The beginning of standardised weights and measures began In Victoria when the Melbourne Observatory received sets of standard weights and measures, which had been tested in Britain against the then British Imperial standards. These included the primary standard yard and pound for the Colony of Victoria. Other standards of weights and measure held by shires and the administrative body's within the colony could then be compared to these primary standards. A Weights and Measures Act was passed in Victoria in 1862, establishing local inspectors throughout the colony. By the 1870s each local council and shire in Victoria held a set of standards that were used to test scales, weights and dry measures used by wholesalers, factories and shops. Every ten years the councils’ standards would themselves need to be rechecked against the Victorian Standards. The checking was done by the Victorian Customs Department in the 19th century, but with the transfer of responsibility for customs to the Federal Government in 1901, weights and measures function was retained by the Victorian Government and was shifted to the Melbourne Observatory. In 1904, a new building was erected at the south end of the Great Melbourne Telescope House, where the standard weights and measures and testing equipment was installed. This room had a large whirling apparatus for testing air meters and became known as the Whirling Room. When the Melbourne Observatory closed in 1944, the Weights and Measures Branch was formed to continue and this branch remained at the Observatory site unit until 1995.An example of a galvanised measuring jug made specifically to maintain government standard liquid measurements that were sold to the public. The probability is that this artifact was made around the first quarter of the 20th century and gives us today a snapshot of how imperial weights and measures were used before decimalisation and how a standard of measurement for merchants was developed in Australian based on the Imperial British measurement system. The container has social significance as an item used in Victoria as a legal standard measure to ensure that goods sold in Victoria were correct given the item is galvanised it was probability used for kerosene or petrol etc not for liquids used for human consumption. Jug conical shaped with rounded top coming to a very slight point wide handle at back. VIB.L.66 1/2 Gall capacity unsure of the markings 66 could mean the model number capacity is 1/2 an imperial gallon VIB.L markings not known possibly a company or Victorian Department that the jug was made for and no longer active.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village

The beginning of standardised weights and measures began In Victoria when the Melbourne Observatory received sets of standard weights and measures, which had been tested in Britain against the then British Imperial standards. These included the primary standard yard and pound for the Colony of Victoria. Other standards of weights and measure held by shires and the administrative body's within the colony could then be compared to these primary standards. A Weights and Measures Act was passed in Victoria in 1862, establishing local inspectors throughout the colony. By the 1870s each local council and shire in Victoria held a set of standards that were used to test scales, weights and dry measures used by wholesalers, factories and shops. Every ten years the councils’ standards would themselves need to be rechecked against the Victorian Standards. The checking was done by the Victorian Customs Department in the 19th century, but with the transfer of responsibility for customs to the Federal Government in 1901, weights and measures function was retained by the Victorian Government and was shifted to the Melbourne Observatory. In 1904, a new building was erected at the south end of the Great Melbourne Telescope House, where the standard weights and measures and testing equipment was installed. This room had a large whirling apparatus for testing air meters and became known as the Whirling Room. When the Melbourne Observatory closed in 1944, the Weights and Measures Branch was formed to continue and this branch remained at the Observatory site unit until 1995. An example of a galvanised measuring jug made specifically to maintain government standard liquid measurements that were sold to the public. The probability is that this artifact was made around the first quarter of the 20th century and gives us today a snapshot of how imperial weights and measures were used before decimalisation and how a standard of measurement for merchants was developed in Australian based on the Imperial British measurement system. The container has social significance as an item used in Victoria as a legal standard measure to ensure that goods sold in Victoria were correct given the item is galvanised it was probability used for kerosene or petrol etc not for liquids used for human consumption. Galvanised Iron jug with rounded top, Inscription on handle at back. 2 gallon GV.35flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village

The beginning of standardised weights and measures began In Victoria when the Melbourne Observatory received sets of standard weights and measures, which had been tested in Britain against the then British Imperial standards. These included the primary standard yard and pound for the Colony of Victoria. Other standards of weights and measure held by shires and the administrative body's within the colony could then be compared to these primary standards. A Weights and Measures Act was passed in Victoria in 1862, establishing local inspectors throughout the colony. By the 1870s each local council and shire in Victoria held a set of standards that were used to test scales, weights and dry measures used by wholesalers, factories and shops. Every ten years the councils’ standards would themselves need to be rechecked against the Victorian Standards. The checking was done by the Victorian Customs Department in the 19th century, but with the transfer of responsibility for customs to the Federal Government in 1901, weights and measures function was retained by the Victorian Government and was shifted to the Melbourne Observatory. In 1904, a new building was erected at the south end of the Great Melbourne Telescope House, where the standard weights and measures and testing equipment was installed. This room had a large whirling apparatus for testing air meters and became known as the Whirling Room. When the Melbourne Observatory closed in 1944, the Weights and Measures Branch was formed to continue and this branch remained at the Observatory site unit until 1995.An example of a galvanised measuring jug made specifically to maintain government standard liquid measurements that were sold to the public. The probability is that this artifact was made around the first quarter of the 20th century and gives us today a snapshot of how imperial weights and measures were used before decimalisation and how a standard of measurement for merchants was developed in Australian based on the Imperial British measurement system. The container has social significance as an item used in Victoria as a legal standard measure to ensure that goods sold in Victoria were correct given the item is galvanised it was probability used for kerosene or petrol etc not for liquids used for human consumption. Jug galvanised conical shaped with rounded top, handle at back. 3 gallon GV.27flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village

