Bartholomew Sikes (died 1803) was an officer in the employ of

HM Excise His or Her Majesty's Excise refers to 'inland' duties levied on articles at the time of their manufacture. Excise duty was first raised in England in 1643. Like HM Customs (a far older branch of the revenue services), the Excise was administered ...

who in the late 18th century perfected a device by which the alcoholic content of a liquid can be measured. The success of the device caused his name to be immortalised in an Act of Parliament: Sikes' Hydrometer Act 1816, 56 Geo. III c. 140. From 1816 until 1980 the

hydrometer A hydrometer or lactometer is an instrument used for measuring density or relative density of liquids based on the concept of buoyancy. They are typically calibrated and graduated with one or more scales such as specific gravity. A hydrometer ...

was the standard used in the UK to measure the

alcohol proof Alcohol proof (usually termed simply "proof" in relation to a beverage) is a measure of the content of ethanol (alcohol) in an alcoholic beverage. The term was originally used in England and was equal to about 1.8 times the percentage of alcoho ...

spirits Spirit or spirits may refer to: Liquor and other volatile liquids * Spirits, a.k.a. liquor, distilled alcoholic drinks * Spirit or tincture, an extract of plant or animal material dissolved in ethanol * Volatile (especially flammable) liquids, ...

, and from 1846 in Canadian law.

References

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sikes, Bartholomew British scientific instrument makers 1803 deaths 1816 in British law 1846 in Canadian law 1846 in Canada