pics - as a French Grave measurement

[phill100]

Greetings

A French graveyard certificate described the dimensions of a grave as "3 and a half "pics" and 1 and a half "pics" " (in French, of course, but the word "pic" is from the certificate)

Does anyone know how long a "pic" is?

Many thanks

Phill

[nainmaddie]

Hi Phill

I have tried to search for the French "Pics "  but without success.  As we cannot see the document , could it have been Pied ?  That is the nearest, that I can find which is about a foot in our measurement.

Nainmaddie

[IrishOrigins]

Pic
Pic noun [ Confer French pic .] A Turkish cloth measure, varying from 18 to 28 inches.
Found on http://www.encyclo.co.uk/webster/P/83


This is the only reference I could find - hope it helps.

Philippa

[phill100]

Many thanks Nainmaddie - we thought at first it might have been Pied or Pied de Roi, but it seems more likely to be "pic"

And many thanks Philippa - your discovery may well be the clue we have been looking for, as the family also has a strong Turkish connection

Regards

Phill

[IrishOrigins]

Phill - You are more than welcome. 

I enjoyed the chase for information and was suprised that I actually found the articles on measurement and terminology very interesting.  Don't tell me I'm developing some sort of scientific orientation after all these years - my husband would be shocked out of his socks!!!

 

I just hope that snippet leads to bigger and better things!!!

Good luck,

Philippa

[Koromo]

Another similar reference on A Dictionary of Units of Measurement:
http://www.unc.edu/~rowlett/units/dictP.html#pik

When I first came to live in the Eastern Mediterranean I used to buy fabric by the pik, equivalent to an arm's length.  Sometimes it was sold by weight -- the cut length of material was weighed on old fashioned scales.

Also used to buy potatoes by the oke (about 2˝lbs) but everything is metric now.