Shooting pellets vs arrows

geoffretired

Supporter
Supporter
I think you are right about the ways things evolved in different contexts. Most people would never know what the rest of the country were doing so they would work things their own ways in their own villages/areas.
I keep getting surprised by the fact, fixing the nation's time was not standardised until the railways brought a need in order to run a timetable.
Again, I would guess that some of the odd measurements started out with a real purpose. For example, 1 yard was the size of a large stride. A rod pole or perch was 5 1/2 yards, why not 5yards? I wonder if the extra was some way of trying to ensure no one was given short measure. The baker's dozen in a way.
 

little-else

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Supporter
AIUK Saviour
4 perches= 1 chain, 10 chains=furlong Allotments measured in poles and chains
1 furlong= proper clout distance not your namby pamby 180yds. Having said that Shakespeare mentions 12 score yards for someone who was good at roving clout.
 

geoffretired

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Supporter
I read that furlong was derived from Furrow long, meaning the distance a horse could pull a plough( when ploughing furrows)
before needing to rest. That would seem like one of the longest units of measure that might be in common use without resorting to travelling to another village. Longer distances would seem to be a matter of keeping on the right path until you get there; rather than measuring
 

little-else

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AIUK Saviour
stands to reason if an acre is how much could be ploughed in a day and a standard acre is 1 furlong x 4 poles ( 220x22 yds). word derives from the latin for field (ager hence agriculture. agricola is latin for a farmer)
Now ploughing used to be done by oxen and they were rubbish at pulling compared to horses hence a good reason for the small plot sizes in medieval times.
 

Kernowlad

Supporter
Supporter
stands to reason if an acre is how much could be ploughed in a day and a standard acre is 1 furlong x 4 poles ( 220x22 yds). word derives from the latin for field (ager hence agriculture. agricola is latin for a farmer)
Now ploughing used to be done by oxen and they were rubbish at pulling compared to horses hence a good reason for the small plot sizes in medieval times.
You’re taking me back to my grammar school days. I rather enjoyed Latin.
 

4d4m

Active member
That would seem like one of the longest units of measure that might be in common use without resorting to travelling to another village. Longer distances would seem to be a matter of keeping on the right path until you get there; rather than measuring
Longer dstances would be measured in travel time in days or half a day. A neighbouring village might be a morning's travel. So multiples of a day, but what can be achieved during daylight; you didn't want to be travelling at night. Obviously this isn't precise. Daylight hours vary, as do road conditions.

Individual hours mean nothing to a medieval peasant. In Europe the church and monastic orders were the main drivers of more precise ways to time the various different masses. The candle clock is generally attributed to Alfred the Great.
 

geoffretired

Supporter
Supporter
I understand the travel being measured in time; the actual distance would be unknown and not necessarily relevant. They weren't off for the day touring or jogging for health reasons.
But, way back in this thread, it was suggested that the distances longer than the ones like inches and feet and cubits etc , were subdivisions of the mile. I couldn't follow that... how would people know how long a mile was without first pacing it out in smaller units?
 
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