Pound (mass) No standards of the Tower pound are known to have survived. The Tower pound was equivalent to about 350 grams. The merchants' pound ("mercantile pound", "libra mercantoria", or "commercial pound") was considered to be composed of 25 rather than 20 Tower shillings of 12 pence. It was equal to 9,600 wheat grains (15 tower ounces or 6,750 grains) and was used in England until the 14th century for goods other than money and medicine ("electuaries"). The London pound is that of the Hansa, as used in their various trading places. The London pound is based on 16 ounces, each ounce
Anglo-Saxon pound Thomas Snelling writes that the division of the pound into 12 ounces was in use with the Romans, and the division of ounces into 20 pennyweights was introduced into France by Charlemagne, and then brought to England by William the Conqueror. The Latin word for "pound" is libra. The £ or ₤ is a stylised writing of the letter L, a short way of writing libra. This is similar to how a pound of mass is abbreviated "lb". Up until 1972, especially on typewriters or keyboards without a "£" symbol, it was common to write "L" or "l" instead of