Auncel
The auncel (Template:Langx or Script error: No such module "Lang"., lit. "little balance") was a steelyard balance scale formerly used in England. It consisted of a rod with the fulcrum near one end and a weight that could be moved along the graduated longer arm. The item to be weighed was hung from the end of the shorter arm of the rod. This design made it easier for merchants to falsify the weight than when scales with arms of equal length were used, as a result of which it was banned[1] by Edward III in 1350.Template:Refn
In some British dialects, it is used for the informal weighing of meat by hand instead of by scales.[2]
References
- ↑ James Davis. Medieval Market Morality: Life, Law and Ethics in the English Marketplace, 1200–1500. Cambridge University Press. 2011. p.195.
- ↑ One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Script error: No such module "template wrapper".
