area might be given as 24 acres—statute measure, to clarify that it was the acre defined in statute, rather than a customary acre of a different size, that was being used. Units that had statute-defined measures as well as customary measures were the acre, mile, perch, pole and ton. The level of legal enforcement of statute measures achieved between the mid nineteenth and

2844-407: The wey (6 or sometimes 5 seams or quarters), and the last (10 seams or quarters). At that reference, water has a density of ≃ 0.9988 g ⁄ ml (438.0 ⁠ grain / imp fl oz ⁠ or 1.001 ⁠ oz av / imp fl oz ⁠ ), and thus: The Avoirdupois , Troy and Apothecary systems of weights all shared the same finest unit, the grain ; however, they differ as to

2923-579: The EC confirmed that the UK would be permitted to continue indefinitely to use imperial units such as pints, miles, pounds and ounces as at present. The Gloucestershire County Council Trading Standards Department confirmed the EU ruling that the previous deadline for ending dual labelling had been abolished. There are still a few cases where imperial units are required to be used and where metric units are not permitted within

3002-705: The Royal Mint, the Royal Society of London, the Royal Observatory at Greenwich, and the New Palace at Westminster, commonly called the Houses of Parliament. The other 35 yard standards were distributed to the cities of London, Edinburgh, and Dublin, as well as the United States and other countries (although only the first five had official status). The imperial standard received by the United States

3081-550: The United Kingdom joined the EEC , such specifications were almost all in imperial units. As part of its attempt to harmonise units of measure between the member states of its Internal Market , the European Commission (EC) issued directive 80/181/EEC which set out the units of measure that should be used for what it called "economic, public health, public safety, and administrative" purposes. To comply with this directive,

3160-404: The United States for distance. The yard, subdivided into eighths, is used for the purchase of fabrics in the United States and United Kingdom and was previously used elsewhere. In the United States the term "fat quarter" is used for a piece of fabric which is half a yard in length cut from a roll and then cut again along the width so that it is only half the width of the roll, thus the same area as

3239-595: The Weights and Measures Act 1985 extended the scope of Trading Standards responsibilities from just matters related to trade to all aspects of the directive. For example, it was the Trading Standards Office that criticised the use of sub-standard weighing machines in NHS hospitals. To help ease the EC's desired transition from sole use of imperial units to sole use of metric units, the directive permitted

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3318-437: The beginning of the twentieth centuries meant that only "statute mile" and "statute ton" needed qualifying beyond then. The statute mile still needed to be differentiated from the nautical mile , but the others, and the term "statute measure" itself, are now only used in a historical context. The Weights and Measures (Metric System) Act 1897 ( 60 & 61 Vict. c. 46) provided that metric units could be used in addition to

3397-436: The buyer would pay more or less depending on the actual weight. This practice of specifying bushels in weight for each commodity continues today. This was not always the case though, and even the same market that sold wheat and oats by weight might sell barley simply by volume. In fact, the entire system was not well standardized. A sixteenth of a bushel might be called a pottle , hoop , beatment , or quartern , in towns only

3476-557: The construction crafts, and reckoning by the Roman mile of 5,000 feet (or 8 stades ) continued, in contrast to other Germanic countries which adopted the name "mile" for a longer native length closer to the league (which was 3 Roman miles). From the time of Offa King of Mercia (8th century) until 1526 the Saxon pound , also known as the moneyers' pound (and later known as the Tower pound )

3555-437: The current primary legislation in the United Kingdom is the 1985 act, which was last amended by statutory instrument in 2011. Statutory instruments made under the authority of the act do not amend the act per se , but regulate particular areas covered by the act. The act is currently enforced by the 200 Trading Standards offices managed by local authorities around the country. Definitions of units of measurements and

3634-473: The de facto legal definition of the yard came to be accepted as 36 ⁄ 39.370 113 of a meter. The yard (known as the "international yard" in the United States) was legally defined to be exactly 0.9144 meter in 1959 under an agreement in 1959 between Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States. In the UK, the provisions of the treaty were ratified by

3713-581: The definitions. In the US, being independent from the British Empire decades before the 1824 reforms, English units were standardized and adopted (as "US Customary Units") in 1832. Very little is known of the units of measurement used in the British Isles prior to Roman colonisation in the 1st century AD. During the Roman period, Roman Britain relied on Ancient Roman units of measurement . During

