puncheon

(pŭn'chən)

1. A short wooden upright used in structural framing.
2. A piece of broad, heavy, roughly dressed timber with one face finished flat.
3. A punching, perforating, or stamping tool, especially one used by a goldsmith.

[Middle English punchon, from Old French ponçon, ponchon, from Vulgar Latin *pūnctiō, pūnctiōn-, punch, from *pūnctiāre, to pierce, from Latin pūnctus, past participle of pungere, to prick.]

(pŭn'chən)

1. A cask with a capacity of from 72 to 120 gallons (273 to 454 liters).
2. The amount of liquid contained in a puncheon.

[Middle English ponchon, from Old French poinçon, poinchon, punch, cask (probably because the casks were inspected and marked with a punch). See puncheon¹.]

View more Science videos

A bulk-measure cask, with established volumes and quantities for various commodities in historic marketplaces, = ⅓ tun.

1. A short, upright piece of timber in framing; a short post; an intermediate stud.
2. A split log or heavy slab with the face smoothed.
3. A short post used as a spacing support in temporary timbering around an excavation.

[PUNCH-uhn] A large oak barrel that can vary in capacity from about 80 to about 133 gallons.

• Special Measures - puncheon: cask used as measure of liquid volume, equal to 80 gallons (304 l)
• Cuts, Sizes, Treatments, and Forms of Wood - puncheon: short post, used upright in framing
• Edged, Pointed, Carving, and Turning Tools - puncheon: pointed stamping tool for goldsmith work
• Receptacles and Casks - puncheon: large cask in variety of sizes, usu. 80 gallons (304 l)

A puncheon is also a type of road; see plank road

A puncheon is a type of Caribbean rum

See also Puncheon (disambiguation)

This article provides insufficient context for those unfamiliar with the subject. Please help improve the article with a good introductory style. (October 2009)

This article may be in need of reorganization to comply with Wikipedia's layout guidelines. Please help by editing the article to make improvements to the overall structure. (July 2008)

Puncheon is a tool or instrument for piercing or punching, such as those used for impressing designs onto coin dies. The "barrel" meaning is thought to derive from the fact that it would have been marked by use of a punch to denote its contents.

Contents 1 Puncheon rum 2 Wine casks 3 Chart 4 See also 5 References 6 External links

Puncheon rum

In Trinidad and Tobago, the term "puncheon" is used to describe Puncheon Rum, which is a high proof heavy-type rum. Three local brands, Forres Park, Caroni and Stallion produce bottles that are 75% alcohol by volume. A favourite with seafarers and estate workers, Puncheon Rum has traditionally provided comfort and warmth against the elements in Trinidad and Tobago to cane workers. From the early days of the plantations, this rum has been much sought after for blending in Europe and North America.^[1] The first distillation of rum took place on the sugarcane plantations of the Caribbean in the 17th century.^[2] Plantation slaves first discovered that molasses, a by-product of the sugar refining process, can be fermented into alcohol.

Wine casks

The puncheon, in the United States also called pon for brevity, is an old English unit of wine casks, holding about 318 litres. It is also known as tertian (from the Latin word for third), because three of it make a tun, and as the (wine) firkin.

Chart

English casks of wine^[3]

gallon	rundlet	barrel	tierce	hogshead	firkin, puncheon, tertian	pipe, butt	tun
							1	tun
						1	2	pipes, butts
					1	1 1⁄2	3	firkins, puncheons, tertians
				1	1 1⁄3	2	4	hogsheads
			1	1 1⁄2	2	3	6	tierces
		1	1 1⁄3	2	2 2⁄3	4	8	barrels
	1	1 3⁄4	2 1⁄3	3 1⁄2	4 2⁄3	7	14	rundlets
1	18	31 1⁄2	42	63	84	126	252	gallons (US/wine)
3.785	68.14	119.24	158.99	238.48	317.97	476.96	953.92	litres
1	15	26 1⁄4	35	52 1⁄2	70	105	210	gallons (imperial)
4.546	68.19	119.3	159.1	238.7	318.2	477.3	954.7	litres

See also

• English units of wine casks

References

1. ^ The first "puncheon" rum is said to have been manufactured as early as 1627 by the makers of Caroni Puncheon Rum
2. ^ Angostura "Forres Park" Puncheon Rum
3. ^ http://www.sizes.com/units/barrel_wine.htm

External links

• Caroni Puncheon Rums

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)