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ochavillo

1

In Spain, ? – 19ᵗʰ century, two units of dry capacity. By the standard of Castile, = ¼ ochavo ≅ 72 milliliters. By the standard of Grenada, = ¼ cuartillo ≅ 284.90 mL.

sources

Medidas para Aridos

El quartillo de 2. medios quartillos, en cada uno de los quales caben 2. ochavillos.

The cuartillo of 2 half cuartillos, in each of which they fit 2 ochavillos.

Don Vicente Martinez Gomez.
Manual de Comercio en que se halla La Description de las Monedas, Pesas y Medidas que se usan en los Reynos de España…
Madrid: en la Imprenta de Don Benito Cano, 1795.
Page 9.

Litro di grano.....0,864849 cuartillos, ó 3 ochavillos, 459 millésimas de ochavillo.

Equivalencias entre las Pesas y Medidas Usadas Antiguamente., (1886), page 7.

The authors' figures work out to an ochavillo of about 289.1 milliliters, even though they state on the page that they are giving the standard of Castile, in translation: “Commonly called legal measures and weights of Castile, and formerly ordered to be used throughout the kingdom by law 5^a, title 9, book 9 Novísima Recopilación, when unification [of weights and measures] was attempted for the second time in Spain.” Later in this work, the authors list the ochavillo only in the provinces of Palencia and Toledo, at the ¼ cuartillo size.

Martini (1883) lists the 72.257 mL ochavillo as having been used in Madrid (page 322) and Lima, Peru (page 270). Martini gives ¼ cuartillo values for Grenada, 284.896 mL and for Santander 285.625 mL (page 716).

Por el Excmo. Sr. D. Pedro Cevallos, primer Secretario de Estado y del Despacho, se ha comunicado at Consejo por medio del Excmo. Sr. D. Gregario de la Cuesta, Gobernador de él, en 26 de Enero próximo la Real Orden que se sigue:
“Informado el Rey de lo muy imperfectos y maltratados que estan los patrones originales de pesas y medidas que rigen en la mayor parte de estos Reynos, segun resultó del exámen que de ellos ha mandado hacer S. M.… [page 1, not paginated]

La fanega se dividirá en dos medias fanegas, y en 4 quartillas, y el celemin se dividerá en mitades sucesivas, segun se acostumbra con los nombres de medio celemín, quartillo, medio quartillo, ochavo; medio ochavo, y ochavillo. [page 2, not paginated]

El ochavillo será de boca quadrada; y este quadro, incluso el gruesa de los bordes, tendrá 3 1/8 dedos de lado. La luz de la boca, igual al fondo, será un quadro de 2½ dedos de lado: la altura interior será de 2 3/16 dedos. [page 4, not paginated]

By the Hon. Senor Don Pedro Cevallos, first Secretary of State and Office, has communicated to the Council through the Hon. Senor Don Gregario de la Cuesta, Governor of the Council, on January 26 next the Royal Order that follows:

Informing the King of the very imperfect and mistreated state of the original standards of weights and measures that govern in most parts of these kingdoms, as emerged from the investigation that his majesty had ordered…

The fanega will be divided into two medio fanegas, and into 4 quartillas, and the celemin will be divided into successive halves, as is customary with the names of medio celemin, quartillo, medio quartillo, ochavo, medio ochavo, and ochavillo.

The ochavillo will have a square mouth; and this square, including the thickness on the edges, will be 3⅛ dedos on a side. The span of the mouth, equal to the bottom, will be a square of 2½ dedos per side: the interior height will be 2³⁄₁₆ dedos.

D. Bartolome Munoz.
Pragmatica.
Madrid, 20 Febrero 1801.
See Novisima Recopilacion Tome III. Libro IX, Titulo IX, Ley V.

Doing the math, the box has a volume of 13.672 cubic dedos. Taking a cubic dedo as 5.268 millilters, the ochavillo so defined is 72.02 mL.

2

In Spain, a unit of area, = ¹⁄₁₆ celemín, about 33.54 square meters.