>The ways they were measured
This is another clue, often ignored.
The inch, foot, yard, and pole are geometrical measures, not the random length of some British mong's appendage.
The Imperial system is a human relatable measurement system; plus, work involving measurement and number is always more convenient if everything can be expressed in whole numbers and lengths that can be readily visualized, especially when dealing with uneducated workmen.
One mile is 63360 inches. A half mile is 31680 inches. A quarter mile is 15840 inches. 1/8th of a mile is 7920 inches. 1/16th of a mile is 3960 inches. 1/32nd of a mile is 1980 inches. 1/64th of a mile is 990 inches. 1/128th of a mile is 495 inches.
The brilliance of the design becomes even more apparent when dealing with thirds: 495 can be divided into three equal whole-number parts—165, which can again be divided into three equal whole-number parts—55. 55 is then divisible by 5 and 11.
A major disadvantage of the metric system in the real world is that thirds and elevenths cannot be expressed as whole numbers.
The number 63360 is practical as it is composed of the factors 2, 3, 5, and 11.
A mile is 2x2x2x2x2x2x2x3x3x5x11 inches.
These factors are the basis of other units of Imperial measurement as well:
There are 2x2x2x2x2x3x5x11 feet in a mile.
There are 2x2x2x2x2x5x11 yards in a mile.
There are 2x3x3x11 inches in a pole.
There are 2x2x2x2x2x2x5 poles in a mile.
There are 2x2x2x2x3x5x11 yards in a domesday league.
NONE of this is coincidence.
11 is an extremely important number in real world calculations, because Pi.
For example, if you want to construct a circle with a circumference of one mile, the radius will be 280 yards, or 840 feet, or 10080 inches.
If the circumference is to be one third of a mile, the radius is 280 feet.
A circumference of one thirtieth of a mile would have a radius of 28 feet.
1/36th of a mile, a radius of 280 inches.