Retailers in Victorian Britain, much like today, faced a range of rules and regulations. Many shopkeepers were good honest people and an equal amount were to say the least somewhat dubious not only with the content of the products they would sell but also the dubious manner in which the weight of the product was passed on to the consumer.
Old British Newspapers are full of reports of shopkeepers having “unjust weights, scales and measuring devices”. These reports though for the historian of valuable. They provide names, addresses, dates and the title businesses the people were involved in.
In November 1872 The Islington Gazette carried a typical story of tradespeople who had to face the Petty Sessions:
Islington Petty Sessions – Thursday.
(Before Messrs. Warner, Elson, Hughes-Hughes, Price and Harard)
Illegal Weights And Measures. – a petty sessions was held at the Vestry Hall, on Thursday last, for the purpose of hearing summonses against tradesmen for having unjust weights, scales and measures on their premises. The inspectors present were Messrs. Fairbank, Cook, Noton, Miles, Warr, Byrne, Millard and Mathy. Mr. J. Leyton Vestry Clerk and solicitor, conducted the cases on behalf of the Vestry.
Samuel Pitts, junior, general dealer, 47, Copenhagen street four light weights.
Defendant said these weights had not been used for 10 years, he had bought them in the way of trade as old iron. He neither sold nor bought by weight. Defendant produced a letter in support of his statement. The bench inflicted a fine of £1.
John Edward Springford, greengrocer, 72, Copenhagen street, coal scale nearly half a pound against the purchaser. Fined 10 shillings.
Henry Hill, marine store dealer, 126, Copenhagen street, heavy weighing machine 6 ounces against the purchaser.
Defendants wife appeared in consequence of her husband’s illness, and said the machine was one they had bought two resale. They neither bought nor sold with it. The machine was standing outside the door, and was wet, and that accounted for it being out. Now the scale was dry it was all right.
Mr. Fairbank stated that the scale was wet. The weights and skills inside the shop were all right. The Bench inflicted a fine of five shillings.
John Osborn, fruiterer and greengrocer, 178, Caledonian road, three a light and one heavy weights.
And so it goes on. The comments from some of these traders are quite creative and there seems to be quite a trade in weighing scales in the Copenhagen street area of North London!
Ian Waugh
Old British News