The beginning of standardised weights and measures began In Victoria when the Melbourne Observatory received sets of standard weights and measures, which had been tested in Britain against the then British Imperial standards. These included the primary standard yard and pound for the Colony of Victoria. Other standards of weights and measure held by shires and the administrative body's within the colony could then be compared to these primary standards. A Weights and Measures Act was passed in Victoria in 1862, establishing local inspectors throughout the colony. By the 1870s each local council and shire in Victoria held a set of standards that were used to test scales, weights and dry measures used by wholesalers, factories and shops. Every ten years the councils’ standards would themselves need to be rechecked against the Victorian Standards. The checking was done by the Victorian Customs Department in the 19th century, but with the transfer of responsibility for customs to the Federal Government in 1901, weights and measures function was retained by the Victorian Government and was shifted to the Melbourne Observatory. In 1904, a new building was erected at the south end of the Great Melbourne Telescope House, where the standard weights and measures and testing equipment was installed. This room had a large whirling apparatus for testing air meters and became known as the Whirling Room. When the Melbourne Observatory closed in 1944, the Weights and Measures Branch was formed to continue and this branch remained at the Observatory site unit until 1995.An example of a galvanised measuring jug made specifically to maintain government standard liquid measurements that were sold to the public. The probability is that this artifact was made around the first quarter of the 20th century and gives us today a snapshot of how imperial weights and measures were used before decimalisation and how a standard of measurement for merchants was developed in Australian based on the Imperial British measurement system. The container has social significance as an item used in Victoria as a legal standard measure to ensure that goods sold in Victoria were correct. Jug conical shaped with rounded top coming to a very slight point wide handle at back. VIB.L.66 1/2 Gall capacityflagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village

History of the Weights and Measures in Stawell from 1863 to 1991. The Physical Weights are on display in the MuseumLight Yellow paper cover with Victorian coat of arms and black print. with yellow tape on the spine.Victoria Coat of Arms VICTORIA The rest is undelined: A Brief History of Imperial Weights and Measures Equipment of Wimmera weights and Measures Union Donated to Stawell Historical Society Inc. by Former Shire of Stawell 26 July 1991stawell

Thought to be used for measuring liquids in retail premises by Council Inspectors of Weights & Measures Department of Shire of Bulla and donated by Hume Council when amalagmation of Councils took place.Tapered metal container with pouring spout and handle used for measuring liquids.on side "1 GALLON" on spout "crown/15 91/VIC"shire of bulla, george evans collection

Colton's General Atlas Date: 1866 Register of Authorised Copies of the Standard Weights and Measures Issued The Centre page of the Book has the heading of "Register of Authorised Copies of The Standard Weights and Measures Issued 1866." All front half pages are stapled together. All back half pages are stapled together. No Markingsflagstaff hill, warrnambool, maritime village, maritime museum, shipwreck coast, great ocean road, coltons general atlas, weights and measures

This simple brass see-saw balance was used to test the gold sovereign coin and its half for wear, and to detect counterfeit coinsSovereigns and half sovereigns are no longer in use.A metal sovereign balance with two measuring plates and weight. Counterweighted desktop rocker tests for British gold Sovereigns and Half Sovereigns, both weight and thickness. It has the original green box with label on lid top.Front - sovereign - half - Askey's improved warranted - son -Bush'ssovereign-balance instrument weighing sovereign

A very accurate microscope for measuring cartographic line-weights (thickness) during the Mapping process. Could be used to measure positive or negative line-weights or scribed lines in imperial measurements. Used at the Army Survey Regiment during the manual production of maps or charts.Silver alloy protecting Tube 5.5cms diameter and 12cms in height containing a Cartographic Microscope with imperial measurements. The Microscope is capable of 20 to 40 times magnification.Manufactured by "HENSOLDT WETZLAR" Serial Number 63024royal australian survey corps, rasvy, fortuna, army survey regiment, army svy regt, asr

The knitting needle gauge was used as a guide to the needle sizes used in Britain and Australia before metric measurements were adopted for weights and measures in the mid 1970's.A silver metal knitting needle gauge in the shape of a bell with different sized holes in the middle numbered from 1-5 and slots around both sides numbered from 6-22. These holes were used as a guide to gauge the size of knitting needles. The numbers and lettering have been engraved into the metal.KNITTING / PIN SIZE / IS WIDTH / OF SLOTShandcrafts, knitting, knitting gauge, george evans collection

Before 1851, letters sent through the mail were charged by the number of sheets it contained and the distance it travelled. For example, a letter consisting of one sheet of paper was charged the single rate; a double letter, that is two sheets, was charged double the single rate, a treble letter, was charged three times the single rate, and so on. In other words, each additional sheet of paper increased the charge by one rate. In Great Britain. Sealing a letter in an envelope effectively put an end to postal clerks' ability to count the number of sheets in a letter and an alternative method of determining the postage had to be found. Overweight mailings had previously required the items to be weighed but with the introduction of the Uniform Penny Postage act of 1839, the public could mail a letter not exceeding a half-ounce in weight within the United Kingdom for one penny if prepaid, or two pence if paid on delivery. At about the same time that the adhesive postage stamps and envelopes made their appearance, postal administrations began to experiment with strategically placed street letter boxes, known as pillar boxes because of their round, pillar-like shape, that permitted the public to mail letters from a place other than from a post office. For all these reasons, the use of postal scales became the nucleus of every post office. Scales had been in use since ancient Egyptian times so their use for everyday commerce was not unusual in the 1800s. What was new in 1840 was their ubiquitous use throughout the postal system. No post office could function effectively without one. Although the earliest scales used in post offices did not differ markedly from the ones in general use as time went on they were adapted specifically for postal use. For example, a paper sleeve, also known as a weight sticker, was attached that showed the applicable rate of postage for any given weight. This innovation was quite a time saver as postal clerks no longer needed to weigh the item first and then refer to a separate chart to determine the required postage for that particular weight. Victorian postal scales were used in village Post offices in the late 19th century, of which there are many examples today for sale. No maker can be attributed to the manufacture of the item. Postal scales with weights,. Balance scale has brass fittings and is mounted on a rectangular wooden stand, with depressions for brass weights; which measure 1/2oz, 1oz, 2oz, "Young Aton REL., C.N.0.9."flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, scales and weights, balancing scales, postal scales, letter scale

