Imperial Wine Gallon, 1707
Imperial Wine Gallon, 1707
UK weights and measures have been standardised by Royal Ordinance since medieval times. In 1707 a wine gallon was defined as ‘a round measure with an even bottom containing 231 cubic inches’; the ale gallon was then set at 282 cubic inches. This is Haddington’s standard wine gallon.
This measure was cast in the shape of a wide tankard. It has several official marks stamped into the rim, base and interior. The sides are embossed with AR over a crown opposing the angular handle and two relief plaques with text WINE GALLON 1707 and ANNO REGNI VI on the sides.
Standardised weights and measures were achieved by issuing Crown authorised sets to Royal Burghs and counties in Scotland, for use in regulating trademen’s’ and shopkeepers’ measures. This wine gallon measure was issued in or around 1707 and used up to and beyond metric redefinitions in 1963. Scotland was obliged to adopt English weights and measures by the terms of the Act of Union in 1707.
Museum id no. 1996.98
2 comments
Pete Gray wrote...
I've added this one too. We have a number of other images of different weights and measures from the same 1707 set which will eventually be put up here.
Lovely shot. Please consider posting to Imperial Weights and Measures