“The earliest scholarly treatment of Scottish weights and measures”

A Treatise, of Weights, Mets and Measures of Scotland with their quantities, and true foundation, and sundrie profitable observations.

Author: HUNTAR, Alexander, Burges of Edinburgh

Publication place: Edinburgh

Publisher: Printed by John Wreittoun, and are to be sold at his Buith, at the Netber-Bowe with licence

Publication date: 1624.

Physical description: Quarto (171 by 135mm), four preliminary leaves including title page with coat of arms, dedication, note to the reader and contents, 1–48pp, 51–68 [ie 69]pp, diagrams and tables throughout with ink annotations, library stamp to upper pastedown, modern calf, spine in three compartments separated by raised bands, title in gilt.Collation: [4], A‑F4, G‑K2, [2].

Notes

Rare early treatise on land measurement in Scotland.

Huntar divides his work into three parts, the first concerns dry and liquid weights, the second deals with measurements of distance, and the surveying of different lands such as woods, mountains, and valleys. The final part deals with the measurement of buildings. The work is dedicated to George Hay (1570–1634), 1st Earl of Kinnoull, who in 1622 had been appointed Lord Chancellor of Scotland.

Rare. We were only able to trace two copies coming up at auction in the last 50 years. ESTC records 10 instiutional examples, with only two examples in the USA: the Huntington; an the University of Illinois. 

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This object is eligible for a Certificate of BADA Provenance

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