Old Cornish units of measurement

Measurements formerly in use in Cornwall

Area

Cornish acre – 120 statute acres (or possibly 64), 8 score lease

Cornish ferling/farthing – ¼ a Cornish acre

Cornish lease – four sticks

Cornish stick – four yards, three yards square

Cornish Knight's fee – four Cornish acres

Cornish rod – 160 lace to a Cornish acre, 36sq. rods

Cornish lace – 18 ft square

Cornish land rod/lorgh – half a lace, 9 ft square

Table of Cornish Area and equivalent units

Unit	Relative to Previous	Square feet	Cornish Acre
Cornish Fathing Land	30 Cornish Acres	86,400	30
Cornish Knight's Fee	4 Cornish Acres	11,520	4
Cornish Acre	4 Cornish Farthing 160 Cornish Laces 36 Cornish Rods	2,880	1
Cornish Ferling/Farthing	1/4 of a Cornish Acre	720	1/4
Cornish Rod	1/36 of a Cornish Acre	80	1/36
Cornish Lace	2 Cornish Lorgh	18	1/160
Cornish Land Rod/Lorgh		9	1/320
Other Cornish Units of Area
Cornish Lease	4 Cornish Sticks	16	1/180
Cornish Stick	1/20 of a Cornish Rod	4	1/720

Richard Carew's Survey of Cornwall (1602) says:

Commonly thirtie Acres make a farthing land, nine farthings a Cornish Acre, and foure Cornish Acres, a Knights fee. But this rule is ouerruled to a greater or lesser quantitie, according to the fruitfulnesse, or barrennesse of the soyle.

Length

Table of Cornish length and equivalent units

Unit	Feet	Miles
Cornish Fathom	5 ft	0.000946969697
Cornish Mile	16,694.32194 ft	3.161803398

Capacity/mass

Cornish bushel – 3 Winchester bushels for barley, wheat and potatoes, 18 gallons

Cornish gallon – 10 lb

Cornish apple gallon – 7 lb

Cornish metric gallon - 5 kg

Cornish ton/mining ton – 21 cwt

Cornish pound – 18 ounces (butter)

Fish

Table of Cornish Fish Measurements

Unit	Relative
Cornish Warp	4 Fish
Cornish Burn	21 Fish
Cornish Hundred	132 Fish
Cornish Mease	505 Herrings
Cornish Cran	800 Herrings
Cornish Long Hundred	8 times 120+5 Fish
Cornish Last	132,000 Fish
Cornish Ounce	16th part (of either a sein of fish or property)

Sources

• Thornton B. Edwards, Cornish! a Dictionary of Phrases, Terms and Epithets Beginning with the word "Cornish", 2005.