Britain: Pounds, Chains And Furlongs

For generations, Britain has reveled in a system of weights and measures that confounds the outside world. Instead of using the no-nonsense metric system, Britons measured their cricket pitches in chains (22 yds.), their horse races in furlongs (220 yds.), their meat in pounds and their beer in pints. Bowing to a proposal of the European Community, however, the British have tentatively agreed to convert their systems to metric, starting in 1994.

But not all of them. It’s goodbye to the pound, the ounce, the gill (4 fl. oz.) and the rod (a quarter of a chain). But the furlong will stay because it occurs only in sports, as will the troy ounce (31 g, vs. 28 g for the standard ounce) because gold-bullion operations couldn’t survive without it. As for the pint, the measure of morning milk and evening ale for millions, London hopes the Community will agree that it just wouldn’t be cricket to abolish it.