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Rick Ballard has posted one annotation/comment since 17 September 2024.

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Third Reading

About Monday 16 September 1661

Rick Ballard  •  Link

Interestingly the weight in kg of a chaldron almost tripled over the years, because coal was taxed by the chaldron.

From: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cha…
"Coal industry historian John Nef has estimated that in 1421 it weighed 2,000 lb (907 kg), and that its weight was gradually increased by coal traders due to the taxes on coal (which were charged per chaldron) until 1678, when its weight was fixed by law at 52+1⁄2 long hundredweight (5,880 lb; 2,670 kg), later increased in 1694 to 53 long hundredweight (5,940 lb; 2,690 kg)."

Also from the same source:
"The chaldron was the legal limit for horse-drawn coal wagons travelling by road as it was considered that heavier loads would cause too much damage to the roadways."