3792-406: The establishment of the imperial gallon. Liquid measures as binary submultiples of their respective gallons (ale or wine): Wine is traditionally measured based on the wine gallon and its related units. Other liquids such as brandy, spirits, mead, cider, vinegar, oil, honey, and so on, were also measured and sold in these units. The wine gallon was re-established by Queen Anne in 1707 after

3871-402: The fourth and sixteenth parts. The quarter of a yard (9 inches) was known as the "quarter" without further qualification, while the sixteenth of a yard (2.25 inches) was called a nail . The eighth of a yard (4.5 inches) was sometimes called a finger , but was more commonly referred to simply as an eighth of a yard, while the half-yard (18 inches) was called "half a yard". Other units related to

3950-511: The history of English weights and measures notes of this act that "it was never observed". 3 William I c. 7 (1068): 9 Richard I c. 27 (1197): The statutes of uncertain date ( Latin : Statuta temporis incerti ) are generally dated to the mid-to-late 13th century. Per Ordinacionem tocius regni Anglie fuit mensura Domini Regis composita videlicet quod denarius qui vocatur sterlingus rotundus & sine tonsura ponderabit triginta duo grana frumenti in medio Spice. Per Ordinance of

4029-527: The incumbent minister may amend the legislation by means of statutory instruments . Prior to the Weights and Measures Act 1985, weights and measures acts were only concerned with trade law where the weight or size of the goods being traded was important. The 1985 act, however, had a broader scope, encompassing all aspects covered by the European Economic Community (EEC) European Commission directive 80/181/EEC . As of 25 April 2012,

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4108-460: The late 15th century. The word corn at that time referred to all types of grain. The corn measure was used to measure and sell many types of dry goods, such as grain, salt, ore, and oysters. However, in practice, such goods were often sold by weight. For example, it might be agreed by local custom that a bushel of wheat should weigh 60 pounds, or a bushel of oats should weigh 33 pounds. The goods would be measured out by volume, and then weighed, and

4187-457: The least at the Water; and being well scowred, thicked, milled and fully dried, shall weigh xxiv. li. the Piece at the least. The yard and inch for cloth measurement was also sanctioned again in legislation of 1557–1558 ( 4 & 5 Ph. & M. c. 5. An act touching the making of woolen clothes. par. IX.) IX. Item, That every ordinary kersie mentioned in the said act shall contain in length in

4266-593: The load of the Peak is much less. Also loads of lead consist of thirty fotmals , and each fotmal contains six stones minus two pounds . And each stone consists of twelve pounds , and each pound consists of twenty-five shillings in weight. The sum of the pounds in the fotmal is 70. The sum of the stones in the Load is 175 stones and is proved by six times thirty which is nine score (180) except for each fotmal subract two pounds multiplied as before (x30) which

4345-532: The number of grains there are in a dram, ounce and pound . This grain was legally defined as the weight of a grain seed from the middle of an ear of barley . There also was a smaller wheat grain , said to be 3 ⁄ 4 (barley) grains or about 48.6 milligrams. The avoirdupois pound was eventually standardised as 7,000 grains and was used for all products not subject to Apothecaries's or Tower weight. The Troy and Tower pounds and their subdivisions were used for coins and precious metals. The Tower pound, which

4424-403: The opening of the annual St. Bartholomew's Day Cloth Fair . In the mid-18th century, Graham compared the standard yard of the Royal Society to other existing standards. These were a "long-disused" standard made in 1490 during the reign of Henry VII , and a brass yard and a brass ell from 1588 in the time of Queen Elizabeth and still in use at the time, held at the Exchequer ; a brass yard and

4503-565: The rate of one part per million every twenty years due to the gradual release of strain incurred during the fabrication process. The international prototype meter , on the other hand, was comparatively stable. A measurement made in 1895 determined the length of the meter at 39.370 113 inches relative to the imperial standard yard. The Weights and Measures (Metric System) Act 1897 ( 60 & 61 Vict. c. 46) in conjunction with Order in Council 411 (1898) made this relationship official. After 1898,

4582-451: The reign of Edward I or II c.  1300 . Its wording varies in surviving accounts. One reads: It is ordained that 3 grains of barley dry and round do make an inch , 12 inches make 1 foot , 3 feet make 1 yard, 5 yards and a half make a perch , and 40 perches in length and 4 in breadth make an acre . The Liber Horn compilation (1311) includes that statute with slightly different wording and adds: And be it remembered that