Thought to be used for measuring liquids in retail premises by Council Inspectors, Weights and Measures. Used by Shire of Bulla and donated by Hume City Council when amalgmation took place.Tapered metal container with spout and handle used for measuring liquids.on spout "crown/16/91..."shire of bulla, george evans collection

These scales were in the Dicken building in Nicholson Street Orbost. Frank B. Dicken and his son, Selwyn, were General Merchants. These scales are an example of a commercial measuring instrument used in Orbost before the common use of the metric system and digital scales.A large set of commercial scales painted white. The measuring scale gives the weight in pounds and the price per pound. There is a brass plate with NO A572/19951 W. & T. AVERY LTD.On front in green print - AVERY Beneath scale in green print - SOLE AGENTS On a brass plate - MACHINE ??????? "WHITE KNIGHT" AUSTRALASIAN FNO4 BRITISH MADE SCALE CO LTD TRULY LEVEL BIRMINGHAM ENGLANDscales measuring-machines weights dicken-frank

This seed box was made for Hiram Sibley for his seed house business. He sold seeds priced by the weight or the space they took up e.g. bushel. This box allowed for seeds to be divided by type, size or even date. The box was strong and easy to cart and store. It was also a handy item to 'recycle' as a storage container for other items. The Sibley seed box is a desirable collectors' item. A large variety of sizes and shapes are still available today in various stages of condition. Hiram Sibley developed seeds that were strong and the plants that grew from these seeds produced many seeds. Varieties of Sibley seeds and plants are still advertised for sale in modern times. HIRAM SIBLEY (1807-1888) - Hiram Sibley was born in America. He had a natural mechanical ability and became skilled in many trades. He and his partner Don Watson opened a sawmill then a machine shop and foundry. He became involved with Alfred Vale and Samuel Morse and their work on the telegraph. Eventually he became the first president of the Western Union Telegraph Company. Later, after leaving Western Union in the early 1860s, Sibley bought and sold railroads, manufactured sold, ran timber mills, and became involved in farming and seed supply. In this area he used his skills to engineer seeds that were stronger and develop plants that produced more seeds. The production of seeds became his main business. He bought land cheaply and improved to soil so that he could produce seed and grain, and graze herds of cattle. He became the owner of 14 large farms. Hiram Sibley earned the reputation "as the most extensive farmer and seedsman in this country". The business of Hiram Sibley & Co. was conducted his warehouse in Rochester and his seed house in Chicago. One department of the business sold farming equipment, another department imported ornamental plants from overseas countries Sibley went on to invest a large amount of money in a bank, and to be financially involved in the community by making large donations to public services such as a library and a school of music. At one point he was the richest man in Monroe county.This box is significant for its historic connection with Hiram Sibley, who is famous for many reasons, among which is his very profitable business of seed engineering to improve the production of crops. This box also represents the value of containers used for selling products in the 1880s, being re-used for other useful purposes. The box is an example of goods imported for use in Australia. The text and images of the box are an example of 1880s advertisingBox, wooden, with two brass hinges joining lid to base. Base has two wooden partitions, divided into three unequal sized compartments. Lid's underside has label with drawings of buildings and produce, text with maker's name and description of vegetables. Front edge of box has stencilled text and diagrams. Outside lid, and the other three sides, have no inscriptions. Made by Hiram Sibley & Co., USA. (Box is currently used to store quoits 1436.2 and cones of cotton thread 1436.3.)Marked "HIRAM SIBLEY & CO / SEEDS", "WAREHOUSE - "ROCHESTER N.Y. ", "SEED HOUSE - CHICARGO, ILL.", "SEEDS BY WEIGHT & MEASURE", "PUT UP BY / HIRAM SIBLEY & CO. / ROCHESTER, N.Y. AND CHICARGO, ILL."flagstaff hill, warrnambool, maritime village, maritime museum, flagstaff hill maritime museum & village, hiram sibley & co, rochester n.y., seeds, wooden seed box, seed box, seedsmen, arable farming, chicargo illinois, seed house, seed engineering, seed distribution, seeds by weight and measure

The tin was designed and used by the Colonial Sugar Refining Co. to store and sell golden syrup which is a by-product of cane sugar, molasses and treacle. The tin was used after the introduction of metric weights and measures.A yellow, red, brown, white and black tin used to sell and store golden syrup. The kilogram tin has the words 'golden syrup' printed in large red letters. There is a recipe and picture for caramel sauce on the back of the tin.MADE FROM AUSTRALIAN GROWN SUGAR CANE / CSR / Golden / Syrup / Net 1 kg / The COLONIAL SUGAR REFINING CO LTD / MELBOURNEcolonial sugar refining co., golden syrup, sugar cane, food, recipes, sugar mills, canning, george evans collection, commercial packaging

