Mesures usuelles
Encyclopedia
Mesures usuelles were a system of measurement
introduced by Napoleon I
in 1812 to act as compromise between the metric system
and traditional measurements. The system was restricted to use in the retail industry and continued in use until 1839.
's introduction of the metric system into France was poorly managed by modern standards. It was done district by district between 1795 and 1800, with Paris being the first district to change. Although thousands of pamphlets were distributed, the Agency of Weights and Measures which oversaw the introduction underestimated the work involved. Paris alone needed 500,000 metre sticks, yet one month after the metre became the sole legal unit of measure, the agency had only 25,000 in stock. This, combined with the excesses of the Revolution and the high level of illiteracy, made the metric system unpopular. Many people still thought in mostly non-decimal
terms using the fractional subdivisions of the previous system: a livre (pound
) was thought to be necessarily divided into sixteen onces (ounce
s) and a toise
(fathom
or double-yard) into 72 pouces (inch
es), as though these were absolute concepts.
Napoleon I
, the French Emperor, disliked the inconvenience of surrendering the high factorability
of traditional measures in the name of decimal
isation, and recognized the difficulty of getting it accepted by the populace. Under the décret impérial du 12 février 1812 (imperial decree of 12 February 1812), he introduced a new system of measurement, the mesures usuelles or "customary measures", for use in small retail businesses. However, all government, legal and similar works still had to use the metric system and the metric system continued to be taught at all levels of education.
The prototype
s of the metric unit, the kilogram
and the metre
, enabled an immediate standardization of measurement over the whole country, replacing the varying legal measures in different parts of the country, and even more across the whole of Europe. The new livre (known as the livre métrique) was defined as five hundred gram
s, and the new toise (toise métrique) was defined as two metre
s. Products could be sold in shops under the old names and with the old relationships to one another, but with slightly different absolute sizes. This series of measurements was called mesures usuelles.
Napoleon's decree was revoked during the reign of Louis Philippe
by the loi du 4 juillet 1837 (law of 4 July 1837). This took effect on 1 January 1840, and reinstated the original metric system, thus bringing the system of mesures usuelles to an end.
The mesures usuelles did not include any units of length greater than the toise - the myriamètre (10 km) remaining in use throughout this period.
Measurement
Measurement is the process or the result of determining the ratio of a physical quantity, such as a length, time, temperature etc., to a unit of measurement, such as the metre, second or degree Celsius...
introduced by Napoleon I
Napoleon I of France
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
in 1812 to act as compromise between the metric system
Si
Si, si, or SI may refer to :- Measurement, mathematics and science :* International System of Units , the modern international standard version of the metric system...
and traditional measurements. The system was restricted to use in the retail industry and continued in use until 1839.
Rationale behind the new system
The French First RepublicFrench First Republic
The French First Republic was founded on 22 September 1792, by the newly established National Convention. The First Republic lasted until the declaration of the First French Empire in 1804 under Napoleon I...
's introduction of the metric system into France was poorly managed by modern standards. It was done district by district between 1795 and 1800, with Paris being the first district to change. Although thousands of pamphlets were distributed, the Agency of Weights and Measures which oversaw the introduction underestimated the work involved. Paris alone needed 500,000 metre sticks, yet one month after the metre became the sole legal unit of measure, the agency had only 25,000 in stock. This, combined with the excesses of the Revolution and the high level of illiteracy, made the metric system unpopular. Many people still thought in mostly non-decimal
Decimal
The decimal numeral system has ten as its base. It is the numerical base most widely used by modern civilizations....
terms using the fractional subdivisions of the previous system: a livre (pound
Pound (mass)
The pound or pound-mass is a unit of mass used in the Imperial, United States customary and other systems of measurement...
) was thought to be necessarily divided into sixteen onces (ounce
Ounce
The ounce is a unit of mass with several definitions, the most commonly used of which are equal to approximately 28 grams. The ounce is used in a number of different systems, including various systems of mass that form part of the imperial and United States customary systems...
s) and a toise
Toise
A toise is a unit of measure for length, area and volume originating in pre-revolutionary France. In North America, it was used in colonial French establishments in early New France, French Louisiana , and Quebec...
