setier [French]

1

In France, at least as early as the 13^th century – 19^th century, a unit of dry capacity with many regional variations. It comes from the Latin sextarius, meaning a sixth (of a conge). Also spelled cestier, sester, setiere, sextiere, sextier, sextere, sestier, sestiere, sestaire, sesterot, sesterium, septier, septarius, septerium.

In the Système Usuel, early 19^th century, the setier = 100 liters.

Several sources from the mid-19^th century list Parisian values that differed by commodity :

Commodity	Value of setier in boisseaux	Liters	Additional Equivalences
grain	12	156.099	= 1/12 muid = 2 mines = 4 minots = 48 quarts = 192 litrons A setier of wheat was a mass of 240 poids de marc.
salt	16	208.13	= 1/12 muid = 2 mines = 4 minots = 256 litrons
oats	24	312.20	= 1/12 muid = 2 mines = 4 minots = 96 picotins = 384 litrons
charcoal	32	416.27	= 1/10 muid = 2 mines = 4 minots

Mainly from Doursther, 1840
Locale	Equivalents	Value
Abbeville	= 10 Parisian boisseaux	130 liters
Agde	= ½ émine; 60 poids de marc of wheat	29.4 kg
Albi	= 9 Parisian boisseaux	117 liters
Amien	= 4 piquets; = 50 – 52 poids de marc of wheat	24.5 - 25.5 kg
Arles	= 93 poids de marc of wheat	45.5 kg
Boulogne	= 13½ Parisian boisseaux
Briel	1 setier of oats = 16 boisseaux	384 liters
Calais	= 13 Parisian boisseaux; = 260 poids de marc of wheat	127.3 kg
Carcassone		84 liters
Castelnaudary		79 liters
Castres	= 2 émines = 8 mégères = 32 boisseaux; = 170 poids de marc of wheat	83.2 kg
Châlons-sur-Marne	= 200 poids de marc of wheat; = 10 Parisian boisseaux	97.9 kg
Chauny	= 4 Parisian boisseaux	52 liters
Corbie		44 liters
Doulens	= 4 quartiers = 16 boisseaux; = 208 poids de marc of wheat	101.8 kg
Fère	71 poids de marc of wheat	45 liters
Gaillac and Lavaur		139 liters
Montauban		218 liters
Montpellier	= 2 émines = 4 quartes	52 liters
Nantes	= 1/10 tonneau = 12 boisseaux	150 liters
Nantes	(the older setier) =16 boisseaux	145.68 liters
Narbonne		84 liters
Négrepelisse	= 2 sacs	242.44 liters
Noyon	86 poids de marc	56 liters
Péronne	88 poids de marc	57.53 liters
St. Quentin	= 2 mencaults	52 liters
Rabasteins		172 liters
Réalmont		128 liters
Rheims	130 poids de marc	85 liters
Rethel	112 poids de marc of wheat	72 liters
Rochelle, Marennes, Brouage, La Tremblade, ile d'Oleron, ile de Ré, les Sables, Maraus and others	A very old salt measure, = 1/100 cent; in the mid-19th c. = 6 18/25 boisseaux, weighing about 260- 280 kilograms	336 liters
Rouen	= 1/12 muid = 2 mines = 8 boisseaux; = 280 poids de marc of wheat	182 liters
Saumur		156.10 liters
Soissons	158 poids de marc	77.3 kg
Toulouse		112 liters
Troyes	setier of oats = 16 boisseaux	384 liters
St. Vallery-sur-Somme		156.10 liters

Joseph Petit and Gavrilovitch, Maury and Teodoru.
Essai de restitution de plus anciens mémoriaux de la Chambre des comptes de Paris.
Paris: F. Alcan, 1899.

Sources

Sestieri uno di grano di Mompolieri fa in Firenze staia due di grano.

One setier of grain of Montpellier makes 2 Florentine staia of grain.

Chiarini, 1481.

2

In France, ? – 19^th centuries, a unit of land area. Originally it was a seed measure of land, the amount of land that would be sown with 1 setier of seed. In the 18^th century it transitioned to a geometric unit, having a variety of values in different locations:

Depart- ment	City	Value	Equivalent
Aisne		48 sq. verges; 2059.9 sq. meters	verge = 22 pieds; pied = 11 pouces
		50 sq. verges; 2145.7 sq. meters	verge = 22 pieds; pied = 11 pouces
		52 sq. verges; 2420.8 sq. meters	verge = 24 pieds; pied = 10 pouces, 10 lignes
		60 sq. verges; 2574.9 sq. meters	verge = 22 pieds; pied = 11 pouces
		70 sq. verges; 3791.5 sq. meters	verge = 25 pieds; pied = 10 7/8 pouces
	La Fère, Chauny, St. Quentin	80 sq. verges; 3433.2 sq. meters (setier de Vermandois)	verge = 22 pieds; pied = 11 pouces
Ardennes		80 sq. verges	verge = 16 pied, 8 pouces
Eure-et-Loir		80 sq. perches; 3377.2 sq. meters	perche = 20 pieds
		80 sq. perches; 3962.6 sq. meters	perche = 21 pieds, 8 pouces
		80 sq. perches; 4085.7 sq. meters	perche = 22 pieds
		100 sq. perches; 4220.8 sq. meters	perche = 20 pieds
		120 sq. perches; 5943.9 sq. meters	perche = 21 pieds, 8 pouces
		133.33 sq. perches; 5627.7 sq. meters	perche = 20 pieds
Loiret	Sermaise	4083.6 sq. meters
Marne	Auberive	80 sq. verges = 16 boisseaux*; 2889.1 sq. meters	verge = 20 pieds, 2 pouces; pied = 11 pouces
	Beaumont	106.66 sq. verges = 16 boisseaux*; 3382.6 sq. meters	verge = 20 pieds; pied = 10.4 pouces
	Rilly	80 sq. verges = 4 quartels; 3431.1 sq. meters	verge = 22 pieds; pied = 11 pouces
	Sommepy	80 sq. verges; 3433.4 sq. meters	verge = 22 pieds; pied = 11 pouces
	Louvois	80 sq. verges; 3461.5 sq. meters	verge = 20 pieds, 3 pouces
	Vitry-sur-Marne	106.55 sq. verges= 4 quartels; 3780.6 sq. meters	verge = 20 pieds; pied = 10.4 pouces
Oise	Attichy	457.7 sq. meters, for vinyards
Oise	Noyon	3791.5 sq. meters

* The boisseau as a unit of land area, of course.

3

In France, various units of liquid capacity, principally (only?) used for wine:

In Paris, the setier of wine = 1/36 muid = 4 quarts = 8 pintes = 16 chopines = 32 demi-setiers = 64 poissons = 256 roquilles, about 7.45 liters.
The chopine was sometimes called a setier, in which case a setier was about 466 milliliters.
The setier in some other cities was a much larger unit. According to Doursther, the setier of wine in Montpellier (= 1/18 muid = 32 pots) was about 33.80 liters, and Toulouse had two setiers, one of 3 barals (34.93 liters) and one of 4 barals (46.658 liters).

In Switzerland the setier was identified with the eimer and had values comparable to the larger French values.

The demi-setier, despite its name, = ¼ pinte. It is a single serving, a unit of liquid capacity applied to wine and other spirits at the retail level, at least as early as the 17^th century.