Allman's Penny School Series Booklet: A Pocket booklet of Arithmetic, Weights and measures including wine, Ale, Hay, Bread, Cloth and wool etc. Book 19 of 25 in the series. Box 625London: Allman & Son, 463 New Oxford Street.books, school

The tins were used by the Colonial Sugar Refining Co. to store and sell treacle which is a by-product of cane sugar and molasses. The tin is labelled with the imperial pound measurement so it preceded metric weights and measures.A green, red and gold tin used to sell and store treacle. Two stick of sugar cane decorate the front and the back of the round tin. The tin lid on the top of the tin needs to be levered open. The tin's capacity is 2 pounds. The word 'treacle' is written in bold red capital letters.THE COLONIAL SUGAR REFINING CO. LTD / TREACLE / 2 LB NET / MADE FROM CANE SUGAR ONLYcolonial sugar refining co., treacle, sugar cane, food, canning, sugar mills, george evans collection, commercial packaging

The disc-shaped design of these 1LB and 2 LB metal weights enables them to be stacked one on top of the other. The weights are used with a balance scale to accurately weigh the mass of items such as grain, sugar, meat or potatoes. They could have been used in retail or wholesale businesses like a general store or a grain merchant’s premises. The user would place either one or both of these weights on one side of a balance scale. Goods would then be placed onto the other side of the scale until the beam between both sides of the scale was level, showing that the weight of the goods was as heavy as the weight or weights on the other side. These two weights are marked in Imperial units. An Imperial Standard 1LB is equal to 453.592grams. The British Weights and Measures Act of 1824 defined official standards for weights and measurements. This ensured that uniform measurements would be used for trade throughout the Empire. Towns and districts would have an official set of Imperial Standard Weights and Measures. Inspectors periodically used this official set to check the accuracy of traders’ own weights and measures. There would be penalties such as fines or imprisonment for people who broke these laws. The State of Victoria had its own Weight and Measures Act in 1862 and a decade later the inspectors in local councils used their local set of weights and measures to test the local businesses measuring equipment. In the nineteenth century the Victorian Customs Department carried out this role but this was handed over to the Melbourne Observatory at the beginning of the twentieth century. The Measures Branch then followed on with this task from the 1940s until 1995. Australia began converting to the metric system in the 1960s, beginning with its money. The conversion from imperial to metric units of measurement in Australia took place from 1970 and was completed in 1988 when metric units became the only legal unit of measurement. Imperial Standard weights; set of two disc-shaped weights designed to stack one upon the other. Inscriptions are marked in relief. "IMPERIAL STANDARD 1LB" [weight 1], "IMPERIAL STANDARD 2LB" [weight 2]warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, shipwrecked-artefact, wieght, weights and measures, imperial standard weight

Troy weight is a system of units of mass from an unknown origin. While the name Troi is believed to have come from Troyes in the north east of France the system used primarily in the precious metals industry and adopted in Australia originated in 15th century England. Troy weight units are the 'grain' and 'pennyweight' (24 grains), the troy ounce (20 pennyweights), and the troy pound (12 troy ounces). One troy ounce equals 31.1034768 grams. The troy ounce and grain were also part of the apothecaries' system and was long used in medicine, but has now been largely replaced by the metric system (milligrams). When the Weights and Measures Act was passed in Victoria in 1862 local inspectors were established throughout the colony to ensure accuracy particularly in the weighing of gold. By the 1870's each local council had a set of standards that were used to test the scales, weights and measures of local merchants and businesses. This set would have been de commissioned some time after 1947 and was offered back to the Borough of Eaglehawk in 1989. Hinged, lockable wooden box with brass handle, hinges, latches and lock. Remnant wax on front face of box above and below lock. Interior of box is lined with purple velvet which is worn in several places. Box houses nine troy weights ranging in size from 100oz Troy to 2oz Troy. 1oz Troy is missing. Accompanying set is a two page letter from Weights and Measures Branch of Consumer Affairs offering set back to the Borough of Eaglehawk in 1989. Troy Weights: Part a) 100oz Weight, 68 mm Diameter at base x 113 mm H b) 50 oz Weight, 53 mm D x 90 mm H c) 30 oz Weight, 45 mm D x 77 mm H d) 20 oz Weight, 39 mm D x 65 mm H e) 16 oz Weight, 37 mm D x 60 mm H f) 8 oz Weight, 30 mm D x 47 mm H g) 4 oz Weight, 24mm D x 36 mm H h) 2 oz Weight, 19mm D x 28 mm H i) 1oz missing Hinged Wooden Box: Part j)171 mm H x 300mm W x 196 mm D Typed two page letter: Part k) 295 mm H x 210 mm W x 1 mm Top Troy: Each Troy weight stamped with small symbol made up of the number 5, an image of a crown and the word STANDARD. Side Troy : Each Troy weight stamped with small symbol made up of the number 5, an image of a crown and the word STANDARD above a series of date stamps recording every time the weight was tested. Date stamps: 30.4.1866; 16.9.81, 30 12.86; 1.2.92; 10.5.97; 15.1.04; 10.2.09; 17.12.14; 20.4.20; 29.9.25; 23.1.31; 18.6.36; 14.7.41: 11.7.47 Exterior Top of Box: Remnant of paper pasted to wood. Faint printed text 'ON HIS MAJESTY'S SERVICE'.borough of eaglehawk, making a nation exhibition, city of greater bendigo commerce

