FIG. 57.—OLD MEASURES BASED ON THE WINCHESTER STANDARD.
(Sketched by permission of the Corporation of the City of Winchester.)
Those now in the Winchester Museum extend over a considerable period, ranging in antiquity from the reign of Henry III to Elizabeth. The original bushel which became the standard on which other measures were based is still preserved in Winchester. In the reign of Henry VII, one William Nele was commissioned to make further copies, on which the sum of fifty pounds was expended. The transaction was recorded in the State papers of 1486 as follows: "To William Nele, gunn founder and brasier of London, upon makyng of diverse measures and weights accordinge to the olde Standarde of Englande, to be sent into several shires and cities of Englande, accordinge to the King's commandment, and by the advice of the Counsaal at diverse tymes." The ancient bronze bushel of great historic interest is illustrated in Fig. 56. Among the other standards kept with the "bushel" in the Winchester Museum are those shown in Fig. 57—all measures based on similar standards. Tudor examples are also still in the possession of the local authorities at Norwich, Salisbury, Northampton, Southampton, and Exeter. Fig. 58 is another example of a pint measure, dated 1601, the crowned initials "E.R." upon it, of course, indicating "ELIZABETH REGINA." A later Winchester pint, dated 1704, is shown in Fig. 59.
Measures in Exeter Museum.
When it was enacted in the reign of Henry VII that certain towns should hold copies of the ancient standards, Exeter was the city chosen wherein were deposited the standards for the Shire of Devon. They are now on view in the Royal Albert Memorial Museum in Exeter, supplemented by other standards legalized by Queen Elizabeth, and by more recent copies of authorized standards. There are five standards, dated 1799, consisting of the Winchester bushel, peck, and half-peck, and standard coal measure of peck and half-peck. A bronze standard of the time of William and Mary is engraved "FOR THE CITTY AND COVNTY OF EXON 1689;" and a standard gallon, embossed with crown and monogram, is engraved "E.R. ELIZABETH REGINA, 1601;". There are also standard wine measures; one engraved on one side "CITY OF EXETER 1797" and on the reverse "HALF PINT. WINE," and another on the reverse, "GILL. WINE." An exceptionally interesting piece is a standard ale gallon of the time of the Commonwealth, engraved "AN ALE GALLON SIZED AND SEALED IN THE TOWER OF LONDON BY ME JOHN REYNOLDS OF THE MYNT. ANO. 1653." Among the standard weights included in this interesting exhibit is a 14 lb. bronze weight of the time of Henry VII, embossed with portcullis and rose, and engraved "HENRIC SEPTIM." It was found some years ago among old metal at a store in Exeter, the manner of its discovery indicating the possibility of further finds of a similar nature in other towns. The little Troy weights are exceptionally well preserved; the weights according to their engraving are 32 oz., 64 oz., 128 oz., and 256 oz. On the largest specimen the legend runs: "ANO. DO. EL. REG. XXX. 1588." and on the upper edge, "CCLVI.", the smaller weights being similarly indicated. These were all used as the standards at Exeter until the year 1824. Another interesting specimen is the standard yard and ell bed used in Exeter for testing the rods used as cloth measures, the groove on the standard on the engraved side being one yard, that on the reverse one ell (=45 inches). The inscription on the standard yard reads: "CIVITAS EXON CHRISTOPHER COKE ESQ. MAYOR. WILLIAM BOLITHO RECEIVER 1693." In the same museum there are also six brass stamping blocks formerly in use at the Exeter Custom House in connection with old Exeter trades.
Mediæval London yields the collector many choice pieces. Beautiful little scale beams of bronze and brass have been found in or near London Wall. Scales of antiquity, too, have sometimes been in the possession of old families for centuries almost without their knowing or appreciating their value. Not long ago some beautiful little scales made of brass, which must have been made more than two hundred years ago, were picked up on an old barrow where the man who bought "odd things" had it for sale and thought it to be one of the almost valueless curios in the remains of sundries he had bought from the caretaker of an empty house. In the Guildhall Museum there are scales and weights of types usual in the fifteenth, sixteenth, and seventeenth centuries. One of these is decorated with a band of stars, another of triangular shape is stamped with a merchant's mark—that also was found on the site of London Wall. Another remarkably interesting curio is an octagonal weight evidently answering the purpose of a baker's weight, and perhaps as an advertisement, too, for it is engraved, "WEIGHT OF A QUARTERN LOAF, SOLD BY JAMES BULL, 124, LEADENHALL STREET."
Our Standards.
