Portuguese Metrology towards the end of the 18th Century and the “Memória sobre Pesos e Medidas” of José de Abreu Bacelar Chichorro (1795)

Abstract

In this paper, the Memória sobre Pesos e Medidas, written by José de Abreu Bacelar Chichorro in 1795, is contextualized and a full transcription is given. At that time, the author was the minister leading the reform of administrative and judicial territories in the province of Estremadura. Besides being one of the earliest studies on Portuguese metrology, the Memória contains the first proposal for the adoption of the Decimal Metric System in Portugal. This proposal did not produce immediate effects. However, the plan proposed by a specialized commission nearly two decades later, and approved by the Prince Regent in 1814, matches Chichorro’s proposal in all the essentials aspects.