This type of balance scales allows precise measurements to be achieved by ensuring that the balance's fulcrum is essentially friction-free by attaching a pointer to the beam which amplifies any deviation from a balance position; and finally by using the lever principle, which allows fractional masses to be applied by movement of a small mass along the measuring arm of the beam. The standardization of the weights used – and ensuring traders used the correct weights – was a considerable preoccupation of governments throughout this time and inspections were held regularly. When the Weights and Measures Act was passed in Victoria in 1862 local inspectors were established throughout the colony to ensure accuracy particularly in the weighing of gold. By the 1870's each local council had a set of standards that were used to test the scales, weights and measures of local merchants and businesses.Set of small scales possibly from a travelling boxed set due to their small size, similar to those used in an apothecary and weighing gold. Scales have two round brass pans with a cross bar and chains and pointer central on the lever arm. At top of lever arm above pointer is a small leather tag from which to hold up the scales. city of greater bendigo commerce, making a nation exhibition, city of greater bendigo mining

The beginning of standardised weights and measures began In Victoria when the Melbourne Observatory received sets of standard weights and measures, which had been tested in Britain against the then British Imperial standards. These included the primary standard yard and pound for the Colony of Victoria. Other standards of weights and measure held by shires and the administrative body's within the colony could then be compared to these primary standards. A Weights and Measures Act was passed in Victoria in 1862, establishing local inspectors throughout the colony. By the 1870s each local council and shire in Victoria held a set of standards that were used to test scales, weights and dry measures used by wholesalers, factories and shops. Every ten years the councils’ standards would themselves need to be rechecked against the Victorian Standards. The checking was done by the Victorian Customs Department in the 19th century, but with the transfer of responsibility for customs to the Federal Government in 1901, weights and measures function was retained by the Victorian Government and was shifted to the Melbourne Observatory. In 1904, a new building was erected at the south end of the Great Melbourne Telescope House, where the standard weights and measures and testing equipment was installed. This room had a large whirling apparatus for testing air meters and became known as the Whirling Room. When the Melbourne Observatory closed in 1944, the Weights and Measures Branch was formed to continue and this branch remained at the Observatory site unit until 1995. J & M Ewan History: J&M Ewan was a Melbourne firm that began by selling retail furniture and wholesale ironmongery. They had substantial warehouses situated at the intersection of 81-83 Elizabeth and Little Collins Streets, the business was established by James M Ewan in 1852. Shortly afterwards he went into partnership with William Kerr Thomson and Samuel Renwick. When Ewan died in 1868 his partners carried on and expanded the business under his name J & M Ewan. The business was expanded to provide a retail shop, counting-house and private offices. Wholesale warehouses adjoined these premises at 4, 6 and 10 Little Collins Street, West. This company provided and sold a large and varied amount of imported goods into the colony that consisted of agriculture equipment, building materials, mining items as well as steam engines, tools of all types and marble fireplaces. They also supplied the Bronze measuring containers in the Flagstaff Hill collection and the probability is that these containers were obtained by the local Melbourne authority that monitored weights and measures in the mid to late 19th century. The company grew to employ over 150 people in Melbourne and opened offices at 27 Lombard St London as well as in New Zealand and Fiji. The company also serviced the Mauritius islands and the pacific area with their steamship the Suva and a brig the Shannon, the company ceased trading in 1993. Robert Bate History: Robert Brettell Bate (1782-1847) was born in Stourbridge, England, one of four sons of Overs Bate, a mercer (a dealer in textile fabrics, especially silks, velvet's, and other fine materials)and banker. Bate moved to London, and in 1813 was noticed for his scientific instrument making ability through the authority of the “Clockmakers Company”. Sometime in the year 1813 it was discovered that one Robert Brettell Bate, regarded as a foreigner in London had opened a premises in the Poultry selling area of London. He was a Mathematical Instrument maker selling sundials and other various instruments of the clock making. In 1824, Bate, in preparation for his work on standards and weights, leased larger premises at 20 and 21 Poultry, London, at a rental of four hundred pounds per annum. It was there that Bate produced quality metrological instruments, which afforded him the recognition as one of one of the finest and principal English metrological instrument-makers of the nineteenth century. English standards at this time were generally in a muddle, with local standards varying from shire to shire. On 17 June 1824, an Act of Parliament was passed making a universal range of weights, measures, and lengths for the United Kingdom, and Bate was given the job of crafting many of the metrological artifacts. He was under instruction from the renown physicist Henry Kater F.R.S. (1777-1835) to make standards and to have them deposited in the principal cities throughout the United Kingdom and colonies. Bate experimented with tin-copper alloys to find the best combination for these items and by October 1824, he had provided Kater with prototypes to test troy and avoirdupois pounds, and samples with which to divide the troy into grams. Bate also cast the standard for the bushel, and by February 1825, had provided all the standards required of him by the Exchequer, Guildhalls of Edinburgh, and Dublin. In 1824, he also made a troy pound standard weight for the United States, which was certified for its accuracy by Kater and deposited with the US Mint in 1827. Kater, in his address to the Royal Society of London, acknowledged Bate's outstanding experimentation and craftsmanship in producing standards of weights, measures, and lengths. An example of a dry Bronze measuring container made specifically for J & M Ewan by possibly the most important makers of measurement artefacts that gives us today a snapshot of how imperial weights and measures were used and how a standard of measurement for merchants was developed in the Australian colonies based on the Imperial British measurement system. The container has social significance as an item retailed by J & M Ewan and used in Victoria by the authorities who were given legal responsibility to ensure that wholesalers and retailers of dry goods sold in Victoria were correct. The container was a legal standard measure so was also used to test merchants containers to ensure that their distribution of dry goods to a customer was correct.Maker Possibly Robert Brettell Blake or De Grave, Short & Co Ltd both of LondonContainer bronze round shape for measuring dry quantities has brass handles & is a 'half-bushel' measurement"IMPERIAL STANDARD HALF BUSHEL" engraved around the top of the container. VICTORIA engraved under "J & M Ewan & Co London and Melbourne" engraved around the bottom of the container.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, standard measure, bronze, peck measurement, j & m ewan, victorian standard dry measurement, bronze container, victorian standards, melbourne observatory, robert brettell bate

