Old Cornish units of measurement
The old Cornish units of measurement were used in the 1700s and based on English measurements in their name and rough size, although had slight difference in their values.[1]
Area
[edit]Unit | Relative to Previous | Square yard | Cornish Acre |
---|---|---|---|
Cornish Fathing Land | 12 Knight's Fee | 145200 | 48 |
Cornish Knight's Fees | 4 Cornish Acres | 12100 | 4 |
Cornish Acre | 4 Cornish Ferlings | 3025 | 1 |
Cornish Ferling | 9 Cornish Rods | 756.25 | 1⁄4 |
Cornish Rod | 5 Cornish Leases | 84 | 1⁄36 |
Cornish Lease | 2 Cornish Lorghs | 16.8 | 1⁄180 |
Cornish Lorgh | 4 Cornish Sticks | 8.4 | 1⁄360 |
Cornish Sticks | 1⁄4 of a Cornish Lorgh | 2.1 | 1⁄720 |
Richard Carew's Survey of Cornwall (1602) says:[2]
Commonly thirtie Acres make a farthing land, nine farthings a Cornish Acre, and foure Cornish Acres, a Knights fee. But this rule is ouerruled to a greater or lesser quantitie, according to the fruitfulnesse, or barrennesse of the soyle.
Cornish acre – 120 statute acres (or possibly 64), 8 score lease. Equal to 0.066 Acres. Cornish ferling/farthing – ¼ a Cornish acre Cornish lease – four sticks Cornish stick – four yards, three yards square Cornish Knight's fee – four Cornish acres Cornish rod – 160 lace to a Cornish acre, 36sq. rods Cornish lace – 18 ft square Cornish land rod/lorgh – half a lace, 9 ft square
Length
[edit]Unit | Equivalent |
---|---|
Cornish Fathom | 5 ft |
Cornish Mile | 1.5 miles |
Capacity
[edit]Unit | Equivalent |
---|---|
Cornish Bushel | 3 Winchester bushels |
Cornish gallon | 10 lb |
Cornish apple gallon | 7 lb |
Mass
[edit]Unit | Equivalent |
---|---|
Cornish ton/mining ton | 21 cwt |
Cornish pound | 18 ounces (butter) |
Fish
[edit]Unit | Relative |
---|---|
Cornish Warp | 4 Fish |
Cornish Burn | 21 Fish |
Cornish Hundred | 132 Fish |
Cornish Mease | 505 Herrings |
Cornish Cran | 800 Herrings |
Cornish Long Hundred | 8 times 120+5 Fish |
Cornish Last | 132,000 Fish |
Cornish Ounce | 16th part (of either a sein of fish or property) |
Sources
[edit]- Thornton B. Edwards, Cornish! a Dictionary of Phrases, Terms and Epithets Beginning with the word "Cornish", 2005.
- ^ "What is a Cornish acre?". www.sizes.com. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
- ^ Carew, Richard (1769). The Survey of Cornwall by. p. 36. Retrieved 22 August 2018.