Perth Town Council Inspector of Weights and Measures/Trading Standards Officer
- Reference:GB 252 PE/5
- Dates of Creation:1926-1979
- Language of Material:English
- Physical Description:0.25 Linear Metres
Scope and Content
Annual reports, 1940-1974; Records under the Weights and Measures Regulations, 1907, indoor verification book, 1948-1975, record of standards book, 1948-1975, particulars of prosecutions, 1947-1974; indentures and certificates of verification, 1926-1974; Petroleum acts records including register of licenses, 1934-1953; Register of inspections, c1969-1979; Pharmacy and Poisons Act, 1933 records with list of persons entitled to sell poisons, 1954-1974.
Administrative / Biographical History
The Roman Empire had an imperial standard for weights and measures, which was continued in Europe after the fall of the Empire. However localised variatons crept in so that by the earlier medieval period standard weights and measures in Scotland differed from England and the rest of Europe. Locally the standard weights and measures were set by the local weighing machine, the 'tron'.
From C.12th attempts were made to standardise the weights and measures but it was ineffective until 1606 when a parliamentary commission decided different burghs would be responsible for keeping different stands; Edinburgh kept the 'ell' for linear measure, Linlithgow the 'firlot' for dry measure, Lanark the 'troy stone' for weight, and Stirling the 'pint' (or 'joug') for liquid capacity.
After the union of 1707 both English and Scottish measures were in use and over this period discussions on standardisation eventually lead to the the Weights and Measures Act of 1824 which introduced a UK wide standard.
European metric measurements were in use from 1863 and attempts were made to have them replace the imperial system up until 1969 when imperial measures began to be phased out.
Conditions Governing Use
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