The beginning of standardised weights and measures began In Victoria when the Melbourne Observatory received sets of standard weights and measures, which had been tested in Britain against the then British Imperial standards. These included the primary standard yard and pound for the Colony of Victoria. Other standards of weights and measure held by shires and the administrative body's within the colony could then be compared to these primary standards. A Weights and Measures Act was passed in Victoria in 1862, establishing local inspectors throughout the colony. By the 1870s each local council and shire in Victoria held a set of standards that were used to test scales, weights and dry measures used by wholesalers, factories and shops. Every ten years the councils’ standards would themselves need to be rechecked against the Victorian Standards. The checking was done by the Victorian Customs Department in the 19th century, but with the transfer of responsibility for customs to the Federal Government in 1901, weights and measures function was retained by the Victorian Government and was shifted to the Melbourne Observatory. In 1904, a new building was erected at the south end of the Great Melbourne Telescope House, where the standard weights and measures and testing equipment was installed. This room had a large whirling apparatus for testing air meters and became known as the Whirling Room. When the Melbourne Observatory closed in 1944, the Weights and Measures Branch was formed to continue and this branch remained at the Observatory site unit until 1995. J & M Ewan History: J&M Ewan was a Melbourne firm that began by selling retail furniture and wholesale ironmongery. They had substantial warehouses situated at the intersection of 81-83 Elizabeth and Little Collins Streets, the business was established by James M Ewan in 1852. Shortly afterwards he went into partnership with William Kerr Thomson and Samuel Renwick. When Ewan died in 1868 his partners carried on and expanded the business under his name J & M Ewan. The business was expanded to provide a retail shop, counting-house and private offices. Wholesale warehouses adjoined these premises at 4, 6 and 10 Little Collins Street, West. This company provided and sold a large and varied amount of imported goods into the colony that consisted of agriculture equipment, building materials, mining items as well as steam engines, tools of all types and marble fireplaces. They also supplied the Bronze measuring containers in the Flagstaff Hill collection and the probability is that these containers were obtained by the local Melbourne authority that monitored weights and measures in the mid to late 19th century. The company grew to employ over 150 people in Melbourne and opened offices at 27 Lombard St London as well as in New Zealand and Fiji. The company also serviced the Mauritius islands and the pacific area with their steamship the Suva and a brig the Shannon. Robert Bate History: Robert Brettell Bate (1782-1847) was born in Stourbridge, England, one of four sons of Overs Bate, a mercer (a dealer in textile fabrics, especially silks, velvet's, and other fine materials)and banker. Bate moved to London, and in 1813 was noticed for his scientific instrument making ability through the authority of the “Clockmakers Company”. Sometime in the year 1813 it was discovered that one Robert Brettell Bate, regarded as a foreigner in London had opened a premises in the Poultry selling area of London. He was a Mathematical Instrument maker selling sundials and other various instruments of the clock making. In 1824, Bate, in preparation for his work on standards and weights, leased larger premises at 20 and 21 Poultry, London, at a rental of four hundred pounds per annum. It was there that Bate produced quality metrological instruments, which afforded him the recognition as one of one of the finest and principal English metrological instrument-makers of the nineteenth century. English standards at this time were generally in a muddle, with local standards varying from shire to shire. On 17 June 1824, an Act of Parliament was passed making a universal range of weights, measures, and lengths for the United Kingdom, and Bate was given the job of crafting many of the metrological artifacts. He was under instruction from the renown physicist Henry Kater F.R.S. (1777-1835) to make standards and to have them deposited in the principal cities throughout the United Kingdom and colonies. Bate experimented with tin-copper alloys to find the best combination for these items and by October 1824, he had provided Kater with prototypes to test troy and avoirdupois pounds, and samples with which to divide the troy into grams. Bate also cast the standard for the bushel, and by February 1825, had provided all the standards required of him by the Exchequer, Guildhalls of Edinburgh, and Dublin. In 1824, he also made a troy pound standard weight for the United States, which was certified for its accuracy by Kater and deposited with the US Mint in 1827. Kater, in his address to the Royal Society of London, acknowledged Bate's outstanding experimentation and craftsmanship in producing standards of weights, measures, and lengths. An example of a dry Bronze measuring container made specifically for J & M Ewan by possibly the most important makers of measurement artifacts that gives us today a snapshot of how imperial weights and measures were used and how a standard of measurement for merchants was developed in the Australian colonies based on the Imperial British measurement system. The container has social significance as an item retailed by J & M Ewan and used in Victoria by the authorities who were given legal responsibility to ensure that wholesalers and retailers of dry goods sold in Victoria were correct. The container was a legal standard measure so was also used to test merchants containers to ensure that their distribution of dry goods to a customer was correct. Bronze round container with brass two handles used as a legal standard for measuring dry quantities & is a 'peck' measurement. "IMPERIAL STANDARD PECK" engraved around top of container with " VICTORIA" engraved under.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, standard measure, bronze, peck measurement, j & m ewan, victorian standard dry measurement, bronze container, victorian standards, melbourne observatory, robert bettell bate

