What does "two ells within the selvages" mean in the Magna Carta?

score:13

In England, the ell was usually 45 in (1.143 m), or a yard and a quarter. It was mainly used in the tailoring business but is now obsolete. Although the exact length was never defined in English law, standards were kept; the brass ell examined at the Exchequer by Graham in the 1740s had been in use "since the time of Queen Elizabeth".

Selvedge

A selvage (US English) or selvedge (British English) is a "self-finished" edge of fabric, keeping it from unraveling and fraying. . . Historically, the term selvage applied only to loom woven fabric, though now can be applied to flat-knitted fabric.

The selvedge is the edge of the woven fabric, and an ell is about 45 inches. So this passage is standardizing the width of woven fabrics in the kingdom to be about 90 inches.

Nelson O 246

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What does "two ells within the selvages" mean in the Magna Carta?

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