Assize of Measures (common standards in England)
Assize of Measures (patrones comunes de Inglaterra)
- Date
- 1196 · confidence high
- Place
- London, England, United Kingdom
- Credited to
- Hubert Walter, Chief Justiciar for Richard I
- Field
- Knowledge & symbols
What it is
A royal ordinance requiring the same measures for wine, ale and grain throughout the kingdom, with sealed standards and sworn overseers in every town. It was England's first attempt to unify weights and measures under public control of markets.
The date of 1196 (sometimes 1197) comes from chronicles such as Roger of Howden's; compliance was patchy and measures continued to vary by locality for centuries.
What it led to
- clause 35 of Magna Carta (1215) on uniform measures
- the Assize of Bread and Ale (1266) and market control
- the English tradition of weights and measures up to the imperial system