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barcella [Spanish]

In parts of Spain, 15ᵗʰ – 20ᵗʰ centuries, a unit of dry capacity used for grain, varying with time and place. Also spelled barchilla, barsella, barzella.

sources

Chafixo uno di grano di Valenza fa in Firenze staia septe e mezo e uno chafixo è dodici barzella, e pesa decto chafixo libbre trececinquant in ccclv.

One cahiz of grain in Valencia makes 7½ staia in Florence and 1 cahiz is 12 barcella, and the said cahiz weighs between 350 and 355 libbre.

Chiarini, 1481.

Assuming that in the 15ᵗʰ century the Venetian staia was 24.4 liters, Chiarini's statement would make the 15ᵗʰ century Valencian barcella 15.25 liters.

Doursther (1840)

Locale	Equivalents	Liters
Alicante	= 1/12 cahiz = 4 almudes = 8 medios = 16 quartillos	20.53
Benicarlo	= 1/12 cahiz = 4 almudes = 8 medios = 16 quartillos	16.66
Majorca and Minorca	= 1/6 quartera = 6 almudes	12.02
Valencia	= 1/12 cahiz = 4 almudes = 8 medios = 16 quarterones	17.10

Instituto Geográfico y Estadístico, 1886

Province	Liters
Alicante	20.775
Castellón	16.60
Valencia	16.75

Dirección General del Instituto Geográfico y Estadístico.
Equivalencias entre las Pesas y Medidas Usadas Antiguamente en las Diversas Provincias de España y las Legales del Sistema Métrico-Decimal.
Publicadas de Real Orden.
Madrid: Imprenta de la Dirección General del Instituto Geográfica y Estadístico, 1886.
Pages 10, 20 and 52.

The accepted formula is: Eleven barchillas (a barchilla equals 16.75 liters, or approximately 15.21 quarts dry measure) of ash from ordinary mountain wood and 1 barchilla of vine-wood ash, heaped together, with a small opening at the top in which is placed one arroba (27.5 pounds) of rough lime.

Claude I. Dawson.
Curing and Packing Valencia Raisins.
U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce.
Daily Consular and Trade Reports.
Nos. 75-151; Volume 2; April, May and June 1913.
Washington: U.S.G.P.O., 1913.
Page 210. Report 85, April 12, 1913.