Barleycorn (unit)
The barleycorn is an English unit of length[1] equal to 1⁄3 of an inch (i.e. about 8.47 mm). It is still used as the basis of shoe sizes in English-speaking countries.
History
Under the 1300
Laws of Hywel Dda
.
In practice, various weights and measures acts of the English kings were standardized with reference to some particular yard-length
Royal Exchequer. The formal barleycorn was 1⁄108 of its length.[4]
As modern studies show, the actual length of a kernel of barley varies from as short as 0.16–0.28 in (4–7 mm) to as long as 0.47–0.59 in (12–15 mm) depending on the cultivar.[5][6] Older sources claimed the average length of a grain of barley was 0.345 in (8.8 mm), while that of a grain of "big" was 0.3245 in (8.24 mm).[7]
See also
- Line, 1⁄4 of a barleycorn or 1⁄12 of an inch
- List of unusual units of measurement
- Poppyseed, 1⁄4 or 1⁄5 of a barleycorn
References
- ^ "Barley corn", Britannica, Edinburgh, 1769
- OCLC 22642053. Retrieved 12 February 2012.
Ordinatum est quod tria grana ordei sicca & rotunda faciunt pollicem...
[Let it be declared that 3 grains of barley, dry and round, make an inch...] - ^ Fowler, W. (1884). "On the ancient terms applicable to the measurement of land". Transactions. Vol. XVI. Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. p. 277. Retrieved 8 January 2012.
- ISBN 978-0-299-07340-4.
- ^ Ullrich, Steven E. (2011). Barley: Production, Improvement, and Uses. p. 454.
- .
- ^ "Brewing". Supplement to the Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 2. Edinburgh. 1824. p. 462.