Hogshead

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
A hogshead in relation to other barrels

A hogshead (abbreviated "hhd", plural "hhds") is a large

imperial or US customary measures, primarily applied to alcoholic beverages, such as wine, ale, or cider
.

Etymology

United States revenue stamp (proof) for the $2 tax on one hogshead of beer in 1867.

English philologist Walter William Skeat (1835–1912) noted the origin is to be found in the name for a cask or liquid measure appearing in various forms in Germanic languages, in Dutch oxhooft (modern okshoofd), Danish oxehoved, Old Swedish oxhuvud, etc. The Encyclopædia Britannica of 1911 conjectured that the word should therefore be "oxhead", "hogshead" being a mere corruption.[1]

Varieties and standardisation

"Sugar hogsheads" from Ten Views in the Island of Antigua, W. Clark, 1823, plate X.

A tobacco hogshead was used in British and American colonial times to transport and store tobacco. It was a very large wooden barrel. A standardized hogshead measured 48 inches (1.22 m) long and 30 inches (76.20 cm) in diameter at the head (at least 550 L or 121 imp gal or 145 US gal, depending on the width in the middle). Fully packed with tobacco, it weighed about 1,000 pounds (454 kg).

A hogshead in Britain contains about 300 L (66 imp gal; 79 US gal).[2]

The

American Heritage Dictionary claims that a hogshead can consist of anything from (presumably) 62.5 to 140 US gallons (52 to 117 imp gal; 237 to 530 L). A hogshead of Madeira wine was approximately equal to 45–48 gallons (0.205–0.218 m3). A hogshead of brandy was approximately equal to 56–61 gallons (0.255–0.277) m3.[citation needed
]

Eventually, a hogshead of

imp gal; 238.5 L), while a hogshead of beer or ale
is 54 gallons (250 L if old beer/ale gallons, 245 L if imperial).

A hogshead was also used as unit of measurement for sugar in

sardines in Blacks Harbour, New Brunswick and Cornwall.[3][full citation needed
]

Charts

English wine cask units[4]
gallon rundlet barrel tierce hogshead puncheon, tertian pipe, butt tun
1 tun
1 2 pipes, butts
1 1+12 3 puncheons, tertians
1 1+13 2 4 hogsheads
1 1+12 2 3 6 tierces
1 1+13 2 2+23 4 8 barrels
1 1+34 2+13 3+12 4+23 7 14 rundlets
1 18 31+12 42 63 84 126 252 gallons (wine)
3.785 68.14 119.24 158.99 238.48 317.97 476.96 953.92 litres
1 15 26+14 35 52+12 70 105 210 gallons (
imperial
)
4.546 68.19 119.3 159.1 238.7 318.2 477.3 954.7 litres
English brewery cask units[5]
gallon firkin kilderkin barrel hogshead Year designated
1 hogsheads
1 1+12 barrels
1 2 3 kilderkins
1 2 4 6 firkins
1 8 16 32 48 ale gallons (1454)
= 4.621 L = 36.97 L = 73.94 L = 147.9 L = 221.8 L
1 9 18 36 54 beer gallons
= 4.621 L = 41.59 L = 83.18 L = 166.4 L = 249.5 L
1 8+12 17 34 51 ale gallons 1688
= 4.621 L = 39.28 L = 78.56 L = 157.1 L = 235.7 L
1 9 18 36 54 ale gallons 1803
= 4.621 L = 41.59 L = 83.18 L = 166.4 L = 249.5 L
1 9 18 36 54
imperial
gallons
1824
= 4.546 L = 40.91 L = 81.83 L = 163.7 L = 245.5 L

See also

  • English units of wine casks

References

  1. ^ Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Hogshead" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 13 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 507.
  2. ^ "AP John Technical Specifications" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-02-15.
  3. ^ https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/BL/0001617/18601205/057/0004?browse=true – via British Newspaper Archive. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  4. ^ "wine barrel". Sizes. 2009-02-02. Retrieved 2018-03-27.
  5. ^ "English Beer and Ale Barrel". Sizes. 2002-01-23. Retrieved 2018-03-27.