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aln [Swedish]

See also alen.

Plural, alnar. In Sweden, 14ᵗʰ – 19ᵗʰ centuries, a unit of length belonging to the ell family of units. Between 1733 and 1855 = 2 fot = 4 kvarter = 24 tum (or verktum), about 59.380 2 centimeters (about 23.4 inches). Before 1733 = 32 finger(-bredder), about 52 – 60 cm.

Some older values:

14ᵗʰ – 16ᵗʰ centuries in the province of Öland (as alen), about 47.0 cm.^1,2

15ᵗʰ – 16ᵗʰ centuries in the province of Östergötland, about 53.9 cm.¹

17ᵗʰ – 18ᵗʰ centuries at Havdhem (in the province of Gotland, as eln), about 55.40 cm.

17ᵗʰ – 18ᵗʰ centuries at Hems (in the province of Gotland, as eln), about 55.12 cm.

17ᵗʰ – 18ᵗʰ centuries at Stånga (in the province of Gotland, as eln), about 55.36 cm.

17ᵗʰ – 18ᵗʰ centuries, brabantisk aln, commercial unit of length used for cloth, = 16 tailles, about 69.44 cm.

18ᵗʰ century in the province of Östergötland, about 56.0 cm.

between 1605 and 1621 (also as Stockholmsaln), about 52.5 cm.

between 1621 and 1664 (as Rydaholmsaln), about 59.382 cm.

18ᵗʰ century (as skräddarealn), used for cloth, about 89.1 cm.

18ᵗʰ – 19ᵗʰ centuries (as krympaln), used for textiles with allowance for shrinkage, = about 61 – 64 cm.

1. Sölve Göransson.
Om alnen I Norden.
Saga och sed 1986. pp. 21–70. Uppsala, 1988.

2. David Hannerbarg.
Die älteren skandinavischen Ackermasse... Ein Versuch zu einer zusammenfassenden Theorie.
Lund Studies in Geography B:12.
Lund, 1955.