Don’s definition of a pole is quite accurate, is still used today, and was used before the Norman conquest:
  one pole is 16.5 feet [ and called a rod]
  4 poles equal 1 chain  - 1 chain is 22 yards or 66 feet
  10 chains are a furlough, 1 furlough is 1/8 mile.
  Each link in the chain is 7.92 inches, so 100 links is exactly 792 inches or 66 feet. Links are a unit of measure and are often used in surveyor’s descriptions. [abbreviated L. ln., lk, or lnk.] And the Scots spelled it "rodds" or "roods"

  The furlough, chains, poles or rods, and links were standardized units of measure since Edward I declared them to be.  One tool used to measure a "pole"  was a “ranging pole”, which is a  surveying instrument consisting of a straight rod painted in bands of alternate red and white, each band being one foot wide,  which is exactly 16.5 feet long. It is used for sightings by surveyors.  It was carried and laid on the ground for measuring length. [a pole is lineal unit of measure]  This tool was in use before the Norman conquest, and is still in use in America today.

  A chain, or a Gunter’s chain, was a surveying instrument, with loose links that could be folded up and carried by the surveyors. The “chain carrier” is often names on the plat, especially in North Carolina, and was usually a neighbor of the land owner.

  Processioners didn’t need surveyors with them, since surveys had already been conducted when perfecting title.  The processioners simply “beat the path”, so as to reach a common agreement about where the lines were, in order to avoid any future disagreements.  Trees are downed, rivers change course, or dry up, and rocks can be moved. But a congregation that walks the line can vouch for where the line should be, even when the surveyor’s markings are gone.

  I agree with Don that a course or workshop in surveying is time well spent.  I learned more in 90 minutes spent in a genealogist’s workshop than I did in 2 semesters of real estate law.  I could never grasp the idea that the Germans measured land in squares, but the English measured land in circles.  I remember an attorney drawing circles on the blackboard to show that there are always gaps between a series of circles.  “This is why we still need title searches when buying property in VA”.     I spent many hours staring at odd shaped plats of land trying to figure out how in the world they were based on a circle!  I had never seen a plat that looked like it was based on a circle, since they are entirely straight lines, except when running along a river. Now I understand that if you visualize something like a compass, with true north being at the top and and the 6:00 position being south, it is easier to understand.  All the lines are straight, but begin in the center of an
 imaginary circle of 360 degrees.  Once the first line is drawn, each successive line builds on the previous line, creating the angles.  At this point, after creating the first line, you no longer think "circle".  After drawing a few plats, you can even visualize the angles, without a protractor.  Protractors, [half circles, with degree markings], are the best way to work out the exact angles.  No tricky geometry needed.  Although MapMaker is great for the lazy and/or math-challanged.

  Langdon Hagen-Long



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