The beginning of standardised weights and measures began In Victoria when the Melbourne Observatory received sets of standard weights and measures, which had been tested in Britain against the then British Imperial standards. These included the primary standard yard and pound for the Colony of Victoria. Other standards of weights and measure held by shires and the administrative body's within the colony could then be compared to these primary standards. A Weights and Measures Act was passed in Victoria in 1862, establishing local inspectors throughout the colony. By the 1870s each local council and shire in Victoria held a set of standards that were used to test scales, weights and dry measures used by wholesalers, factories and shops. Every ten years the councils’ standards would themselves need to be rechecked against the Victorian Standards. The checking was done by the Victorian Customs Department in the 19th century, but with the transfer of responsibility for customs to the Federal Government in 1901, weights and measures function was retained by the Victorian Government and was shifted to the Melbourne Observatory. In 1904, a new building was erected at the south end of the Great Melbourne Telescope House, where the standard weights and measures and testing equipment was installed. This room had a large whirling apparatus for testing air meters and became known as the Whirling Room. When the Melbourne Observatory closed in 1944, the Weights and Measures Branch was formed to continue and this branch remained at the Observatory site unit until 1995. J & M Ewan History: J&M Ewan was a Melbourne firm that began by selling retail furniture and wholesale ironmongery. They had substantial warehouses situated at the intersection of 81-83 Elizabeth and Little Collins Streets, the business was established by James M Ewan in 1852. Shortly afterwards he went into partnership with William Kerr Thomson and Samuel Renwick. When Ewan died in 1868 his partners carried on and expanded the business under his name J & M Ewan. The business was expanded to provide a retail shop, counting-house and private offices. Wholesale warehouses adjoined these premises at 4, 6 and 10 Little Collins Street, West. This company provided and sold a large and varied amount of imported goods into the colony that consisted of agriculture equipment, building materials, mining items as well as steam engines, tools of all types and marble fireplaces. They also supplied the Bronze measuring containers in the Flagstaff Hill collection and the probability is that these containers were obtained by the local Melbourne authority that monitored weights and measures in the mid to late 19th century. The company grew to employ over 150 people in Melbourne and opened offices at 27 Lombard St London as well as in New Zealand and Fiji. The company also serviced the Mauritius islands and the pacific area with their steamship the Suva and a brig the Shannon. Robert Bate History: Robert Brettell Bate (1782-1847) was born in Stourbridge, England, one of four sons of Overs Bate, a mercer (a dealer in textile fabrics, especially silks, velvet's, and other fine materials)and banker. Bate moved to London, and in 1813 was noticed for his scientific instrument making ability through the authority of the “Clockmakers Company”. Sometime in the year 1813 it was discovered that one Robert Brettell Bate, regarded as a foreigner in London had opened a premises in the Poultry selling area of London. He was a Mathematical Instrument maker selling sundials and other various instruments of the clock making. In 1824, Bate, in preparation for his work on standards and weights, leased larger premises at 20 and 21 Poultry, London, at a rental of four hundred pounds per annum. It was there that Bate produced quality metrological instruments, which afforded him the recognition as one of one of the finest and principal English metrological instrument-makers of the nineteenth century. English standards at this time were generally in a muddle, with local standards varying from shire to shire. On 17 June 1824, an Act of Parliament was passed making a universal range of weights, measures, and lengths for the United Kingdom, and Bate was given the job of crafting many of the metrological artifacts. He was under instruction from the renown physicist Henry Kater F.R.S. (1777-1835) to make standards and to have them deposited in the principal cities throughout the United Kingdom and colonies. Bate experimented with tin-copper alloys to find the best combination for these items and by October 1824, he had provided Kater with prototypes to test troy and avoirdupois pounds, and samples with which to divide the troy into grams. Bate also cast the standard for the bushel, and by February 1825, had provided all the standards required of him by the Exchequer, Guildhalls of Edinburgh, and Dublin. In 1824, he also made a troy pound standard weight for the United States, which was certified for its accuracy by Kater and deposited with the US Mint in 1827. Kater, in his address to the Royal Society of London, acknowledged Bate's outstanding experimentation and craftsmanship in producing standards of weights, measures, and lengths. An example of a dry Bronze measuring container made specifically for J & M Ewan by possibly the most important makers of measurement artefacts that gives us today a snapshot of how imperial weights and measures were used and how a standard of measurement for merchants was developed in the Australian colonies based on the Imperial British measurement system. The container has social significance as an item retailed by J & M Ewan and used in Victoria by the authorities who were given legal responsibility to ensure that wholesalers and retailers of dry goods sold in Victoria were correct. The container was a legal standard measure so was also used to test merchants containers to ensure that their distribution of dry goods to a customer was correct.Maker Possibly Robert Brettell Blake or De Grave, Short & Co Ltd both of LondonContainer brass round for measuring quantities- Has brass handles & is a 'Bushel' measurement. 'Imperial Standard Bushel Victoria' engraved around container. Container bronze round shape for measuring dry quantities has brass handles & is a 'Bushel' measurement"IMPERIAL STANDARD BUSHEL" engraved around the top of the container. VICTORIA engraved under "J & M Ewan & Co London and Melbourne" engraved around the bottom of the container.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, standard measure, bushel, bushel measurement, j & m ewan, dry measurement, victorian measurement standard, bronze container, melbourne observatory, robert brettell bate

