English wine cask units: Difference between revisions

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-{{hatnote|This article is about historic units of volume measurement for '''wine''' in the England until 1824.  For ''beer and ale'' units of the same, see [[English brewery cask units]].}}
-Capacities of [[wine]] casks were formerly measured and standardised according to a specific system of [[English units]].  The
-various units were historically defined in terms of the [[wine gallon]] so varied according to the definition of the gallon until the adoption of the [[Queen Anne]] wine gallon in 1707. In the United Kingdom and its colonies the units were redefined with the introduction of the [[imperial units|imperial system]] whilst the Queen Anne wine gallon was adopted as the standard [[United States customary units|US]] liquid [[gallon]].  The major wine producing countries, both new and old world use barrels extensively and have developed standards at variance with the traditional English volumes (e.g. [[hogshead]] - 300&nbsp;L; [[barrique]] - 220&nbsp;L (Bordeaux), 225&nbsp;L (Australia), or 230&nbsp;L (Burgundy); and [[puncheon]] - 465&nbsp;L).<ref>http://www.apjohn.com.au/Upload/PrintPages/AP%20John_Technical_Specifications.pdf</ref> are commonly used in the wine and wine [[Cooper (profession)|cooperage]] industries.
-==Units==
-{{wide image|English wine cask units.jpg|900px|alt=Seven barrels, each of a different size.|English wine cask units}}
-===Tun===
-The '''tun''' ({{lang-ang|tunne}}, {{lang-la|tunellus}}, [[Middle Latin]]: ''{{lang|la|tunna}}'') is an English unit of ''liquid volume'' (not weight), used for measuring wine, oil or honey.  Typically a large vat or vessel, most often holding {{convert|252|USgal}}, but occasionally other sizes (e.g. 256 gal., 240 gal., and 208 gal.) were also used.<ref name=memoirs/>
-In one example from 1507, a tun is defined as 240&nbsp;gallons:
-{{quote|{{lang-en-em|1="He that ys a gawner owght to understonde there ys in a tunne lx systerns and every systern ys iiii galons be yt wyne or oylle."|i=y}}<br/>Translation: "He that is a gauger ought to understand that there is in a tunne 60 [[sester]]s, and every sester is 4 gallons, be it wine or oil." |''Untitled manuscript, consisting of a list of various customs duties'', dated 15 July, 1507<ref name=memoirs>{{cite journal|journal=Memoirs of the American Philosophical Society |title=A Dictionary of Weights and Measures for the British Isles: The Middle Ages to the Twentieth Century, Volume 168 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=0l_k-XMIiQIC&pg=PA375&lpg=PA375&hl=en#v=onepage&q&f=false
-|last=Zupko |first=Ronald E. | publisher=American Philosophical Society |vol=168 |year=1985 |isbn=9780871691682 |quote=Quoting Gras (1918), p.706}}</ref><ref name="gras">{{cite book
-|last= Gras |first=Norman S.B. |title=Early English Customs Systems |year=1918|pg=706 |location=Cambridge |quote=Quoting Forgon (1507) }}</ref><ref name="Forgon">{{cite book |last=Forgon|first=T. |title=Untitled manuscript, consisting of a list of various customs duties |publisher=Reproduced at sizes.com |url=http://www.sizes.com/units/tun.htm|date=15 July 1507}}</ref>}}
-Originally, the tun was defined as 256, or (2<sup>8</sup>), gallons; this is the basis for the name of the quarter of 64&nbsp;[[corn gallon]]s. At some time before the 15th Century, it was lowered to 252 wine gallons, so as to be evenly divisible by small integers, including seven, since {{gaps|252|{{=}}|2<sup>2</sup>|×|3<sup>2</sup>|×|7}}. Note that a 252-gallon tun of wine weighs about 2,240 pounds, the same as a unit of ''weight'' (not volume) that is known today as the [[long ton]] or imperial ton.
-With the adoption of the Queen Anne wine gallon of 231 [[cubic inch]]es ({{gaps|3|in|×|7|in|×|11|in}}), the tun became exactly 58,212&nbsp;cu&nbsp;in, which is approximately the volume of a cylinder with both diameter and height of 42 inches (assuming {{gaps|[[Approximations of π|π]]|≈|{{frac|22|7}}}}). This gallon was adopted as the standard US liquid gallon – therefore, using the standardized international inch (of 25.4&nbsp;mm), the US tun would be exactly {{convert|58212|cuin|l|9|disp=output only|abbr=off}}.