4661-560: The rule,... One of the oldest yard-rods in existence is the clothyard of the Worshipful Company of Merchant Taylors . It consists of a hexagonal iron rod 5 ⁄ 8  in (16 mm) in diameter and 1 ⁄ 100  in (0.25 mm) short of a yard, encased within a silver rod bearing the hallmark 1445. In the early 15th century, the Merchant Taylors Company was authorized to "make search" at

4740-580: The said Feast in Taunton, Bridgwater or in other Places of like Sort, shall contain at the Water in Length betwixt twelve and thirteen Yards, Yard and Inch of the Rule, and in Breadth seven Quarters of a Yard: (2) And every narrow Cloth made after the said Feast in the said Towns or elsewhere of like Sorts, shall contain in the Water in Length betwixt three and twenty and five and twenty Yards, Yard and Inch as

4819-402: The scope of the Weights and Measures Act, such as the pint for the sale of draught beer and cider, and miles and yards for distances on road signage. Milk in returnable containers may be sold by the pint and the troy ounce may be used for the sale of precious metals. In addition, British law specifies which non-metric units may be used with dual labelling (for example the imperial gallon , but not

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4898-538: The short title " Weights and Measures Act " and are distinguished by the year of their enactment. There have been many laws concerned with weights and measures in the United Kingdom or parts of it over the last 1,000 or so years. The acts may catalogue lawful weights and measures, prescribe the mechanism for inspection and enforcement of the use of such weights and measures and may set out circumstances under which they may be amended. Modern legislation may, in addition to specific requirements, set out circumstances under which

4977-526: The standard measures of his predecessors without naming them. William of Malmesbury 's Deeds of the Kings of England records that during the reign of Henry I (1100 - 1135), "the measure of his arm was applied to correct the false ell of the traders and enjoined on all throughout England." The folktale that the length was bounded by the king's nose was added some centuries later. Charles Moore Watson dismisses William's account as "childish", but William

5056-538: The technical equipment relating to weights and measures are provided by the National Measurement Office , an agency of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills . Historically, many units had various customary definitions—by locality or trade, for example. Where these units also had a standard, legally defined definition, such as given in a weights and measures act, this was known as

5135-453: The thirty-fourth year of the reign of our sovereign lady the Queen that now is. par. III.) (2) and each and every of the same Devonshire kersies or dozens, so being raw, and as it cometh forth off the weaver's loom (without racking, stretching, straining or other device to encrease the length thereof) shall contain in length between fifteen and sixteen yards by the measure of yard and inch by

5214-524: The traditional imperial units for purposes of trade. In practice, the actual choice of units was restricted by price marking orders which listed packaging sizes and pricing structures that might be used in specific circumstances. For example, as of April 2012, wine for consumption on premises may only be sold in 125, 175, and 250 mL glasses while draught beer may only be sold as 1 ⁄ 3 , 1 ⁄ 2 , or 2 ⁄ 3 pint and integer multiples of 1 ⁄ 2 pint . Prior to 1973, when

5293-506: The use of what were termed "supplementary indicators"—the continued use of imperial units alongside the metric units catalogued by the directive (dual labelling). The initial intention was to prohibit dual labelling after the end of 1989, with metric units only being allowed after that date. This deadline was later extended: first to the end of 1999, then to the end of 2009. Finally, in 2007, the European Union (EU, as it had become) and

5372-416: The water betwixt xvi. and xvii. yards, yard and inch ; and being well scoured thicked, milled, dressed and fully dried, shall weigh nineteen pounds the piece at the least:... As recently as 1593, the same principle is found mentioned once again ( 35 Eliz. 1 . c. 10 An act for the reformation of sundry abuses in clothes, called Devonshire kerjies [ sic ] or dozens, according to a proclamation of

5451-1196: The whole realm of England the measure of the King is composed namely of a penny , which is called a sterling , round & without clipping , weighs thirty-two grains of wheat in the middle of the Ear . Et uncia ponderabit viginti denarios. Et duodecim uncie faciunt libram London. Et duodecim libre & dimid’ faciunt petram London. Et octo libre frumenti faciunt galonem. Libra continet viginti solidos. Et octo galones faciunt bussellum London. Saccus lane debet ponderare viginti & octo petras & solebat ponderare unam summam frumenti & ponderat sextam partem unius carri de plumbo. sexies viginti petre faciunt carrum plumbi scilicet magnum carrum London’ set carrus del Peek est multo minus. Item carrus plumbi constat ex triginta fotmallis & quodlibet fotmal continet sex petras duabus libris minus. Et quelibet petra habet duodecim libras & quelibet libra constat ex viginti quinque solidis in pondere. summa librarum in le fotmal lxx. summa petrarum in le Carre viii. xx. & xv. petre & probetur per sexies triginta que sunt novies viginti set in quolibet fotmal subtrahuntur due libre

