Obsolete Scottish units of measurement

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Several native system of weights and measures were used in Scotland. Many of these bore the same name as England's Imperial units, or have been conflated with them. The origins of the systems are many, some being continental, some Pictish, and some Gaelic.

Many of the measurement systems were standardised by the Parliament of Scotland in 1661, but were technically abolished in 1824 by an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, and replaced with English units. Some of these continued in usage, informal or otherwise, well into the 20th Century. Others, however, were not so long lived.

1 Length
2 Area
- 2.1 Area by size
- 2.2 Area by production
3 Volume
- 3.1 Dry volume
- 3.2 Fluid
4 Weight
5 See also

[edit] Length

Inch – 2.554 cm (approximately same length as English inch)
Foot – 12 inches, 30.645 cm
Ell – Elbow, 37 Scots inches. 94.5 cm
Fall/Faw – 18 Scots feet
Mile, A Scottish mile was the same length as the Royal Mile in Edinburgh. (320 falls, 1814.2 m) This is about a tenth longer then an English mile, and is referred to by Robert Burns in Tam o'Shanter - "We think na on the lang Scots miles".

[edit] Area

A number of conflicting systems were used for area, sometimes bearing the same names in different regions, but working on different conversion rates. Because some of the systems were based on what land would produce, rather than the physical area, they are listed in their own section. Please see individual articles for more specific information.

[edit] Area by size

For information on the squared units, please see the appropriate articles in the length section

Square inch
Square ell
Square Fall/Faw
Rood
Acre

[edit] Area by production

Ounceland equivalent to 20 pennylands or 1/8 markland/merkland (1/12 markland in Islay)
ploughgate
Oxgang
Davoch
Pennyland
Farthingland (Feòirling) – were equal to ¼ pennyland.
Markland (Scots)