l68 WEIGHTS AND MEASURES. 



1292, Eastchurch in 1306; probably at Kingsnod in 1307, 

 at Boxley Grange in 1329, at Boveshull in 1332, 3, 4, 5, 6, at 

 Chene in 1332. 



The skep is used in the north of England, and is quoted 

 once, vol. ii. p. 15. i. j the sum equals the quarter, and is named 

 in pp. 27. iv., 39. ii., 100. ii. The celdra, or chaldron of four 

 and a half quarters, also once, p. 83. i. The ring is common 

 in the Huntingdonshire accounts of Ramsey Abbey. It was 

 equal to half a quarter, i. e. is identical with the coomb of the 

 eastern counties. The sum on one estate in the year 1371 

 is divided into 12 trugg; the double sum of 24 trugg being 

 employed for measuring oats. This estate, BrenleT, or Brentles, 

 appears to have been situate in South Wales. The strike, or 

 strake, is equal to the bushel, but when the bushel is described 

 as heaped, nine struck bushels are reckoned as equal to eight 

 heaped. But these exceptional measures are rare, and when 

 found are generally intelligible. Once the mitta, or mett, a 

 quantity of two bushels, is used for salt. The name still lingers 

 in Lancashire. 



If we take for granted that the Saxon pound of 5400 grains 

 formed the unit in measures, the bushel of the thirteenth and 

 fourteenth century contained 64.64 Ibs. avoirdupois of water 

 at 62 Fahrenheit. If, however, we allow that the preamble 

 of Henry the Seventh's statute can be relied on, and that the 

 bushels issued by him and by Elizabeth really represent the 

 ancient measures of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, 

 the bushel will contain 77.4^3. of water at the same tempera- 

 ture. It seems that the weight of evidence is in favour of the 

 latter hypothesis. 



Another element of weight is the charrus, carecta, or plau- 

 strata of lead. This quantity contained thirty fontinelli, fot- 

 mael, pedes, or pigs. Each pes contained five petrae of fourteen 

 pounds each, and therefore the pes was 70 avoirdupois pounds 

 and the charrus 2100 Ibs. Now measured by the old hundred, 

 that is, 108 Ibs., the charrus contains nearly 19^ hundreds, 

 that is, it corresponds to the fodder, or fother, of modern 



