Forms: 6 chauderne, 7 chaudron, chawdron, chauldron, chalderon, 7– chaldron. [Another form of CAULDRON; a. OF. chauderon, mod.F. chaudron (= Sp. calderon, It. calderone), augm. of chaudère, chaudière (= Sp. caldera) kettle:—L. caldāria, pl. of caldārium hot-bath, f. cald-us, calid-us hot. The etymological form is chaudron; as in cauldron, an l has been inserted in recognition of the remoter derivation, and u subsequently dropped.]
† 1. An obsolete form of CAULDRON. Obs.
1555. Eden, Decades W. Ind. (Arb.), 223. A chauderne of water.
1601. Holland, Pliny, I. 259. The tunnel or mouth of the furnace must be a good way off from the lead and chawdron.
1639. T. de Grey, Compl. Horsem., 137. Fill up the Chalderon with faire water.
1750. G. Hughes, Barbados, 248. The juice … is boiled first in a very large copper or chaldron.
2. A dry measure of 4 quarters or 32 bushels; in recent times only used for coals (36 bushels).
1615. Trade’s Incr., in Harl. Misc. (Malh.), III. 295. Chauldron of coals.
1664. Pepys, Diary (1879), III. 21. This afternoon came my great store of Coles in, being 10 Chaldron.
1710. Steele, Tatler, No. 73, ¶ 16. All such that shall Poll for Sir Arthur … shall have one Chaldron of good Coals … And half a Chaldron to every one that shall not Poll against him.
1801. Hutton, Course Math. (1825), I. 28.
1834. Brit. Husb., I. xii. 296. [Lime] from 6s. to 18s. per chaldron of 36 bushels.
1844. Dickens, Mart. Chuz., liv. 615. She had laid in several chaldrons of live coals, and was prepared to heap them on the heads of her enemies.
1851. Coal-trade Terms Northumbld. & Durham, 13. The Newcastle chaldron is a measure containing 53 cwt. of coals…. It has been found, by repeated trials, that 15 London Pool chaldrons are equal to 8 Newcastle chaldrons.
b. Comb., as chaldron-wagon.
1851. Coal-trade Terms Northumbld. & Durham, s.v. Chaldron, The content of the chaldron waggon … is 217,989 cubic inches.
1881. Raymond, Mining Gloss., Chaldron-wagons, containing this quantity, convey the coal from the pit to the place of shipment.
† 3. In sense of CHALDER1 1. Obs.
1617. Moryson, Itin., III. III. iv. 155. The Gentlemen reckon their reuenewes, not by rents of monie, but by chauldrons of victuals.
1628. Hobbes, Thucyd., III. (1629), 153, marg. Horsemen, such as kept a Horse to serue the State, and were valued at 300 Chaldrons.