A reference guide of 32 pages plus cardboard covers. The volume has wire spiral binding. It includes a perpetual calendar. Other pages include tables, charts, dates, mathematical information and useful information for farmers including weights and measures and animal gestation periods.A ready reckoner including a wide range of information to facilitate everyday calculations prior to the widespread use of electrical calculators and devices. Published post 1945, the booklet also includes a chronology of World War 11 as well as a list of household antidotes in cases of poisoning.ready reckoner, calendars

This item is from the ‘Pattison Collection’, a collection of books and records that was originally owned by the Warrnambool Mechanics’ Institute, which was founded in Warrnambool in 1853. By 1886 the Warrnambool Mechanics’ Institute (WMI) had grown to have a Library, Museum and Fine Arts Gallery, with a collection of “… choice productions of art, and valuable specimens in almost every branch and many wonderful national curiosities are now to be seen there, including historic relics of the town and district.” It later included a School of Design. Although it was very well patronised, the lack of financial support led the WMI in 1911 to ask the City Council to take it over. In 1935 Ralph Pattison was appointed as City Librarian to establish and organise the Warrnambool Library as it was then called. When the WMI building was pulled down in 1963 a new civic building was erected on the site and the new Warrnambool Library, on behalf of the City Council, took over all the holdings of the WMI. At this time some of the items were separated and identified as the ‘Pattison Collection’, named after Ralph Pattison. Eventually the components of the WMI were distributed from the Warrnambool Library to various places, including the Art Gallery, Historical Society and Flagstaff Hill. Later some were even distributed to other regional branches of Corangamite Regional Library and passed to and fro. It is difficult now to trace just where all of the items have ended up. The books at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village generally display stamps and markings from Pattison as well as a variety of other institutions including the Mechanics’ Institute itself. RALPH ERIC PATTISON Ralph Eric Pattison was born in Rockhampton, Queensland, in 1891. He married Maude Swan from Warrnambool in 1920 and they set up home in Warrnambool. In 1935 Pattison accepted a position as City Librarian for the Warrnambool City Council. His huge challenge was to make a functional library within two rooms of the Mechanics’ Institute. He tirelessly cleaned, cleared and sorted a disarrayed collection of old books, jars of preserved specimens and other items reserved for exhibition in the city’s museum. He developed and updated the library with a wide variety of books for all tastes, including reference books for students; a difficult task to fulfil during the years following the Depression. He converted all of the lower area of the building into a library, reference room and reading room for members and the public. The books were sorted and stored using a cataloguing and card index system that he had developed himself. He also prepared the upper floor of the building and established the Art Gallery and later the Museum, a place to exhibit the many old relics that had been stored for years for this purpose. One of the treasures he found was a beautiful ancient clock, which he repaired, restored and enjoyed using in his office during the years of his service there. Ralph Pattison was described as “a meticulous gentleman whose punctuality, floorless courtesy and distinctive neat dress were hallmarks of his character, and ‘his’ clock controlled his daily routine, and his opening and closing of the library’s large heavy doors to the minute.” Pattison took leave during 1942 to 1945 to serve in the Royal Australian Navy, Volunteer Reserve as Lieutenant. A few years later he converted one of the Museum’s rooms into a Children’s Library, stocking it with suitable books for the younger generation. This was an instant success. In the 1950’s he had the honour of being appointed to the Victorian Library Board and received more inspiration from the monthly conferences in Melbourne. He was sadly retired in 1959 after over 23 years of service, due to the fact that he had gone over the working age of council officers. However he continued to take a very keen interest in the continual development of the Library until his death in 1969. The Pattison Collection, along with other items at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village, was originally part of the Warrnambool Mechanics' Institute’s collection. The Warrnambool Mechanics’ Institute Collection is primarily significant in its totality, rather than for the individual objects it contains. Its contents are highly representative of the development of Mechanics' Institute libraries across Australia, particularly Victoria. A diversity of publications and themes has been amassed, and these provide clues to our understanding of the nature of and changes in the reading habits of Victorians from the 1850s to the middle of the 20th century. The collection also highlights the Warrnambool community’s commitment to the Mechanics’ Institute, reading, literacy and learning in the regions, and proves that access to knowledge was not impeded by distance. These items help to provide a more complete picture of our community’s ideals and aspirations. The Warrnambool Mechanics Institute book collection has historical and social significance for its strong association with the Mechanics Institute movement and the important role it played in the intellectual, cultural and social development of people throughout the latter part of the nineteenth century and the early twentieth century. The collection of books is a rare example of an early lending library and its significance is enhanced by the survival of an original collection of many volumes. The Warrnambool Mechanics' Institute’s publication collection is of both local and state significance. A Classical Dictionary Containing a copious amount of all the Proper Names mentioned in ancient Authors; with value of coins, weights, and measures used among the Greeks and Romans and Chronological Table Author: J Lempriere Publisher: George Routledge & Sons Fly page has hand written date of March 1907 Label on spine cover with typed text PAT 870.3 LEM Pastedown front endpaper has sticker from Warrnambool Mechanics Institute and Free Library Front loose endpaper has a stamp from Corangamite Regional Library Service Front loose endpaper has a sticker from Corangamite Regional Library Servicewarrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, shipwrecked-artefact, book, pattison collection, warrnambool library, warrnambool mechanics’ institute, ralph eric pattison, corangamite regional library service, warrnambool city librarian, mechanics’ institute library, victorian library board, warrnambool books and records, warrnambool children’s library, great ocean road, a classical dictionary, j lempriere