Daily AncestorQuire
A quire was 24 sheets of writing paper (sometimes 25), one twentieth of a ream.
Paper was sold by the quire and the ream: 20 quires made a ream of 480 sheets in the older count. The word comes through French from the Latin for four together, because sheets were once packed in groups of four.
So 3 quires in an account means about 72 sheets in the older count, or 75 if the 25 sheet quire was used.
As seen in a recordStore account, 1790s
To 2 quires writing paper ... 0. 2. 0
Sources
How to cite this page
Daily Ancestor. "Quire." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/money-measures/quire. Last checked 2026-10-03.