"Winchester, once capital of Wessex and seat of government of the Saxon Kingdom of Anglia, was the repository for national standard weights and measures and was associated with London - a rising centre of commerce - up to the Tudor period. No samples of Saxon measures remain. Their values are deduced from documents and grave-goods.

"William the Conqueror wished to be regarded as Edward the Confessor's lawful successor and so stated that measures and weights "most trustworthy and duly verified..." should be "...exactly as the good predecessors have appointed..."

"Later commercial and political revisions decreed destruction of the old standards but this, happily, went unheeded by some on the administrative periphery. Winchester Museum holds many originals, including Edward III's 'haber-de-pois' weights (still valid today), Henry VII's and Elizabeth's capacity measures and their standard yard - all invaluable as research anchor-points.

"The Museum has issued a booklet illustrating the measures held and summarizing their history. It is available from £1 post paid from:

The Historic Resources Centre
75 Hyde Street
WINCHESTER
Hampshire
SO23 7DW"


- supplied by the Dozenal Society

There is a yard measure in Winchester Museun that may be the original Edward I "Iron Ulna" (ulna = yard - this very measure is referred to in an act of 1306(?)) It was restandardised by Henry VII - so therefore it may be a good bit older than Tony has been led to believe. Whatever, it is probably the oldest & one of the most important bits of W&M history still in existence in the UK.