Old Cornish units of measurement

Measurements formerly in use in Cornwall

Area

Cornish acre – 120 statute acres (or possibly 64), 8 score lease

Cornish ferling/farthing – ¼ a Cornish acre

Cornish lease – four sticks

Cornish stick – four yards, three yards square

Cornish Knight's fee – four Cornish acres

Cornish rod – 160 lace to a Cornish acre, 36sq. rods

Cornish lace – 18 ft square

Cornish land rod/lorgh – half a lace, 9 ft square

Table of Cornish Area and equivalent units
Unit Relative to Previous Square feet Cornish Acre
Cornish Fathing Land 30 Cornish Acres 86,400 30
Cornish Knight's Fee 4 Cornish Acres 11,520 4
Cornish Acre
  • 4 Cornish Farthing
  • 160 Cornish Laces
  • 36 Cornish Rods
 2,880 1
Cornish Ferling/Farthing 1/4 of a Cornish Acre 720 1/4
Cornish Rod 1/36 of a Cornish Acre 80 1/36
Cornish Lace 2 Cornish Lorgh 18 1/160
Cornish Land Rod/Lorgh 9 1/320
Other Cornish Units of Area
Cornish Lease 4 Cornish Sticks 16 1/180
Cornish Stick 1/20 of a Cornish Rod 4 1/720

Richard Carew's Survey of Cornwall (1602) says:[1]

Commonly thirtie Acres make a farthing land, nine farthings a Cornish Acre, and foure Cornish Acres, a Knights fee. But this rule is ouerruled to a greater or lesser quantitie, according to the fruitfulnesse, or barrennesse of the soyle.

Length
Table of Cornish length and equivalent units
Unit Feet Miles
Cornish Fathom 5 ft 0.000946969697
Cornish Mile 16,694.32194 ft 3.161803398

Capacity/mass

Cornish bushel – 3 Winchester bushels for barley, wheat and potatoes, 18 gallons

Cornish gallon – 10 lb

Cornish apple gallon – 7 lb

Cornish metric gallon - 5 kg

Cornish ton/mining ton – 21 cwt

Cornish pound – 18 ounces (butter)

Fish
Table of Cornish Fish Measurements
Unit Relative
Cornish Warp 4 Fish
Cornish Burn 21 Fish
Cornish Hundred 132 Fish
Cornish Mease 505 Herrings
Cornish Cran 800 Herrings
Cornish Long Hundred 8 times 120+5 Fish
Cornish Last 132,000 Fish
Cornish Ounce 16th part (of either a sein of fish or property)

Sources
  • Thornton B. Edwards, Cornish! a Dictionary of Phrases, Terms and Epithets Beginning with the word "Cornish", 2005.
  1. Carew, Richard (1769). The Survey of Cornwall by. p. 36. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
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