Picking up from my last post about how I lucked into a great internship experience last year, this post starts along the various rabbit holes I’ve been wanting to look into.
Measurements are a big part of any gardening setup, from how many acres to plant to how many square feet in a given garden bed. They’re also, of course, an essential part of construction — buildings, piping, electrical, foundations, and more.
One of the maps I got to look at was a 1867 copy of an 1817 map of the town of Sydney, corresponding to modern Shockoe Bottom in Richmond, VA. Now, first of all, how cool is that?
I did a lot of squeeing over that map. One of the most fascinating things about it, besides the detailed deed on the map itself, was the measurements used: Poles. Specifically, 20 poles to an inch.
Never having heard of such a measurement, I went on a research dive as soon as I got home. Here’s what I found:
“Early surveyors measured distance with a 66-foot chain composed of 100 links. This distance was too cumbersome in America, so surveyers more typically used a unit of measurement called a pole. Four poles equal one chain.” (From Northern Virginia History Notes)
Chains? Links? Are you serious right now? And the writer chose the word “cumbersome” — which has to be deliberate, unless she’s without any sense of humor.
As a writing aside — what happens when you apply this sort of mess to you fictional world? If measurements changing over time means, for instance, a treasure map from hundreds of years ago requires a visit to scholars just to figure out the proper distances and reference points, and let’s hope you can trust said scholar….
Coming back to the specifications: if one chain = 4 poles = 66 feet, and 20 poles = one inch, then the scale of this particular map would be… errrrrr… 66 times 5. Meaning 330 feet to the inch. A peculiar number by modern standards, which, from what I’ve seen, more typically round off to the half or whole (300 or 350). Another neat writing point — watch your base assumptions. Not everything is going to be numerically tidy!
How about acres? Well, those were standard measurements back then, but some surveyers got particular and used roods as well as poles.
Rood has two very different definitions: it can be a land measurement (about a quarter acre), or it can be a crucifix (sometimes called a triumphal cross) attached in specific spots within a church. If you want to geek out over how those two definitions attach to one word, go to Etymonline for a lovely etymology dive.
How do roods, rods, and poles compare?
1 acre is 160 square rods, which equals 43,650 square feet
1 pole is 16.5 feet or 30.5 square yards
1 rood is .25 acre
Meaning … you know what, if you’re into severe mathing, go for it. I’m just going to back away slowly so the calculations don’t attack me. Savage things, calculations. Conversions can be even worse. Don’t take either of them lightly.
But how were these terms written on the maps at the time?
Northern Virginia History Notes offers this example:
“Beginning at a hickory tree, thence N(o) 32(d) E(t) 25 poles to an oak tree marked DR, thence N(o) 65(d) E(t) 16 poles 5 links to a pile of stones, thence…”
Or:
“Beginning at a hickory tree, thence N23E 25p to an oak tree marked DR, thence N54E 16p, 5l to a pile of stones, thence….”
Another thought for writing a fictional world: Tree felling storms and locals carrying away stones for their walls and buildings must have significantly fucked with this sort of system. Boundary disputes could get ugly, just by moving a pile of rocks….
One important thing to note, in the above examples, is that “north” and “south” always come first in the notations. (Yet another detail that can flesh out your world — think of a hapless apprentice who can’t get the notation right way round to save his life.)
In what I’d call “plain English”, it would sound a bit like this:
Stand at the hickory tree with your compass. Turn northeast, walk to the oak tree (about 412 feet). Then turn east and walk to the pile of stones (about 267 feet).
Compared to the GPS precision of today, that is a wildly vague survey. I find it fascinating and hiliarious and absolutely something I wish I’d used in my own fictional worldbuilding. Alas, it’s been twenty years of using miles, feet, inches, and so on. Far too late for the Childen of the Desert/Kingdom of Salt series.
Is it too late for you, though? Did I catch you in time…?