[Sca-cooks] Some weights

[Decker, Terry D.]

Here are a few measures of weight to add to the glossary.

Bear

hundredweight  (Eng.)  --  An English commercial measure equivalent to 1/20
of a ton or approximately 112 pounds apparently standardized during the
mid-14th Century.  A hundred weight is divided into 4 quarters (28 pounds),
8 stone (14 pounds) or 16 cloves (7 pounds).  Also known as the long
hundredweight.  See also -- quintal, zentner.


hundredweight (U.S.)  --  A U.S. measure equivalent to 100 pounds,
introduced about 1840.  Also known as the short hundredweight or cental.


libra (It.)  --  Italian pound of 12 ounces, weighing about .722 pounds.
Almost equivalent to the "libra pondo" or Roman pound.


libra (Port.)  --  Portuguese pound of 16 ounces, weighing about 1.016
pounds or 460 grams.


libra (Sp.)  --  Spanish pound of 16 ounces, weighing about 1.01 or 457.5
grams.


libra pondo  --  Roman "pound" of 12 ounces, weighing about .722 pounds.


livre  (Fr.)  --  French pound of 16 ounces, of variable weight.
Standardized in 1350 to weigh about 1.079 pounds or 489.5 grams.


livre (Gr.)  --  Greek pound of 16 ounces, of variable weight, usually
between the Spanish libra and 1350 French livre.


marc (Fr.)  --  1/2 livre


marco (Sp.)  --  1/2 libra


mark (Ger.)  --  1/2 pfund


mark (Eng.)  --  1/2 pound


pound  --  A common European measure of weight divided into 12 or 16 ounces
based on the Roman "libra pondo" (pound of weight) of 12 ounces.  England
uses "pound."  Germany uses "pfund."  Danish, "pund."  Dutch, "pond."
Frances uses "livre."  Spain, Portugal and Italy use "libra."  An English
pound is about 453.6 grams.

The "libra pondo" was about .722 English pounds and stayed roughly the same
for 12 ounce Italian "libra."    The Spanish "libra" was larger, weighing in
at about 1.01 English pounds  The Portuguese "libra" was larger still (about
460 grams).  Both the Spanish and Portuguese "libra" have 16 ounces.

The French and Greek "livre" of 16 ounces varied depending upon market.