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The tilestick, or slate rule, has been
used for many centuries to measure the lengths of stone slates and to determine
batten-guages when laying slates in reducing courses across a roof. Stone tiles
were measured in 1/2 inches increments from 6" in length to between
12" or 131/2" depending on the tradition in the area. Thereafter they
increased in size in one-inch increments to 24" or the Long Sixteens. In
some areas a 13" skate was thought to be unlucky, so the gauging jumped
from 121/2" to 131/2" and 14".
(The Completely Stoned Company)
David Ellis: Slate
Measuring Names
 We have this measuring rod...we start- the small one at 6 inches,
and we go up to just over two feet- you got..half of them would be measured in
small ones, measured in half inches and the larger ones would go to the
inch...the slate rule we had, it was a little difficult when you first get to
use it because the marks on it don't comply with little markers along- clues to
where you are with numbers- you know, the name of the slate that goes into the
particular pile you see, but they used to move them- so that used to confuse
people, they didn't know what they were doing you see.
If you'd like me to tell you those names I can tell you...we'll
start with the small one, just below 6 inches, it's called an outrule...and
then we go onto the next one it would be between 6 inches and 6 and a 1/2
inches. I won't go into all of the little measurements but I'll just roll off
the names- so we go from even mope to large mope- even mumford to large
mumford, even job, large job, even short'un, large short'un, even shortback,
large shortback, even middleback, large middleback, even longback, large
longback, and then it changes from the half inches to the inches, batchelor,
wibbet, twelves, fourteens, sixteens, eighteens, in-bow, out-bow, short-ten,
middle-ten and long-ten.
Slate Sizes
and Names
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