Detail from Cromwell rental, Ne A 54 - 'Meddow the whole rent'. Hectares are larger than acres: 1 acre equals 0. Next page: Volumes or Capacity. Connect with the University of Nottingham through social media and our blogs. Campus maps More contact information Jobs. Manuscripts and Special Collections. Weights and Measures. Print Email this Page.
Measurements Distance length, height or width The standard linear measure in the Imperial system was the mile, which was divided into furlongs, chains, yards, feet and inches. Many maps use land surveyors' measures of distance in their scales. Area There were a wide variety of traditional measurements of land used into the seventeenth century. They do not have absolute quantities, but can be measured against each other: Measure Equivalent 1 acre The area that could be ploughed by a team of eight oxen in one day 1 hide The area deemed to be able to support a typical peasant family, ploughed in a year by a team of eight oxen.
Perhaps a better question to ask in this context is what were furlongs once useful for? Back in Old English times, when the term originally came into use, it was contrived as a measurement to delineate the length of a furrow , or one acre, of a plowed field. So how long was a furrow? Simply put, it was the distance that a team of oxen could plow an open field without needing to take a break.
Therein lies the etymology of the word. However, the definition of furlong was not universally recognized, although it often worked out to be quite similar in length across cultures. For example, for the Romans, the furlong was defined in terms of the more culturally relevant stadium. Therefore, a furlong was equivalent to feet, which was the standard length for a stadium. Much like the present-day usage, by the Roman definition of the measure, it took 8 furlongs to make a mile.
While the original definition of a furlong might have been a bit rough around the edges, it did the job, and by medieval standards, it was very practical. The reason? Essentially, turning a whole team of oxen and a plow all at one time was not an easy task.
In Old England, fields were communal property. The land would be divided among families into long strips, and it was considered more desirable to have a long strip of land than multiple shorter strips because of the effort required to turn the cart, despite the fact that shorter strips provided better drainage. Basically, the more furlongs to a strip, the more desirable that chunk of land, and this was a great thing for a farmer to know.
Today, the term furlong has largely fallen out of favor. The contemporary usage is mostly relegated to the world of horse racing in English-speaking countries. Otherwise this site will not work for you. First of all, you don't have to change any settings to use the converter. It's absolutely optional. Do you want rounded off figures or scientifically precise ones? For everyday conversions we recommend choosing 3 or 4 significant digits.
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