This image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Licence
Buy this image as a print
BuyLicense this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library
LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Licence
Buy this image as a print
BuyLicense this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library
LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Licence
Buy this image as a print
BuyLicense this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library
LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Licence
Buy this image as a print
BuyLicense this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library
LicenseSet of 17th century nested brass weights
Science Museum Group
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Set of 17th century nested brass weights
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Set of 17th century nested brass weights
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Lefthand side
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
Set of 17th century nested brass weights
These brass weights weighing more than 7 kg in total, were used to weigh sheep’s wool – a very valuable commodity in the 1600s. Shearing and spinning wool was not without its health hazards. A type of anthrax that affected the lungs was transmitted to humans from the wool of infected sheep and became known as Wool Sorters Disease. The brass weights are pictured here with another set of nested weights (A167830).
Details
- Category:
- Pharmacy-ware
- Collection:
- Sir Henry Wellcome's Museum Collection
- Object Number:
- A5942
- Materials:
- whole, brass and addition, lead
- Measurements:
-
overall: 154 mm 142 mm, 7.31kg
- type:
- weights
- credit:
- Wellcome Trust (Purchased from Stevens)
