Editing Bushel (section)

== History ==
{{more citations needed section|date=August 2018}}

The bushel is an intermediate value between the [[pound (mass)|pound]] and [[ton]] or [[tun (unit)|tun]] that was introduced to England following the [[Norman Conquest of England|Norman Conquest]]. [[Norman England|Norman]] [[Weights and Measures Acts (UK)|statutes]] made the '''London&nbsp;bushel''' part of the legal measure of English [[wine]], [[ale]], and [[food grain|grains]]. The [[Assize of Bread and Ale]] credited to [[Henry III of England|Henry&nbsp;III]], {{circa|lk=no|1266}}, defined this bushel in terms of the [[wine gallon]],<ref name=assbread>{{Citation |editor-last=Ruffhead |editor-first=Owen |editor-link=Owen Ruffhead |title=The Statutes at Large |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tKZFAAAAcAAJ |volume=&nbsp;I: From Magna Charta<!--sic--> to the End of the Reign of King Henry the Sixth. To which is prefixed, A Table of the Titles of all the Publick and Private Statutes during that Time |location=London |publisher=Mark Basket for the Crown |date=1763 |pages=[https://books.google.com/books?id=tKZFAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA22 22] }}. {{in lang|en}}&nbsp;& {{in lang|la}}</ref> while the {{circa|lk=no|1300}} [[Assize of Weights and Measures]] usually credited to [[Edward I of England|Edward&nbsp;I]] or [[Edward II of England|II]] defined the London bushel in terms of the larger [[corn gallon]].<ref name=tract>{{Citation |editor-last=Ruffhead |editor-first=Owen |editor-link=Owen Ruffhead |title=The Statutes at Large |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tKZFAAAAcAAJ |volume=&nbsp;I: From Magna Charta<!--sic--> to the End of the Reign of King Henry the Sixth. To which is prefixed, A Table of the Titles of all the Publick and Private Statutes during that Time |location=London |publisher=Mark Basket for the Crown |date=1763a |pages=[https://books.google.com/books?id=tKZFAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA148 148–149] }}. {{in lang|en}}&nbsp;& {{in lang|la}}&nbsp;& {{in lang|nrf}}</ref> In either case, a London bushel was reckoned to contain 64&nbsp;pounds, 12&nbsp;[[Tower ounce|ounce]]s, 20&nbsp;[[pennyweight]], and 32&nbsp;[[Tower grain|grains]].

These measures were based on the relatively light [[tower pound]] and were rarely used in [[Kingdom of Scotland|Scotland]], [[Kingdom of Ireland|Ireland]], or [[Medieval Wales|Wales]] during the [[Middle Ages]]. When the Tower system was abolished in the 16th century, the bushel was redefined as 56&nbsp;[[avoirdupois pound]]s.

{{anchor|Imperial bushel}}
The '''[[imperial units|imperial]]&nbsp;bushel''' established by the [[Weights and Measures Act 1824]] described the bushel as the volume of 80&nbsp;[[avoirdupois pound]]s of distilled water in air at {{convert|62|F|abbr=on}}{{citation needed|date=August 2015}}<!-- It seems unlikely that they'd define the bushel as the volume of 80 lb of water rather than simply as 8 imp gal. --> or 8 imperial gallons.<ref name=oed/> This is the bushel in some use in the [[United Kingdom]]. Thus, there is no distinction between liquid and dry measure in the imperial system.{{according to whom|date=August 2018}} <!-- it's simple arithmetic --><!-- bushel is "dry measure" defined in "liquid" imp gal, ergo no distinction. According to whom is this even a question? -->

{{anchor|Winchester bushel|US bushel}}
The '''[[Winchester measure|Winchester]] bushel''' is the volume of a cylinder {{cvt|18.5|in|mm}} in [[diameter]] and {{cvt|8|in|mm}} high, which [[Cylinder#Volume|gives]] an [[irrational number]], of approximately 2150.4202 cubic inches.<ref>The [[Cylinder (geometry)|volume of a cylinder]] is ''V'' = (''π'' · ''r''<sup>2</sup> · ''h'') with ''r'' = ½ · 18.5 inches, ''h'' = 8 inches.</ref> The modern '''American''' or '''[[US customary units|US]] bushel''' is rounded to exactly 2150.42 cubic inches, a difference of less than one part per ten million.<ref>The relative difference is 1 − 2150.42 / ''V'' = 0.797{{e|−7}}.</ref>

In English use, a bushel was a round willow basket with fixed dimensions, and its inside measurements were as follows - base diameter 12 inches, top diameter 18 inches, height 12 inches - thus giving a volume of 8595.4 cubic inches. A basket filled level to the top was a bushel. A basket filled to the top but overfilled to a height where it overflowed was considered to be a bushel and a peck, a generous measure (a similar concept to a baker's dozen). Hence, the old song " I love you, a bushel and a peck...." meant "I am overflowing with love for you".

Sometimes the basket was made 13 inches high, but with a ring of "waling" (a special willow weaving technique) to mark the 12 inches height: these baskets had a volume of 9311.68 cubic inches.