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Sub-fonds

COUNTY ADMINISTRATION: WEIGHTS AND MEASURES

Catalogue reference: MA/MW

What’s it about?

This record is about the COUNTY ADMINISTRATION: WEIGHTS AND MEASURES dating from 1800-1878.

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Full description and record details

Reference
MA/MW
Title
COUNTY ADMINISTRATION: WEIGHTS AND MEASURES
Date
1800-1878
Description

The series MA/MW contains papers relating to the inspection of weights and measures in specific localities, general papers, details of the Inspectors and court records of those convicted. The series MA/D contains bonds for Inspectors; and in MF are the county financial records including those related to inspections

Arrangement

The material is arranged in one series MA/MW/01 - 23

Held by
London Metropolitan Archives: City of London
Creator(s)
Middlesex Quarter Sessions of the Peace
Access conditions

These records are available for public inspection, although records containing personal information are subject to access restrictions under the UK Data Protection Act, 2018

Physical condition
Fit
Administrative / biographical background

The regulation and standardisation of weights and measures is essential to the order and economy of any society in order that people have complete confidence in buying and selling goods. In Magna Carta it was stated that "there shall be but one measure of wine throughout the realm, and one measure of ale, and one measure of corn, that is to say, the quarter of London...". The principle was recognised as far back as pre Norman times, but putting it into practice took until the late Nineteenth Century to achieve, with poor communications and no overall control to sort out and enforce the regional variations. In 1834 the Weights and Measures Act was passed which allowed the Justices to appoint Inspectors of Weight and Measures; but not until 1878 was the Board of Trade given powers to regulate their duties and organise standard weights and measures

Record URL
https://beta.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/id/10e9f6fa-5b75-4b89-a8cd-11676fd508d7/

Catalogue hierarchy

837,895 records
3,977 records

Within the fonds: MA

MIDDLESEX SESSIONS OF THE PEACE: COUNTY ADMINISTRATION

You are currently looking at the sub-fonds: MA/MW

COUNTY ADMINISTRATION: WEIGHTS AND MEASURES