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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 U.S. Customary System used in the United States Of America . Whilst these two systems are quite similar there are a number of notable Differences Between The Imperial And U.S. Systems . HISTORICAL ENGLISH UNITS Length ; Poppyseed : ¼ of a barleycorn ; . ; Digit : ¾ inch ; Finger : 7/8 inch ; ''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 ; Hand : 4 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 ''ynches'' but also other variants. Shortened 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. ; , 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''. ; it was extended to 5280 feet to make it an even number of Furlong s, i.e. 8. ; s. 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) ; 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 ; for agricultural and taxation purposes. ; 's retinue in times of war. ; - 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 X 2 Jack or Jackpot = Jigger X 2 Jill or Gill = Jack X 2 Cup = Jill X 2 Pint = Cup X 2 (and a "Pint's a pound the world around") Quart = Pint X 2 Pottle or Half Gallon = Quart X 2 Gallon = Pottle X 2 Peck = Gallon X 2 Half Bushel = Peck X 2 Bushel = Half bushel X 2 Cask, Strike, or Coomb = Bushel X 2 Barrel = Cask X 2 Hogshead = Barrel X 2 Butt or Pipe = hogshead X 2 Tun = Butt X 2 (A tun is a ton) 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 mouthfulls of water. Wine Brewery 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) : ≈ 65 mg ; ) ; Ounce (oz) : 16 dr = 437.5 grains ≈ 28 g ; Pound (lb) : 16 oz = 7000 grains ≈ 454 g ; 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) 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. = 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. ''See also:'' Slug and Poundal . SEE ALSO
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