Lagopus, you have only scratched the surface of Old English premetric measurements used in the seed trade.
I have before me a lovely copper-bound wooden measure used by seed merchants for selling seed by volume.
It is stamped VR so it's Victorian, inspector's stamp, when filled with seed peas, for example, after filling the measure would be "struck" that is, using a wood "striker" 1" in diameter, the striker passed over the edge of the measure and levelling the seed in the measure.
Now for the confusing part, the wood is branded:
1/8 bushel, 1/2 peck. (So a peck is a 1/4 bushel).
I have a collection of these wooden measures, starting at 1/2 pint all the way up to a nice 1912 half bushel. I never did find a bushel (English, not US) before I emigrated to Canada.
And the hundredweight of my youth weighed 108 pounds (lbs)
I have my grandfather's farm records from the 1920s, makes interesting reading, if not confusing.
I plan on donating all this stuff to the local Faculty of Agriculture as my kids are not a bit interested, and if I die before doing that it will all go to the dump, probably
Mike
