The Lot (formerly also written Loth) was a unit of measurement of mass, which was mainly used in German-speaking states of the Holy Roman Empire and in Scandinavia.
It was replaced in the German Reich in 1868/69/72, in Austria in 1871/76 and in Switzerland in 1875/77 by the metric unit of measurement, the gramme. But in the early 20th century it was still used as a popular unit of measure in cooking and baking recipes.[1]
An imprecise but clear rule of thumb is that a lot corresponds to a "spoonful".[2]
Old Lot
In Germany, Austria and Switzerland, the following weight system was traditionally used:
The Lot had different weights in the various German states depending on the definition of the Pfund ("pound"); its definition also varied over time. However it was mostly set at between 14g and 18g. Some examples:
On 27 May 1856, an act concerning "a common state weight" system was issued in Prussia for the German Customs Union (Deutscher Zollverein). This redefined the weights as follow:
1 Lot corresponded to 16.666 g and at the same time to a Vereinstalerfine. It was thus also used as a unit of silver fineness within the monetary system. See Lot (fineness).
This means that our new weight can easily be compared with the French one, which is also used in other countries, e.g. was introduced in the Netherlands and in Lombardy.
—Johann Christian Gädicke, Berliner Ausrechner von kleinen zu großen Preisen…
In comparison tables of old and new units of measurement of the same name in Prussia, the pre-1856 Lot (and also other units of measurement) was often used with the prefix "old" and the new Lot, valid from 27 May 1856, with the prefix "Neu" ("new") or "Zoll" ("customs"). The post office also used the term Postlot from 1858.[4][5]
In Austria and Bavaria there was for a time a "metric Lot" of 10g (repealed by law in 1888). In Austria, the Czech Republic and Poland, this metric Lot lives on as the decagramme to this day.
The German Empire consisted of 25 constituent states, the largest of which was Prussia, and the Imperial Territory of Alsace-Lorraine. These states, or Staaten each had votes in the Bundesrat, which gave them representation at a federal level.
Events from the year 1873 in Germany.
Prince William of Schaumburg-Lippe was son of George William, Prince of Schaumburg-Lippe and member of the House of Lippe.
The House Order of Albert the Bear was founded in 1836 as a joint House Order by three dukes of Anhalt from separate branches of the family: Henry, Duke of Anhalt-Köthen, Leopold IV, Duke of Anhalt-Dessau, and Alexander Karl, Duke of Anhalt-Bernburg.
Events in the year 1911 in Germany.
Events in the year 1910 in Germany.
Events in the year 1897 in Germany.
Events in the year 1898 in Germany.
Events from the year 1880 in Germany.
Events in the year 1876 in Germany.
Events in the year 1916 in Germany.
Events in the year 1894 in Germany.
Events from the year 1872 in Germany.
Events in the year 1874 in Germany.
Events in the year 1875 in Germany.
Events from the year 1879 in Germany.
Events in the year 1882 in Germany.
Events in the year 1887 in Germany.
The Zollpfund is an historical German weight based on the old pound. In 1854, the German Customs Union, the Zollverein, fixed the pound weight or at exactly 500 grammes, making it about seven percent heavier than the old unit of weight, the Pfund ("pound"). The new pound was called the Zollpfund to distinguish it. The new definition was already in use in the southern German states of Baden, Hesse and in Switzerland, and was introduced in 1858 as a state weight in northern and large parts of central Germany. The Zentner ("hundredweight") corresponded to 50 kilogrammes. As a result, the subordinate units of measurement were also widely redefined:
References
↑ Margarete und Emma Doennig: Kochbuch. Selbstverlag der Kochschule der Ostpreußischen Haushaltungsschule, Königsberg, 6. Aufl. 1911, S. 1.
↑ Wolfgang Schneider: Das Lot-Gewicht bei Paracelsus. In: Peter Dilg, Guido Jüttner, Wolf-Dieter Müller-Jahncke, Paul Ulrich Unschuld (ed.): Perspektiven der Pharmaziegeschichte. Festschrift Rudolf Schmitz. Graz 1983, pp. 325–330; here: p. 329.
↑ The weights and measures of Württemberg versus the metrics of the German Empire.
↑ Leopold Herzka: Der Bauratgeber. Handbuch für das gesamte Baugewerbe und seine Grenzgebiete. Springer-Verlag, 2013, ISBN 978-3-70919-993-0, p. 4.
↑ Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon. Vol. 16, Leipzig 1908, p. 221.
1 2 3 Allgemeine deutsche Real-Encyklopädie für die gebildeten Stände. Conversations-Lexikon. 11th, revised, improved and expanded edn. Vol. 9: Konradin bis Mauer. Brockhaus, Leipzig 1866, pp.567f., keyword Loth; ebd., Vol 11: Occupation bis Prämie. Brockhaus, Leipzig 1867, p.634, keyword Pfund.
External links
sk:Libra (hmotnosť) an extensive (20+) list of values (in grams) a pound had at various times and places in Europe
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