Scottish Weights and Measures
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Glasgow Museums has a collection of over 600 Scottish weights and measures, which date from about 1500 to 1979. These come from Glasgow, Banff, Brechin, Buchan, Aberdeenshire, Orkney, Harris, Whithorn and Lanark. There are also further examples from France and the Netherlands. The collection contains weights and measures made of many materials, such as stone, gunmetal, brass, iron, lead, glass and porcelain. Many of these were donated by Glasgow’s Calibration Centre, formerly the Weights and Measures Department in Glasgow. The earliest items include a set of 16th century weights and two sets of weights and measures from the reign of King James VI/I, some items stamped with the Sterling mark. There are also weights from Queen Anne’s reign dating to 1707. The earliest coin balance and weights are from the 17th century, and these are supplemented by 19th century sovereign coin testing weights from the Royal Mint. The collection also holds examples of weights used by various trades and professions, such as apothecaries, butchers and grocers, and a collection of weighing beams and bismars used in shops and markets.
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