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Wispel [German]

In the northern portions of German-speaking Europe, ? – 19ᵗʰ century, a legal unit of dry capacity, mostly used for grains, varying by location. Abbr., Wspl. In Prussia and Saxony spelled Winspel.

Some 19ᵗʰ century wispels at various locations:

Locale		Equivalents	Size of Winspel in liters	Sources
Altoona		for wheat, rye, peas, same as Hamburg	1054.98
Anhalt	Bernburg & Dessau	like Prussia		J
	Rothen	= 2 Malter zu 12 Schefflin	18711.2	J
Berlin			1319.1
Boitzenburg		= 48 Himten = 32 Rostock Scheffel	1244.45	D
Braunsweig		= 4 Scheffel = 40 Himten	1257.9	J
Brunswick		= 4 Scheffel = 40 Himten = 160 Vierfass or Viermass = 640 Löcher or Becher	1244.14	D
Dresden		= 2 Malter = 24 Scheffel = 96 Viertel = 384 Metzen = 1536 Mässchen	2578.41
Hamburg		for wheat, rye, peas, ¹⁄₃ Last = 20 Faß = 40 Himten	1054.98 J→1099.2300	J
		for barley and oats, ½ Last 30 Faß = 60 Himten	1582.47 J→1648.8450	J
Hannover		= ½ Last = 8 Malter = 48 Himten = 144 Drittel = 192 Vierfass	1492.96	D
Leipzig		= 2 Malter = 24 Scheffel = 96 Viertel = 384 Metzen = 1536 Maesschen	2578.41	D
Lüneburg		= 20 Scheffel = 40 Himten = 160 Spint	1244.14	D
Mecklinburg-Schwerin		Boißenburger Maß = 1/3 Last = 8 Sack = = 32 Rostock Sheffel = 48 Himpten	1292.4	J; D1244.5
Mecklinburg-Streliß		¼ Last = 2 Drömt = 25 Scheffel	1368.19	J
		for oats, = 27 Scheffel	1477.6452	J
Prussia		= 2 Malter = 24 Scheffel. Before 1816, 1313.4624. 1816-1873:	1319.0760	J
	wholesale trade	for wheat, rye, barley, pease and oil = 25 Scheffel. Before 1816, 1368.1900. 1816-1873:	1374.375	J
		for oats =26 Scheffel. before 1816, 1422.9176. 1816-1873:	1428.9990	J
Reuß	Gera	2 Malter zu 12 Scheffeln	2547.84	J
	Greiz		3765.8880	J
	Schleiz		4616.760	J
Quedlinburg		= 2 Malter = 24 Scheffel = 48 Himten = 96 Viertel = 192 Vierfass = 384 large Metzen = 768 little Metzen = 1536 Maesschen	1309.08	D
Rostock		= ¹⁄₃ Last = 2²⁄₃ Drömt = 32 Scheffel = 128 Fass = 512 Metzen or Spint	1244.45
Stettin		= ¹⁄₃ Last = 2 Drömt = 24 Scheffel = 384 Metzen	1239.69
		the legal Winspel	1319.08
Zell		= ²⁄₅ Last = 4 Scheffel = 40 Himten = 160 Spint	1244.14

D Doursther (1840), page 584.

N Nelkenbrecher (1820).

J Jansen (1900) page xl.

sources

1

Wispel, ist ein korn- und getraide- maaß im Sächsischen, Brandenburgischen und andern angrentzenden ländern, und hält 2 malter oder 24 scheffel. Zu Braunschweig und Zelle hat ein wispel 4 sheffel. Zu Hamburg hält ein wispel 10 scheffel, 3 wispel aber machen eine last.

Wispel, is a grain- and seed- measure in Saxony, Brandenburg and other adjacent territories, and contains 2 malter or 24 sheffel. At Braunsweig and Zell a wispel is 4 scheffel. At Hamburg a wispel holds 10 sheffels, but 3 wispel make a last.

Johannis Theodori Jablonski.
Allgemeines Lexicon der Künste und Wissenschaften ….
Königsberg and Leipzig: Johann Heinrich Hartung, 1748.

The initial letters of the nouns in the original are not capitalized.

2

[Regarding Berlin] Pour les grains reçus dans les magasins royaux, on compte le winspel différemment. En y livrant le seigle et l'orge, le winspel se compte pour 25 boisseaux; pour l'avoine on l'établit à 26 boisseaux; mais on distribue les grains à raison de 24 boisseaux, en considérant le surplus comme déchet.

For grain received into the royal stores, the winspel is reckoned differently. In taking delivery of rye and barley, the winspel is reckoned at 25 scheffels; for oats it is fixed at 26 scheffels. But grain is distributed at 24 scheffels to the winspel, considering the surplus as waste.

Doursther (1840), page 584.

3

In Berlin, 19ᵗʰ century, the winspel (or winspelkarre) was also a measure of capacity for lime, 24 Zoll by 24 Zoll by 21 Zoll high, thus 7 cubic Fuss (216.41 liters).

Doursther (1840), page 585.

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Last revised: 27 October 2012.