Weights were divided into troy and avoirdupois. Troy weight was
used by silversmiths to measure gold, silver and gemstones and
apothecaries used it to measure small amounts of chemicals.
Avoirdupois weight was used to measure everything else.
Weights and measures were regulated by burghs, and the public
weighing machine or "tron" was often the centre of the community
where public meetings and punishments took place. Length standards
were frequently physically attached to the burgh building or
tolbooth so that they were accessible. This was usually the same
building where tolls, customs and taxes were collected, and where
the council chamber, court room and guardhouse were located.
Standardization
From the twelfth century onwards the Scottish parliament
attempted to standardize local measures, but national standards
were not imposed until 1661, when a parliamentary commission
decided that certain burghs would be responsible for keeping
standards. All other measures were compared against the standard to
ensure that they were all the same. Edinburgh kept the 'ell' for
linear measure, Linlithgow the 'firlot' for dry measure, Lanark the
'troy stone' for weight, and Stirling the 'pint' for liquid
capacity.
The Act of Union introduced English measures into Scotland in
1707, but this just meant that both English and Scottish measures
were used! It was only after the Imperial Weights and Measures Act
of 1824 that Scottish weights and measures gradually disappeared,
to be replaced by English or Imperial measures.
During the late 1700s European intellectuals became interested
in the idea of dividing or multiplying measuring units decimally by
units of ten. This metric system took its name from the unit for
linear measure, the metre, and was adopted by many countries
throughout the world. The Metric Weights and Measures Act 1864
introduced metric units to the UK, but these were not compulsory.
From 1868 onwards attempts were made in parliament to abolish
Imperial measures, but it was not until 1969 that they began to be
phased out. Finally, in 2000, it became illegal to sell anything in
Imperial weights or measures except draught beer which is still
sold in pints.
Trade
There were no shops in mediaeval Dumfries. Buying and selling
took place on Wednesdays and Fridays, the town's market days, at
stalls or booths in the High Street. Only a burgess could run a
business or carry out trade in the town. People paid a fee in order
to become a burgess, and also agreed to defend the town when it was
attacked.
The town council regulated all trade, and the production and
sale of everything, from food and drink to fuel and clothing were
strictly controlled. Anyone who breached the conditions could be
fined, imprisoned or even banished from the town.
The only days when people other than burgesses were allowed to
trade within the town were fair days. Dumfries had three fair days,
in February, July and September. On fair days luxury goods from
overseas were sold, and jugglers and acrobats travelled to the town
to entertain the crowds.
By the 19th century fairs had become an occasion when farm and
domestic servants changed their employers. Today the fair occurs in
the form of a funfair.
Standard Weights and Measures
Local inspectors checked all weighing and measuring equipment
used by people trading in the area. The inspectors had their own
sets of weights and measures, and those that they used every day
were called working standards. Other sets that remained in the
office were called local standards, and were used solely for
checking that the working standards were still correct. The local
standards were themselves checked by government officers who held
another set of standards. At the end of this long chain were
Imperial Standards, to which all other weights and measures should
correspond.
These weights and measures have come from the local government
department responsible for maintaining trading standards. Many are
no longer required because of standardisation, metrication and
changes in the structure of local government.
Many have a portcullis stamped on them. This is the stamp of
approval by the central government department responsible for
checking the local inspector's weights and measures.
Dry Capacity
The basic unit of dry capacity was the boll, from the word bowl.
A quarter of a boll was a firlot, a fourth lot. A quarter of a
firlot was a peck and a quarter of a peck was a forpet, a
corruption of fourth peck, or lippie, from the Anglo-Saxon leap,
meaning a basket. Sixteen bolls made a chalder or chaldron, from
the French chaudron, meaning a kettle.
Lippies, pecks, firlots, bolls and chalders varied depending on
what was being measured.
According to the standard measure of Linlithgow, adopted in
1661,
For wheat, peas, beans, meal etc.
Scots Imperial Metric
1 lippie (or
forpet) 0.499
gallon 2.268
litres
1 peck = 4
lippies 1.996
gallon 9.072
litres
1 firlot = 4
pecks 3
pecks 1.986
gallons 36.286
litres
1 boll = 4
firlots 3
bushels 3
pecks 145.145
litres
1.944
gallons
1 chalder = 16
bolls 7
quarters 7 bushels 3
pecks 2322.324
litres
1.07
gallons
For barley, oats, malt etc.
