STANDARD. 



Bifhop Fleetwood obferves, in his " Chronicum Pre- 

 ciofuin," that " there were good laws made on the ftondards 

 of weights and mcafures before the Conqueft, by Edgar 

 and Canute, but that they were never well obferved." The 

 fame remark will indeed apply to many laws on the fubjeft 

 fubfequent to that period. 



Henry I. is faid to have paid much attention to the regu- 

 lation of weights and meafures, and to have adjured the 

 Saxon gyrdy or girth, the modern yard, to the length of 

 his arm. This Itandard he depofited in the Exchequer at 

 Wellminfter, where it is (lill preftrved. As to the ftandards 

 of weights, they have undergone feveral alterations fince that 

 time. The troy weight, which is fuppofed to have taken 

 its name from Troyes, in France, was introduced by the 

 Normans, and contained at firll 7680 grains, but was after- 

 wards reduced to its prefent weight of 5760 grains. Be- 

 fore the reign of Henry VIH., the Tower or moneyer's 

 pound was moftly ufed for the precious metals, and was 

 t J dwt. Lfs than the troy pound. About the fame period 

 the avoirdupois weight was eftabliihed for heavy goods, in the 

 room of the old commercial weight, which latter is ftill re- 

 J tained in Scotland under the name of the yfmfierJam lueight ; 

 and it is worthy of remark, that the afhze of bread in Eng- 

 land has been conftantly fixed according to this ancient 

 weight by thie magiftrates ; the peck loaf newly baked being 

 16 lb. Amllerdam weight, which anfwers to 171b. 6 oz. 

 avoirdupois. 



Several ftandards of weights and meafures were anciently 

 kept at Winchelter, from whence our corn-bu(hel derives its 

 name ; but in later times they have been chiefly kept in the 

 Exchequer, at Guildhall, and at the Tower. 



Prefent State of Engl'ijl Standards — In the year 1758, 

 the houfe of commons appointed a feleft committee to en- 

 quire into the original ftandards of weights and meafures, 

 and to report accordingly. They were afGfted in their re- 

 learches by feveral eminent mathematicians and mechanifts, 

 who purlued the enquiry with great fyftem and ability. 

 Their report, which is very elaborate, contains the refults 

 of numerous trials and comparifons made on the feveral 

 ftandards kept at the Exchequer and at Guildhall, which re- 

 fults were by no means fatisfaclory, particularly with regard 

 to meafures of capacity. Their labours, however, were not 

 merely confined to comparifons and refcarches ; theyadjufted 

 with great accuracy two ftandards, namely, the yard, and 

 the pound troy, which are ftill carefully preferved, and con- 

 fidered of the firft authority. The methods taken for pre- 

 paring thefe ftandards are detailed at confiderable length in 

 their report, and are well worthy of attention. On the 

 queftion, whether the troy or the avoirdupois pound (hould 

 be the ftandard, they determined on the former, for the fol- 

 lowing reafons. " Becaufe troy weight is bell known to 

 our law ; that which hath been longeft in life ; that which is 

 beft known to the reft of the world ; that to which our 

 learned countrymen have referred, in comparing ancient and 

 modern weights ; and the weight which hath been fwbdivided 

 into the fmalleft parts. On the other hand, the avoirdupois 

 weight is of doubtful authority ; and though unfit to be 

 made a ftandard, yet the frequent ufc of it renders it neccf- 

 fary to afcertain how many ounces, pennyweights, and 

 grains troy, the pound avoirdupois ought to weigh." 