(fathom
Fathom
A fathom is a unit of length in the imperial and the U.S. customary systems, used especially for measuring the depth of water.There are 2 yards in an imperial or U.S. fathom...
or double-yard) into 72 pouces (inch
Inch
An inch is the name of a unit of length in a number of different systems, including Imperial units, and United States customary units. There are 36 inches in a yard and 12 inches in a foot...
es), as though these were absolute concepts.
Napoleon I
Napoleon I of France
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
, the French Emperor, disliked the inconvenience of surrendering the high factorability
Factorization
In mathematics, factorization or factoring is the decomposition of an object into a product of other objects, or factors, which when multiplied together give the original...
of traditional measures in the name of decimal
Decimal
The decimal numeral system has ten as its base. It is the numerical base most widely used by modern civilizations....
isation, and recognized the difficulty of getting it accepted by the populace. Under the décret impérial du 12 février 1812 (imperial decree of 12 February 1812), he introduced a new system of measurement, the mesures usuelles or "customary measures", for use in small retail businesses. However, all government, legal and similar works still had to use the metric system and the metric system continued to be taught at all levels of education.
The prototype
Prototype
A prototype is an early sample or model built to test a concept or process or to act as a thing to be replicated or learned from.The word prototype derives from the Greek πρωτότυπον , "primitive form", neutral of πρωτότυπος , "original, primitive", from πρῶτος , "first" and τύπος ,...
s of the metric unit, the kilogram
Kilogram
The kilogram or kilogramme , also known as the kilo, is the base unit of mass in the International System of Units and is defined as being equal to the mass of the International Prototype Kilogram , which is almost exactly equal to the mass of one liter of water...
and the metre
Metre
The metre , symbol m, is the base unit of length in the International System of Units . Originally intended to be one ten-millionth of the distance from the Earth's equator to the North Pole , its definition has been periodically refined to reflect growing knowledge of metrology...
, enabled an immediate standardization of measurement over the whole country, replacing the varying legal measures in different parts of the country, and even more across the whole of Europe. The new livre (known as the livre métrique) was defined as five hundred gram
Gram
The gram is a metric system unit of mass....
s, and the new toise (toise métrique) was defined as two metre
Metre
The metre , symbol m, is the base unit of length in the International System of Units . Originally intended to be one ten-millionth of the distance from the Earth's equator to the North Pole , its definition has been periodically refined to reflect growing knowledge of metrology...
s. Products could be sold in shops under the old names and with the old relationships to one another, but with slightly different absolute sizes. This series of measurements was called mesures usuelles.
Napoleon's decree was revoked during the reign of Louis Philippe
Louis Philippe
Louis Philippe may refer to:*Louis-Philippe I, King of the French, last King of France*Prince Philippe, Count of Paris, called King Louis Philippe II by some factions*Louis Philippe I, Duke of Orléans*Louis Philippe II, Duke of Orléans...
by the loi du 4 juillet 1837 (law of 4 July 1837). This took effect on 1 January 1840, and reinstated the original metric system, thus bringing the system of mesures usuelles to an end.
The permitted units
The law authorised the following units of measure:- The toiseToiseA toise is a unit of measure for length, area and volume originating in pre-revolutionary France. In North America, it was used in colonial French establishments in early New France, French Louisiana , and Quebec...
(fathom) was defined as two metres and was divided into 6 pieds, or "feet" and 72 pouces (inches). The pouce was divided into 12 lignes, or (lines). The pied and pouce, at 333.3 mm and 27.88 mm were about 2.6% larger than the previous Parisian measures and 9% larger than their British counterparts.
- The aune (ellEllAn ell , is a unit of measurement, approximating the length of a man's arm.Several national forms existed, with different lengths, includingthe Scottish ell ,the Flemish ell ,the French ell...
