History of the Tape Measure

By Lily Douglass

The earliest system for measuring was used for measuring cloth. It was based on an old Viking measurement called an “Ell”. The word came from the Latin word for arm ‘ulnia” and was assumed to be the average measured distance from a man’s shoulder to elbow or the distance from elbow to fingertips. By the early 1800s, the length of an ell changed to the measurement of a “double ell”, which was the total length of a man’s arm. There never was a standard size for the length of the “ell”. Different Northern European countries had their own “ell measurement” that ranged from 37 inches to 45 inches long. The inch was an old English form of measurement established in the 14th century by King Edward II. It was defined as “3 grains of barley, dry & round, placed end to end lengthwise”. At other times, the inch was defined as 12 poppy seeds lined up or as the single digit of a man’s finger. By the 1820s, the tape measures used to measure cloth took the form of long strips of cloth or paper that were 60 inches to 120 inches long, marked in inches. In the early 19th century, the wound tape measure appeared. It had a cloth tape wrapped around an extended finial placed into a round or barrel shaped container with a slit long enough for the tape to move freely in and out. The finial could be turned by hand to rewind the tape back into the container. The cloth tapes were made of silk or light weight braid and marked with black lines for each inch measurement. The outside containers could be plain or fancy and were made of wood, ivory, silver, brass, bone, filigree, goldfill, mother-of-pearl, or vegetable ivory. By the late 18th century, a retractable spring-return tape measure became available It was placed in a circular case that was able to lock in place when extended. The styles and variety of these retractable tape measures were endless. England, Germany, and Japan were major producers of these kinds of tape measures, and they became an important tool for any woman’s sewing box. By the early 1900s, many businesses handed them out as a type of advertising.

“Ell” Measurement Continued on next page...

Pig’s tail turns to rewind the tape back inside Novelty tape measures: vacuum cleaner, horseshoe, fruit bowl

During Victorian times, many sewing items and buttons were made from Tagua nuts found on a species of palm tree in South America. The 2”-3” nuts have a brown skin that when chiseled reveals a hard inner core with a hollow center. When drilled, sanded and polished, it is called vegetable ivory because it looks like elephant ivory. Until the development of plastics, many beautiful buttons, tape measures and needle cases were made from the tagua nut. In 1829 a British metal worker named James Chesterman patented a spring tape measure that utilized flat metal and included marked measurements. The metal was cased inside a round leather case that made it easy to use and transport. He sold his tape measure for $17 in the United States, which would be compared to a cost of $300 today. The flexibility and ability to measure great lengths made these steel band measuring tapes popular in various industries.

A Tid-Bit on Imperial and Metric

In 1832, the United States formally approved the standard English “Imperial” measurement which was the common way of measurement at that time in the British Empire. Here in the United States, the imperial system of measurement is what is now familiar to us. Measurements are in yards, feet and inches. By the mid-1900s, most countries as well as the United Kingdom, adapted the metric system. The metric system uses meters, centimeters, and millimeters. What is interesting today is that there are only two other countries in the world other than the United states that do not use the metric system: Liberia and Myanmar. The main reason that the United States has not adopted the metric system is because of time and money. During the Industrial Revolution, American manufacturing plants were the main source of American jobs and products and it was just too expensive to make the changes. In 1975, Congress passed a metric conversion act to slowly transition its units of measurement from feet and pounds to meters and kilograms, but the impact of changing so many aspects of American life was unpopular and the change is slow in happening.

Reprinted with permission from the TINTINNABULA Newsletter of the Liberty Lacers.