-When the imperial system was introduced the tun was redefined in the UK and colonies as 210 imperial gallons.  Since {{gaps|210|{{=}}|2|×|3|×|5|×|7}} the imperial tun remained evenly divisible by small integers.  There was also little change in the actual value the tun; assuming the current definition of the imperial gallon, the tun would be exactly {{convert|210|impgal|l|4|disp=output only|abbr=off}} (only ~{{#expr:954.6789/9.53923769568-100round4}}% larger than the US tun).
-{{anchor|pipe|butt}}
-===Pipe or Butt===
-The '''butt''' (from the [[Old French|medieval French]] and [[Italian language|Italian]] ''botte'') or '''pipe''' was half a tun, approximately 475 to 480 litres.  Therefore the imperial butt was {{convert|105|impgal|l|5|abbr=off}}<ref group=nb name=imp>The conversion to litres is exact assuming the current 4.54609-litre definition of the imperial gallon.</ref> and the US butt was {{convert|126|USgal|l|9|abbr=off}}.<ref group=nb name=us>The conversion to litres is exact assuming the current 25.4-millimetre definition of the international inch.</ref>
-Tradition has it that [[George, Duke of Clarence]], the brother of [[Edward IV of England]], was drowned in a butt of [[malmsey]] on 18 February 1478.<ref>[http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/royalty/dukeac.html Dukes of Great Britain]</ref><ref>[http://www.biography.com/search/article.do?id=9249149 Biography Channel Duke of Clarence]</ref>
-In [[Edgar Allan Poe]]'s short story "[[The Cask of Amontillado]]", the narrator claims he has received "a pipe of what passes for [[Amontillado]]".
-{{anchor|puncheon|tertian}}
-===Puncheon or Tertian===
-The '''puncheon''' was approximately 316 to 320 litres.  The imperial puncheon was {{convert|70|impgal|l|4|abbr=off}}<ref group=nb name=imp/> and the US puncheon was {{convert|84|USgal|l|9|abbr=off}}.<ref group=nb name=us/> The term ''puncheon'', shortened to '''pon''' in the United States, is thought to derive from the fact that it would have been marked by use of a [[Puncheon|punch]] to denote its contents. The unit was also known as a '''tertian''' (from the [[Latin]] word for "third") since it was a third of a tun.<ref name=memoirs/>  Another name for the unit was the '''firkin''', a name which it shared with the much smaller [[English brewery cask units|beer]] [[firkin]].<ref>[http://www.sizes.com/units/barrel_wine.htm]</ref>{{Dubious|Firkin?|reason=reliable source?|date=October 2012}}
-===Hogshead===
-{{further|hogshead}}
-The wine '''hogshead''' was equal to two barrels, half a butt, a quarter of a tun or approximately 237 to 240 litres. It is of a comparable size to the beer hogshead. The imperial wine hogshead was {{convert|52+1/2|impgal|l|6|abbr=off}}<ref group=nb name=imp/> and the US wine hogshead was {{convert|63|USgal|l|9|abbr=off}}.<ref group=nb name=us/>
-===Tierce===
-The tierce was half a puncheon, a third of a butt, a sixth of a tun or approximately 158 to 160 litres. The imperial tierce was {{convert|35|impgal|l|5|abbr=off}}<ref group=nb name=imp/> and the US tierce was {{convert|42|USgal|l|9|abbr=off}}.<ref group=nb name=us/> It is closely related to the modern [[barrel (unit)|oil barrel]].
-===Barrel===
-{{further|Barrel (unit)}}
-The wine '''barrel''' was half a wine hogshead, a quarter of a butt, an eighth of a tun or approximately 118 to 120 litres. The imperial wine barrel was {{convert|26+1/4|impgal|l|7|abbr=off}}<ref group=nb name=imp/> and the US wine barrel was {{convert|31+1/4|USgal|l|8|abbr=off}}.<ref group=nb name=us/>
-===Rundlet===
-The '''rundlet''' was a seventh of a butt, a fourteenth of a tun or approximately 68 to 69 litres. The imperial rundlet was {{convert|15|impgal|l|5|abbr=off}}<ref group=nb name=imp/> and the US rundlet was {{convert|18|USgal|l|9|abbr=off}}.<ref group=nb name=us/>
-==Chart==
-{{English wine casks}}
-==Notes==
-{{reflist|group=nb}}
-==See also==
-* [[English brewery cask units]]
-* [[Barrel]]
-* [[Cubic ton]]
-* [[Tonnage]]
-==References==
-{{reflist}}
-[[Category:British wine]]
-[[Category:Units of volume]]
-[[Category:Wine terms]]
-[[Category:Wine packaging and storage]]