Indeed I might have been slightly misleading there.
I did not mean to suggest each strip is an acre but rather each field or
piece of farm land will be multiples of acres. This is simply down to the
boundaries (fences, planted trees) never being replanted just to make it
"not an acre". It's simply historical. If you know a farmer or landowner
you can ask if he (she) has ever replanted the boundaries to make it into
hectares or multiples thereof.
And I get your point about acres sometimes being synonymous with fields
hence saying such as "it covered 100's of acres" being a description of a
large area rather than an accurate measure
From: "Martin Vlietstra" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[email protected]>
Subject: [USMA:39194] RE: Pure SI for area in UK?
Date: Thu, 26 Jul 2007 21:50:33 +0100
Steve,
A few points to ponder on.
The word "acre" is derived from an Anglo-Saxon word meaning "field". In
fact the German word for "field" is "akker". The churchyard is often known
as "God's Acre", not because it is 4840 square yards, but because it is a
"field".
Secondly, the fields that you see from the air that are neatly divided by
hedgerows are not "acres" - the traces of the original acres that can be
seen sometimes are shown on ordinance survey maps as "medieval strips" (or
words to that effect.
-----Original Message-----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf
Of Stephen Humphreys
Sent: 26 July 2007 13:16
To: U.S. Metric Association
Subject: [USMA:39191] RE: Pure SI for area in UK?
I believe it's 22 x 220 yds.
As you approach the UK from the air you can see land carved up into
multiple
of acres - I guess from older times when it was linked to how much you
could
plough in a day!
>From: "Michael Payne" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>Reply-To: "Michael Payne" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, "U.S. Metric Association"
><[email protected]>
>Subject: Re: [USMA:39155] RE: Pure SI for area in UK?
>Date: Thu, 26 Jul 2007 00:57:46 +0000
>
>I've found that most people have no idea what an acre is either. Turns
out
>it's an area for which no one has any idea of the size.
>
>Mike Payne
>----- Original Message ----- From: "Stephen Humphreys"
><[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[email protected]>
>Sent: Monday, 23 July 2007 09:25
>Subject: [USMA:39155] RE: Pure SI for area in UK?
>
>
>>
>>I don't think that many people will know what a hectare is in the UK as
>>output usually talks of acres. Similarly estate agents talk about area
in
>>terms of acres although I have seen bracketed ha quoted after sometimes
to
>>a ridiculous acuracy (as if someone got the calculator out). This BBC
>>page is odd that it uses only ha (they usually quote the two systems)
>>
>>>From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>>>Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>>>To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[email protected]>
>>>Subject: [USMA:39149] Pure SI for area in UK?
>>>Date: Mon, 23 Jul 2007 01:54:58 +0000
>>>
>>>I noticed in this BBC News science article that only the hectare is
used
>>>for area.
>>>It looks like non-SI units for area are either a vanishing breed or
gone
>>>altogether:
>>>
>>>http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6909249.stm
>>>
>>>Perhaps UK readers can confirm.
>>>
>>>Ezra
>>>
>>
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>
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