Ramsden & Carr Winchester Bushel, 1902

This is an early piece of Ramsden & Carr silver and is a fine replica example of an ancient measuring vessel. It is an accurately scaled down silver replica model of the original Winchester Bushel. This good-sized bowl has two handles and stands on 3 bracket feet. It has an all over planished (spot hammered) finish, has a good hefty weight and is in excellent condition. It could be used for all manner of purposes and would provide an excellent talking point at the dinner table.

Around the rim the following inscription is chased: 'Henricus Ceptimus dei Gracia Rex Dauglae et Francie' around the rim which translates to "Henry VII, By Grace of God, King of England and France". The following symbols are also chased in to the side: a lion rampant, an anchor, a portcullis and a coat of arms.

A bushel is a measure of dry volume that was generally used in agriculture and was an important ancient weight to measure quantity at town markets. Different vessels were used throughout the country and so the measure was never a definitive amount between towns. The Winchester measure is a set of legal standards of volume instituted in the late 15th century by King Henry VII and in use, with some modifications, until the present day. Originally used in Anglo-Saxon Wessex, it formed the basis of the first standardised measures in the UK and was until 1826 when it was replaced by the Imperial Measure, but it is still used in the USA. It  consists of the Winchester bushel and its dependent quantities, the peck, (dry) gallon and (dry) quart.