File talk:English length units graph.svg

Barleycorns

were legally ⅓ of an inch, so even though they were frequently taken as ¼ of an inch it's ok to let that slide.

There's absolutely no basis for thinking that poppyseeds were only ¼ of a barleycorn, though: it's an informal unit that this image's source pointedly states may be ¼ or 1/5 of a barleycorn. Meanwhile, the line certainly and only was ¼ of a barleycorn and has nothing to do with where it is currently placed in this image. — LlywelynII 12:22, 9 April 2015 (UTC)

The data for this diagram was taken from en:English unit as it stood at the time of its creation. Poppyseed must have looked more formal there back then. Whether there are 12 lines to the inch or 4 to the barleycorn, it’s basically the same. The line has seen wide use – in typography – without any connection to the barleycorn, however. — Christoph Päper 14:41, 9 April 2015 (UTC)