Hogshead
Ahogshead(abbreviated "hhd", plural "hhds" ) is a largecaskof liquid (or, less often, of afood commodity). More specifically, it refers to a specifiedvolume,measured in eitherimperialorUS customarymeasures, primarily applied toalcoholic beverages,such aswine,ale,orcider.
Etymology
[edit]
EnglishphilologistWalter William Skeat(1835–1912) noted the origin is to be found in the name for a cask or liquid measure appearing in various forms inGermanic languages,in Dutchoxhooft(modernokshoofd), Danishoxehoved,Old Swedishoxhuvud,etc. TheEncyclopædia Britannicaof 1911 conjectured that the word should therefore be "oxhead", "hogshead" being a mere corruption.[1]
Varieties and standardisation
[edit]
Atobacco hogsheadwas used in British and American colonial times to transport and store tobacco. It was a very large wooden barrel. A standardized hogshead measured 48 inches (1.22 m) long and 30 inches (76.20 cm) in diameter at the head (at least 550 L or 121 imp gal or 145 US gal, depending on the width in the middle). Fully packed with tobacco, it weighed about 1,000 pounds (454 kg)[citation needed].
Ahogsheadin Britain contains about 300 L (66 imp gal; 79 US gal).[2]
TheOxford English Dictionary(OED) notes that the hogshead was first standardized by anact of Parliament(2 Hen. 6.c. 14) in 1423, though the standards continued to vary by locality and content. For example, the OED cites an 1897 edition ofWhitaker's Almanack,which specified the gallons of wine in a hogshead varying most particularly across fortified wines:claret/Madeira46 imperial gallons (55 US gal; 209 L),port57 imperial gallons (68 US gal; 259 L),sherry54 imperial gallons (65 US gal; 245 L). TheAmerican Heritage Dictionaryclaims that a hogshead can consist of anything from (presumably) 62.5 to 140 US gallons (52 to 117 imp gal; 237 to 530 L). A hogshead ofMadeira winewas approximately equal to 45–48 gallons (0.205–0.218 m3). A hogshead ofbrandywas approximately equal to 56–61 gallons (0.255–0.277) m3.[citation needed]
Eventually, a hogshead ofwinecame to be 63US gallons(52.5imp gal;238.5L), while a hogshead ofbeeroraleis 54 gallons (250 L if old beer/ale gallons, 245 L if imperial).
A hogshead was also used as unit of measurement for sugar inLouisianafor most of the 19th century.Plantationswere listed in sugar schedules by the number of hogsheads of sugar or molasses produced. Used for sugar in the 18th and 19th centuries in the British West Indies, a hogshead weighed on average 16 cwt / 812kg. A hogshead was also used for the measurement ofherringfished forsardinesin Blacks Harbour,New Brunswickand Cornwall.[3][full citation needed]
Charts
[edit]| gallon | rundlet | barrel | tierce | hogshead | puncheon, tertian | pipe, butt | tun | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | tun | |||||||
| 1 | 2 | pipes, butts | ||||||
| 1 | 1+1⁄2 | 3 | puncheons, tertians | |||||
| 1 | 1+1⁄3 | 2 | 4 | hogsheads | ||||
| 1 | 1+1⁄2 | 2 | 3 | 6 | tierces | |||
| 1 | 1+1⁄3 | 2 | 2+2⁄3 | 4 | 8 | barrels | ||
| 1 | 1+3⁄4 | 2+1⁄3 | 3+1⁄2 | 4+2⁄3 | 7 | 14 | rundlets | |
| 1 | 18 | 31+1⁄2 | 42 | 63 | 84 | 126 | 252 | gallons (wine) |
| 3.785 | 68.14 | 119.24 | 158.99 | 238.48 | 317.97 | 476.96 | 953.92 | litres |
| 1 | 15 | 26+1⁄4 | 35 | 52+1⁄2 | 70 | 105 | 210 | gallons (imperial) |
| 4.546 | 68.19 | 119.3 | 159.1 | 238.7 | 318.2 | 477.3 | 954.7 | litres |
| gallon | firkin | kilderkin | barrel | hogshead | Year designated | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | hogsheads | |||||
| 1 | 1+1⁄2 | barrels | ||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | kilderkins | |||
| 1 | 2 | 4 | 6 | firkins | ||
| 1 | 8 | 16 | 32 | 48 | ale gallons | (1454) |
| = 4.621 L | = 36.97 L | = 73.94 L | = 147.9 L | = 221.8 L | ||
| 1 | 9 | 18 | 36 | 54 | beer gallons | |
| = 4.621 L | = 41.59 L | = 83.18 L | = 166.4 L | = 249.5 L | ||
| 1 | 8+1⁄2 | 17 | 34 | 51 | ale gallons | 1688 |
| = 4.621 L | = 39.28 L | = 78.56 L | = 157.1 L | = 235.7 L | ||
| 1 | 9 | 18 | 36 | 54 | ale gallons | 1803 |
| = 4.621 L | = 41.59 L | = 83.18 L | = 166.4 L | = 249.5 L | ||
| 1 | 9 | 18 | 36 | 54 | imperialgallons | 1824 |
| = 4.546 L | = 40.91 L | = 81.83 L | = 163.7 L | = 245.5 L |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^Chisholm, Hugh,ed. (1911)..Encyclopædia Britannica.Vol. 13 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 507.
- ^"AP John Technical Specifications"(PDF).Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 2011-02-15.
- ^https:// britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/BL/0001617/18601205/057/0004?browse=true– viaBritish Newspaper Archive.
{{cite news}}:Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^"wine barrel".Sizes.2009-02-02.Retrieved2018-03-27.
- ^"English Beer and Ale Barrel".Sizes.2002-01-23.Retrieved2018-03-27.