Costs of Forge Equipment in 1938

Bellows like these in Reuben's smithy cost:

140s for the 18 inch diameter model,
160s for 20 inch or
170s for 22 inch. (140 shillings = £7.)

Anvils were sold by weight, 72s per cwt (hundredweight), starting at half a cwt and going up to 2 cwt.

Weights & Measures

112 pounds lb = a hundredweight cwt

14 lb = a stone st

2 stones = 1 quarter

8 stones = 1 cwt

20 shillings s or /- = a pound £.

12 pennies d = a shilling s or /-

4 farthings
or 2 half pennies (ha'pence) = a penny d

Costs of shoeing in 1950

John Gate recalls: "Reuben charged us 10s 6d - half a guinea - to shoe a horse in the 1950s, and 5 shillings for a remove."

Distances measured with chains

22 yards = a chain

10 chains = a furlong (the length of a "fur" or furrow)

8 furlongs = a mile

The chains are very light so they are easy to use. Each section is joined to the next with a swivel to stop it tangling. The chains were used to measure jobs done, ready for payment:
- lengths of roadside verges trimmed
- ditches cleaned out
- turnip stitches weeded
- crops planted
- field areas sown
Even the length of a cricket pitch is still the same as these chains.