5530-567: The yard and handful to evade high taxes on cloth (the extra handful being essentially a black-market transaction). Enforcement efforts resulted in cloth merchants switching over to the yard and inch, at which point the government gave up and made the yard and inch official. In 1552, the yard and inch for cloth measurement was again sanctioned in law ( 5 & 6 Edw. 6 . c. 6. An Act for the true making of Woolen Cloth. ) XIV. And that all and every Broad Cloth and Clothes called Taunton Clothes , Bridgwaters , and other Clothes which shall be made after

5609-567: The yard was redefined by the international yard and pound agreement (as 0.9144 metres) in 1959 (statutory implementation was in the Weights and Measures Act 1963 ). Over time, the English system had spread to other parts of the British Empire . Selected excerpts from the bibliography of Marks and Marking of Weights and Measures of the British Isles Many measures of capacity were understood as fractions or multiples of

5688-504: The yard was the original standard adopted by the early English sovereigns, and has been supposed to be founded upon the breadth of the chest of the Saxon race. The yard continued till the reign of Henry VII., when the ell was introduced, that being a yard and a quarter, or 45 inches. The ell was borrowed from the Paris drapers. Subsequently, however, Queen Elizabeth re-introduced the yard as the English standard of measure. The earliest record of

5767-464: The yard, but not specific to cloth measurement: two yards are a fathom , a quarter of a yard (when not referring to cloth) is a span . English units Use of the term "English units" can be ambiguous, as, in addition to the meaning used in this article, it is sometimes used to refer to the units of the descendant Imperial system as well to those of the descendant system of United States customary units . The two main sets of English units were

5846-481: Was a " step " (Latin: gradus ) and 3  Welsh feet was a " pace " ( Welsh : cam ). The Proto-Germanic cubit or arm's-length has been reconstructed as * alinô , which developed into the Old English eln , Middle English elne , and modern ell of 1.25 yd (1.14 m). This has led some to derive the yard of three English feet from pacing; others from the ell or cubit; and still others from Henry I 's arm standard ( see below ). Based on

5925-556: Was among the most conscientious and trustworthy medieval historians. The French " king's foot " was supposed to have derived from Charlemagne , and the English kings subsequently repeatedly intervened to impose shorter units with the aim of increasing tax revenue. The earliest surviving definition of this shorter unit appears in the Act on the Composition of Yards and Perches , one of the statutes of uncertain date tentatively dated to

6004-603: Was based upon an earlier Anglo-Saxon pound, was replaced by the Troy pound when a proclamation dated 1526 required the Troy pound to be used for mint purposes instead of the Tower pound. No standards of the Tower pound are known to have survived. Established in the 8th century by Offa of Mercia , a pound sterling (or "pound of sterlings" ) was that weight of sterling silver sufficient to make 240 silver pennies . II Edgar Cap. 8 Weights and Measures Acts are acts of

6083-484: Was made from the Royal Society's standard and was deposited with the clerk of the House of Commons ; it was divided into feet, one of the feet into inches, and one of the inches into tenths. A copy of it, but with upright cheeks between which other measuring rods could be placed, was made for the Exchequer for commercial use. Following Royal Society investigations by John Playfair , Hyde Wollaston and John Warner in 1814

6162-423: Was made of Baily's metal No. 4 consisting of 16 parts copper, 2 + 1 ⁄ 2 parts tin, and 1 part zinc. It was 38 inches long and 1 inch square. The Weights and Measures Act 1855 granted official recognition to the new standards. Between 1845 and 1855 forty yard standards were constructed, one of which was selected as the new Imperial standard. Four others, known as 'parliamentary copies', were distributed to

6241-423: Was the fundamental unit of weight (by Offa's law, one pound of silver, by weight, was subdivided into 240 silver pennies, hence (in money) 240 pence – twenty shillings – was known as one pound ). Prior to the enactment of a law known as the " Composition of Yards and Perches " ( Latin : Compositio ulnarum et perticarum ) some time between 1266 and 1303, the English system of measurement had been based on that of

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