The committee therefore obtained, with the utmoft ex- 

 aftnefs, ftandard weights of the feveral parts of the pound 

 troy, which were made by Mr. Harris, the king's aflay- 

 ma'.ter, with great fkill, and proved by a very curious appa- 

 ratus, contrived by Mr. Bird, the celebrated optician, 

 which was adapted to five different beams, and which afcer- 

 tained the weights, from twelve ounces down to one graid 



inclufive, and that with fo much correftnefs, as to difcern 

 any error in the pound to the 2 3o,4oodth of the weight, 

 and to the sooodth part of a fingle grain. By this apparatus 

 the feveral parts of the ftandard pound were examined and 

 adjufted, in every progreffive combination ncceifary to dif- 

 cover their proportions to each other ; and upon all thefe 

 trials the feveral weights appeared fo exaft, that, to ufe the 

 words of the committee, " no greater degree of correftnefs 

 could in the nature of things be exptfted." 



A copy of this ftandard pound was delivered to the houfe 

 of commons, and another depofited in the Mint, where it ia 

 ftill preferved, and alfo Mr. Bird's apparatus. With thefe 

 fome very accurate trials have been lately made by Mr. 

 Bingley, the prefent aftay-mafter. " One of thofe trials de- 

 ferves particular notice, as tending to confirm the proportion 

 b-'tween troy and avoirdupois weight, which has been dif- 

 ferently ttated in works of high authority, varying from 

 6998 to 7010 grains troy to the pound avoirdupois. It was, 

 however, found by the trial above-mentioned, that the avoir- 

 dupois ftandard pound kept in the Mint weighs exaftly 

 7000 grains troy ; and it was further afcertained, that this 

 pound of the Mint perfectly agrees with the bell ftandard 

 pound at Guildhall, and alfo with that, of 1588, kept at 

 the Exchequer ; and the agreement was the more curious, 

 as the Mint ftandard pound had always been kept carefully 

 packed up in paper, while the other two were conftantly in 

 ufe, and expofed to the atmofphere." Univerfal Cambilt, 

 vol. i. p. XV. 



The ftandard yard of 1758 is ftill carefully preferved, and 

 was compared with feveral others by profeflbr PiAet, in 

 the year 1802. Thefe trials were made in the temperature 

 of 62°, by means of the microfcopic beam-compafs, con- 

 ftrufted by Mr. Troughton, capable of afcertaining dif- 

 ferences to the io,ooodth part of an inch; and the following 

 were the refults, as compared with the ftandard yard made 

 by the fame ingenious artift, and agreed upon by the Royal 

 Society as the moft accurate in its divifions and the beft me- 

 dium of comparifon. 



Inches. 



Taking Mr. Troughton's fl;andard at - 36.00000 



The parliamentary ftandard of 1758, made by") , 00021 



Mr. Bird, was found to be - - J 



Royal Society's ftandard, made by Mr. Bird .S 5-99955 



Royal Society's ftandard, made by Mr. Graham 36.00130 



Exchequer ftandard ... 35-99.^30 



Tower ftandard - - - - 36.00400 



General Roy's ftandard for the Trigonom. Survey 36.00036 



From the foregoing view it appears, that the prefent 

 ftandards of weights and linear meafures are in a refpeftable 

 ftate of correftnefs ; but it is to be obferved, that mcafures 

 of capacity are not fo accurate,efpecially in tlieirlubdivifions; 

 and the variations are greatly increafed by local cuftoms, 

 particularlyin corn meafures; an evil which the power of par- 

 liament has been hitherto unable to correft, iiolwithftanding 

 the fevere penalties which have been cnaftcd at difTi-ront pe- 

 riods to enforce uniformity. The committee of 1758 feemed 

 to defpair of fuccefs in this refpcft, by the remark in their 

 report, p. 460, " that the repeated endeavours of the legifta- 

 ture, ever fince Magna Charta, to compel one weight and 

 one meafure throughout the realm, never having proved 

 efl'eftual, there feems little to be cxpeftcd from reviving 

 means which experience has fliewn to be inadequate, and yet 

 it was difficult to devife any thing entirely unatlempted by 

 former parliaments." 



Since the above period, feveral publications have ap- 

 peared on the fubjeft of ftandards, among which the com- 

 ^ Y 3 nnuucations 



