Description (Physical description)
Large nest of weights. Royal coat of arms
Event Date
Author: maa

Context (Display)
Gunther notes that the greater part of the objects included in his book were also included in the Loan Exhibition of Historic Apparatus in Cambridge, held in the East Room of the Old Schools in June 1936. It is therefore likely, but not certain, that this object was included in the exhibition.
Event Date 6/1936
Author: Imogen Gunn (admin)

Description (Physical description)
R.T. Gunther (1937): 'Nest of eleven standard troy cup weights. CCLVI TR, CXXVIII, LXIIII, XXXII, XVI, VIII, IIII, II, I, [?1/2] Troy ounces. Inscribed 'EL ANo DO 1588 Ao REG XXX'.
Event Date 1937
Author: Imogen Gunn (admin)

Context (References)
Gunther, R.T. (1937). Early Science in Cambridge. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 28, no. 19
Event Date 1937
Author: Imogen Gunn (admin)

Context (Other)
Sent on loan to the Science Museum in 1946.
Event Date 1946
Author: Imogen Gunn (admin)

Description (Physical description)
Accession Register: 'Nest of bronze weights, Royal Arms, 1588.'
Event Date 10/8/1978
Author: Imogen Gunn (admin)

Context (Analysis)
The Z Register notes that this weight was 'transferred from University Registry, Old Schools' in 1886, referring to the 1886.52 accession (which was actually transferred in 1885); this tallies with R.T. Gunther's exhibition catalogue which records the lender as 'Arch. Mus. from the Registry'. The Accession Register entry for 1886.52 was simply 'A set of thirteen weights and two cubic measures (reign of Queen Elizabeth)', which could have included this weight but there are more than 13 weights that could plausibly be from the 1885 transfer. The ones which are most reasonably secure have now been given records (see 1886.52.1-13), but it is also possible that the original tally was incorrect and there were more than 13 weights; for example, a later, 1888 transfer from the University Library was retrospectively added to the 1886 sequence, becoming 1886.52.16. Therefore ?1886.52 has been retained in the MAA Nos. field, pending further investigation.
Event Date 17/2/2025
Author: Imogen Gunn (admin)

Description (Physical description)
Set of ten nested Exchequer standard troy cup weights made of copper alloy, likely brass or bronze. The set consists of weights for: 256 oz t, 128 oz t, 64 oz t, 32 oz t, 16 oz t, 8 oz t, 4 oz t, 2 oz t, 1 oz t and ½ oz t. Each cup, except the smallest, is marked with their respective weight value on the rim with stamped Roman numerals and Latin-script, e.g. ‘CCLVI 3 [the actual symbol cannot be correctly rendered] TR [rendered as a ligature]’. Notably the 64 oz t weight is marked ‘LXIIII’ instead of ‘LXIV’. The exterior of each cup, except for the smallest, is stamped on the front 'AN[n]o DO[mini] 1588’; beneath this rests a crown over ‘EL’, with ‘Ao REG XXX’ stamped beneath; the smallest cup is stamped ‘EL’ beneath a crown, with a symbol representing half of a troy ounce stamped beneath.
Event Date 19/2/2025
Author: Zahni Blumenthal