A firkin is a small wooden bucket or barrel, usually lidded and with a handle, originally used for storing liquid or dry goods like beer or sugar. The name originated from the Dutch word “vierdikikijn,” which means “fourth” because a firkin was initially sized to be one-quarter of a barrel.
What is the difference between a Firkin and a bucket?
Firkin. A Firkin, unlike a bucket or a pail, has its roots as a specific quantifiable English measure. A firkin, generally, is a liquid measure consisting of a quarter of a barrel or eight gallons. From the 16 th century commodities such as ale and beer were commonly marketed using this measure.
What is a firkin?
A firkin, generally, is a liquid measure consisting of a quarter of a barrel or eight gallons. From the 16 th century commodities such as ale and beer were commonly marketed using this measure.
What was sold by the Firkin in England?
Butter, fish, and soap were also commonly sold by the firkin. A firkin of butter, for example, was by law required to weigh fifty-six pounds and numerous laws are recorded in England and America regarding the production and marking of firkins to identify who made them and the container’s capacity.
How much does a firkin weigh?
A firkin of butter, for example, was by law required to weigh fifty-six pounds and numerous laws are recorded in England and America regarding the production and marking of firkins to identify who made them and the container’s capacity. Very few containers broadly referred to today as firkins have any such marks.
What were Firkin buckets used for?
What were antique Firkins used for?
What is a wooden bucket called?
What were old buckets made of?
Why is it called a firkin?
What is a firkin in the Bible?
Is bucket a container?
How many types of buckets are there?
What's the difference between a bucket and a pail?
What is a stave bucket?
How was a Firkin made?
How was a bucket invented?
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What is a firkin bucket?
Depending upon the intended function the most appropriate terms are either, lidded bucket, if it was intended to draw water; or lidded pail, if it was intended to transport a liquid from one place to another. But, over the years, the colloquial definition of firkin has evolved.
What is a firkin container?
In the case of ale and beer, the firkin container was simply a smaller version of the common barrel. Other materials were also quantified by firkins. Butter, fish, and soap were also commonly sold by the firkin.
What is a bucket?
The Oxford English Dictionary describes the primary meaning of bucket as “The vessel in which water is drawn out of a well.” This suggests that a bucket has a singular use of retrieving water from a well. Nathan Bailey supports this definition in his 1675 Universal Entymological English Dictionary as “a Pail made of Leather or Wood to draw Water in.” Interestingly, Bailey’s definition further describes a bucket as a leather or wood container. Numerous dictionaries published during the 18 th and 19 th centuries also similarly define bucket, but substitute the word “pail” with “vessel.”
How many gallons are in a firkin?
A firkin, generally, is a liquid measure consisting of a quarter of a barrel or eight gallons. From the 16 th century commodities such as ale and beer were commonly marketed using this measure.
How much does a firkin of butter weigh?
A firkin of butter, for example, was by law required to weigh fifty-six pounds and numerous laws are recorded in England and America regarding the production and marking of firkins to identify who made them and the container’s capacity. Very few containers broadly referred to today as firkins have any such marks.
What is a firkin?
A firkin is a small wooden bucket or barrel, usually lidded and with a handle, originally used for storing liquid or dry goods like beer or sugar. The name originated from the Dutch word “vierdikikijn,” which means “fourth” because a firkin was initially sized to be one-quarter of a barrel. Over time, the term “firkin” was no longer used as a measurement but as a name for the bucket, and it began to be made in various sizes.
What are firkins used for?
Firkins and Their Popularity with Primitive Collectors. Wooden firkins are often used today as primitive décor. This trio of firkins would be a great start to a collection. While browsing through my favorite primitive-style magazines, I often see homes adorned with wooden buckets known as firkins.
Where are firkins made?
Firkins produced by C Wilder & Son in Hingham, Massachusetts are usually marked on the lid with the company name and location. This C Wilder-marked firkin sold for $95 in November 2019.
What are firkins used for?
In later use, besides being used for storing beer, firkins were used to hold sugar, salt and even fish and other staples.
What is a firkin barrel?
A Firkin is a cask used by British brewers for delivery of cask-conditioned beer to the pub. A firkin holds a quarter of a barrel (9 Imperial gal; 10.8 US gal, 41 l). A firkin was originally coopered from wooden staves bound with iron hoops, but is now more commonly made of stainless steel or aluminum.
What are the signs of a firkin?
Many firkins are likely to show some signs of wear, such as missing paint, if they were painted to begin with. It is also quite common for the lids of firkins to get lost with the passage of time.
How many gallons is a firkin?
A firkin is a unit of measurement roughly equal to a Hebrew bath (another unit of measurement), which is about 9 gallons.
How tall is a butter firkin?
There was no standard height, but a non-untypical size would have been 18 cm (7 inches) tall, and 15 to 18 cm (6 to 7 inches) wide. As there was no law governing the size of butter firkins, the volume that a firkin could hold had no particular relationship to the measurement called a “ firkin.”.
Where did the name "firkin" come from?
The name comes from the Dutch word “vierdikikijn,” meaning fourth. Originally a firkin was a measurement of one fourth of a barrel by weight or volume. One antique expert calls firkins the “Tupperware of the 19th century.”.
When were sugar buckets made?
The stave construction, U-shaped swing handle secured with wood pegs, the wood bands, wood lid and the original paint are typical of sugar buckets made in the mid 1800s.