), used to measure cloth, was defined as 120 centimetres, and divided into the demi aune (half an ell) and the tiers aune (third of an ell). It was 1.3% larger than l’aune de Paris (1.1848 m) and 5.0% larger than its English counterpart (45 inches).
- The litreLitrepic|200px|right|thumb|One litre is equivalent to this cubeEach side is 10 cm1 litre water = 1 kilogram water The litre is a metric system unit of volume equal to 1 cubic decimetre , to 1,000 cubic centimetres , and to 1/1,000 cubic metre...
was subdivided like an English quartQuartThe quart is a unit of volume equal to a quarter of a gallon, two pints, or four cups. Since gallons of various sizes have historically been in use, quarts of various sizes have also existed; see gallon for further discussion. Three of these kinds of quarts remain in current use, all approximately...
, into demis (literally, "halves", being the equivalent of a pintPintThe pint is a unit of volume or capacity that was once used across much of Europe with values varying from state to state from less than half a litre to over one litre. Within continental Europe, the pint was replaced with the metric system during the nineteenth century...
of about sixteen fluid ounceFluid ounceA fluid ounce is a unit of volume equal to about 28.4 mL in the imperial system or about 29.6 mL in the US system. The fluid ounce is distinct from the ounce, which measures mass...
s), quarts (literally, "fourths", being the equivalent of a cup of about eight fluid ounces), huitièmes (literally, "eighths") and seizièmes (literally, "sixteenths", of about two fluid ounces).
- The boisseau, (bushelBushelA bushel is an imperial and U.S. customary unit of dry volume, equivalent in each of these systems to 4 pecks or 8 gallons. It is used for volumes of dry commodities , most often in agriculture...
), was redefined as being an eighth of a hectolitre and with associated measures double-boisseau, demi-boisseau and quart-boisseau (double, half and quarter bushels respectively). The original boisseau, like the English bushel, varied depending on the commodity for which it was used and the region where is was used.
- The livre, (poundPound (mass)The pound or pound-mass is a unit of mass used in the Imperial, United States customary and other systems of measurement...
), was defined as 500 grams, divided into 16 onces, (ounces), each once being divided into 8 gros. Each gros being thought of as being composed of 72 grains, whose name is the same as in English. Hence, the livre was 9216 grains. The livre and once were about 10% larger than their English counterparts, while the grain was 17% less than its English counterpart.
The mesures usuelles did not include any units of length greater than the toise - the myriamètre (10 km) remaining in use throughout this period.
See also
- French units of measurementFrench units of measurementFrance has a unique history of units of measurement due to radical attempts to adopt a metric system following the French Revolution.In the Ancien régime, before 1795, France used a system of measures that had many of the characteristics of the modern Imperial System of units...
- History of measurementHistory of measurementUnits of measurement were among the earliest tools invented by humans. Primitive societies needed rudimentary measures for numerous tasks such as: constructing dwellings of an appropriate size and shape, fashioning clothing, or bartering food or raw materials....
- History of the metric systemHistory of the metric systemThe origins of the metric system date back to the sixteenth century when Simon Stevin published details of his decimal notation and the seventeenth century when John Wilkins published a proposal for a decimal system of measurement based on natural units...
- International System of UnitsInternational System of UnitsThe International System of Units is the modern form of the metric system and is generally a system of units of measurement devised around seven base units and the convenience of the number ten. The older metric system included several groups of units...
- List of unusual units of measurement
- Metric systemMetric systemThe metric system is an international decimalised system of measurement. France was first to adopt a metric system, in 1799, and a metric system is now the official system of measurement, used in almost every country in the world...
- Systems of measurementSystems of measurementA system of measurement is a set of units which can be used to specify anything which can be measured and were historically important, regulated and defined because of trade and internal commerce...
- Units of measurementUnits of measurementA unit of measurement is a definite magnitude of a physical quantity, defined and adopted by convention and/or by law, that is used as a standard for measurement of the same physical quantity. Any other value of the physical quantity can be expressed as a simple multiple of the unit of...