Scots Imperial Metric
1 lippie (or
forpet) 0.728
gallon 3.037
litres
1 peck = 4
lippies 1 peck 0.912
gallons 13.229
litres
1 firlot = 4
pecks 1
bushel 1 peck 1.650
gallons 52.916
litres
1 boll = 4
firlots 5
bushels 3 pecks 0.600 gallons 211.664
litres
1 chalder = 16
bolls 11
quarters 5
bushels 3386.624
litres
1.615 gallons
Liquid Capacity
The basic unit of liquid capacity was the Scots pint. The pint
was sometimes referred to as the jug or joug. 8 pints made a
gallon, from the old French galon or jalon, meaning a jar or bowl.
Half a pint was a chopin, from the French liquid measure, the
chopine, and a quarter of a pint was a mutchkin, from the small
cap, a mutch. A sixteenth of a pint was a gill, from the Old
French, gelle, a wine measure or flask.
According to the standard measure of Stirling, adopted in
1661,
Scots Imperial Metric
1
gill 0.749
gill 0.53
litres
1 mutchkin = 4
gills 2.996
gills 0.212
litres
1 chopin = 2 mutchkins 1 pint
1.992
gills 0.848
litres
1 pint (or joug)
= 2
pints 3.984
gills 1.696
litres
2 chopins
1 gallon = 8
pints 3
gallons 0.25
gills 13.638
litres
Distance
The main units of linear measure were the foot and the mile.
Traditionally the foot was the length of a man's foot and the inch
was a twelfth part of a foot. The ell, from the Latin ulna, meaning
forearm, was traditionally the distance from the elbow or shoulder
to the wrist or finger-tips. The furlong was traditionally the
distance an ox could pull a plough before needing a rest, literally
a furrow long. The mile, from the Roman mille passus or passuum,
was based on the Roman linear measure 1000 paces.
According to the standard ell of Edinburgh, adopted in 1661,
Scots Imperial Metric
1
inch 1.0016
inches 2.54
centimetres
1 foot = 12
inches 12.0192
inches 30.5287
centimetres
1 ell = 3 and 1/12th
feet 1.0027 yards (37.0598
inches) 94.1318
centimetres
1 fall (or fa) = 6
ells 1.123
poles (6.1766
yards) 5.6479
metres
1 chain = 4
falls 1.123
chains (24.7064
yards) 22.5916
metres
1 furlong = 10
chains 1.123
furlongs (247.064
yards) 225.916
metres
1 mile = 8
furlongs 1.123
miles (1976.522
yards) 1.8073
kilometres
Area
The basic units of area were the rood and acre. The rood, from
the word rod, meaning a measuring rod, was the equivalent of 40
square falls. The acre corresponded to the size of a ploughed
field, probably from the Anglo-Saxon
word acer or aecer, meaning a
field.
According to the standard ell of Edinburgh, adopted in
1661,
Scots Imperial Metric
1 square
inch 1.0256
sq.
inches 6.4516
sq. centimetres
1 square
ell 1.059
sq.
yards 0.8853
sq. metre
1 square fall (or fa)
= 1 pole
7.9 sq.
yards 31.87
sq. metres (38.125 sq. yards)
36 square ells
1 rood = 40 square falls 1 rood 10
poles 13 sq.
yards 12.7483
ares (1525 sq. yards)
1 acre = 4
roods 1.26
acres (6100 sq.
yards) 0.5099
hectare
Weight
The basic unit of weight was the Scots pound. 16
pounds made a stone, from the word stone, meaning a small piece of
rock. A sixteenth of a pound was an ounce, and a
sixteenth of an ounce was a drop or drap.
Troy Measures were used by gold and silversmiths and
apothecaries.
According to the standard measure of Lanark, adopted in
1661,
Scots Imperial Metric
1 drop (or
drap) 1.093
drams 1.921
grammes
1 ounce = 16
drops 1
ounce 1.5
drams 31
grammes
1 pound = 16
ounces 1 pound
1 ounce 8
drams 496
grammes
1 stone = 16
pounds 17
pounds 8
ounces 7.936
kilogrammes
Tron Measures were used for large quantities and varied from
burgh to burgh.
According to the standard measure of Edinburgh, adopted in
1661,
Scots Imperial Metric
1 drop (or
drap) 1.378
drams 2.4404
grammes
1 ounce = 16
drops 1 ounce 6
drams 39.04
grammes
1 pound = 16 ounces 1 pound 6
ounces 1
dram 624.74
grammes
1 stone = 16 pounds 1 stone 8
pounds 1
ounce 9.996
kilogrammes