load

The load, also known as a fodder, fother, and charrus (,  "cartload"), is a historic English unit of weight or mass of various amounts, depending on the era, the substance being measured, and where it was being measured. The term was in use by the 13th century, and disappeared with legislation from the 1820s onwards. Modern equivalents of historical weights and measures are often very difficult to determine, and figures given here should be treated with caution. Etymology According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word "fother" (noun) is derived from: Lead load In very general terms, a "load" or "fother" of metallic lead was approximately or exactly equal to one long ton of 2240 lbs (1016 kg), also equal to approximately one tonne. Fothers have been recorded from 2184 lbs (991 kg) to 2520 lbs (1143 kg).