Vergée

Unit of measurement of land area in the British Channel Islands

A vergée, or vergee, is a unit of area, a quarter of the French acre. Other spellings include vergie and vrégie. It is not an SI unit. The SI unit of area is the square metre.

Tables of conversion between Jersey vergées and English acres from an 1891 almanac

The term derives from Latin virga (rod). Compare French verge (yard).

In the Channel Islands, it is a standard measure of land, but the statutory definition differs between the bailiwicks.

  • In Guernsey, a vergée (Guernésiais: vergie) is 17,640 square feet (1,639 m²). It is 40 (square) Guernsey perches. A Guernsey perch (also spelt perque) is 21 feet by 21 feet.[1]
  • In Jersey, a vergée (Jèrriais: vrégie) is 19,360 square feet (1,798.6 m²). It is 40 (square) Jersey perches. A Jersey perch (also spelt pèrque) is a square 24 pied de perche on each side (i.e. a square 22 imperial feet on each side).[2]
An inscribed stone describes this 11 vergée 25 perch clos des pauvres in Jersey

In France a vergée was 12,100 square Paris feet (1,276.8 m²). It was 25 (square) perches. The surveying perch measured 22 French feet. the royal perch was 18 French feet.

Conversions

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1 vergée (Guernsey) is equivalent to:

  • 1 638.809 63 m²
  • 0.404958678 acres

1 vergée (Jersey) is equivalent to:

  • 1,798.60285 m²
  • 0.444444444 acres

References

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  1. Dictiounnaire Angllais-Guernésiais, de Garis, 1982 ISBN 0850334624
  2. "Unusual Jersey Measures". Archived from the original on 2006-07-21. Retrieved 2011-02-28.
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