[The wine merchant as weight watcher]

Berry Brothers & Rudd Ltd are a company of wine merchants, based in central London, with traditions dating from the 18th century. From the beginning the company traded in colonial goods. This required a pair of scales. Buying coffe became an opportunity for a weighing session for the customers and over the years since 1765 weight records from the British nobility and gentry are available in seven leatherbound ledgers. Several interesting weight histories can be documented by the study of these well kept records. They illustrate that there was a need to measure body weight, long before the association between relative body weight and health had become clear.