This letter also appears on the Victorian Web
This page is taken from A Web of English History
Before the decimalisation of almost everything, Great Britain worked in a variety of weights and measures. The currency was also very different from elsewhere in the world. The following tables are intended to try to explain some of the weights and measures.
| Imperial | Metric | |
| Measurements of Length | ||
| 12 inches | = 1 foot | 2.54 cm |
| 3 feet | = 1 yard | 30.5 cm |
| 36 inches | = 1 yard | 30.5 cm |
| 5½ yards or 16½ feet | = 1 rod, perch or pole | 5.0292 metres |
| 22 yards or 100 links | = 1 chain | 20.12 metres |
| 10 chains or 220 yards | = 1 furlong | 0.2 km |
| 1760 yards) 80 chains) 8 furlongs) |
= 1 mile | 1.6 km |
| 3 miles | = 1 league | |
| Measurements of weight | ||
| 16 oz [ounces] |
= 1 lb. [pound] |
|
| 14 lbs. |
= 1 stone |
|
| 2 stones |
= 1 quarter |
|
| 4 quarters |
= 1 cwt [hundredweight] |
|
| 20 cwt. |
= 1 ton |
|
| Liquid Measure | ||
| 4 gills | = 1 pint | 1.8 ml |
| 2 pints | = 1 quart | 0.9 litre |
| 4 quarts | = 1 gallon | 3.8 litres |
| 52½ gallons | = 1 hogshead | |
| Dry Measure | ||
| 4 gills | = 1 pint | 1.8 ml |
| 2 pints | = 1 quart | 0.9 litre |
| 4 quarts | = 1 gallon | 3.8 litres |
| 2 gallons | = 1 peck | 9.1 litres |
| 4 pecks | = 1 bushel | 36.4 litres |
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