This may help: LAND MEASUREMENT IN ONTARIO. Land must be described in precise terms so that one tract can never be mistaken for another. There are two systems used in Ontario. 1. Lot and Plan of subdivision 2. Metes and Bounds, (angles and distances) commonly used in rural, non-settled areas LOT and PLAN In 1792, Governor Simcoe had the "new" PROVINCE of Ontario, divided into COUNTIES by having surveyors trek through the bush and mark the actual boundaries. In some cases the boundary followed a lake or water course, but in most cases just a straight line through bush established the boundary . The Counties were then divided into large parcels called TOWNSHIPS. Many townshops are are squarish, but most have a boundary defined by water course of some kind: lake, stream, river, canal. Each township was divided into strips of land called CONCESSIONS and numbered in Roman Numerals starting at l. Each concession was separated by a road allowance, even though a road was not present. These road allowances are owned by the Province and are public property. This measuement was based on the old "Chains and Links" system where a chain is 66 feet, and 100 links make a chain. There were 80 chains in a mile. Each consession was 100 chains across or 1 1/4 mile. The townships were also divided into LOTS running in the opposite direction of the concessions and numbered Arabic Numerals starting at 1. Lots too are divided by a road allowance every 5 lots and separated each from the other by a Lot line. Although sizes varied with topography, a lot usually consisted of 200 acres which is still the size of many Ontario farms, but as farms were bought and sold, families grew, sons married and lots were separated for each to build a home, the descriptions of title changed to perhaps the North 1/2 of Lots7 and 8 or even the S.E. 1/4 of Lot 5 as long as the parcel contained a minimum of 50 acres. The description of a property could then be: Lot 5 Concession lll in the Township of Green in the County of York in the Province of Ontario. To create an area of smaller lots, as within a Town proper, a Plan of Subdivision showing those lots was made and submitted to the town council by the owner of the land. To identify specific properties in that plan of subdivision the properties were numbered. Initially Plansof Subdivision were named, then later numbered. The description of a property could then be: Lot 27, Robinson Plan, Town of Oakwood, Township of Scott, County of Bruce in Ontario. METES and BOUNDS Parcels less than 50 acres, as in the case of a building lot not part of a subdivision, could not be described by Concession, Lot and Plan. The perimeters of these parcels were measured with a system of angles and distances in very precise terms using compass directions and measurements called metes and bounds. Firstly location is established.... "PREMISING that the Westerly limit of the road allowance between Concessions lX and X has a bearing of North 45 degrees, 11 minutes, 30 seconds West and relating all bearings herein hereto; " Secondly the parcel to be severed is located.... "COMMENCING at a point in the Westerly limit of the said road allowance distaant 462.48 feet measured on a bearing of South 45 degrees, 11 minutes, 30 seconds East along the Westely linit of said road allownace from the Northeast angle of said Lot 8;" Then the perimeter of the severed property is described using compass directions and measurements to swing away from True North or South in an easterly or westerly direction from the starting point and ending back at the starting point. The term "more or less" is used to allow for minor error as the parcels must be completely enclosed with no gaps. Example: "THENCE South 38 degrees 15 minutes 22 seconds West a distance of 120.36 feet to a point; THENCE South 44 degrees 03 minutes 40 seconds East a distance of 113.26 feet to a point; THENCE North 43 degrees 9 minutes 52 seconds East a distance of 120.18 feet, more or less, to a point in the Westerly limit of raod alowance; THENCE North 45 degrees 11 minutes 30 seconts West along said Westerly linit of road allowance a distance of 114 feet more or less, to the place of commencement." Regards, --- Bob === Robert Neil Chatham-Kent, ON rneil@sympatico.ca From: "Deborah Crawford" <orkney5@sympatico.ca> Reply-To: can-ont-simcoe@rootsweb.com To: can-ont-simcoe@rootsweb.com Subject: [CAN-ONT-SIMCOE] Measures & chains & acres - oh my Date: Thu, 20 Dec 2007 11:07:04 +0000 Good morning one & all. A question to any budding or current land surveyor experts......... I'm in the midst of transcribing conveyancing instructions from a ledger housed in the archives at the Penetanguishene Centennial Museum. This ledger of mortgages, lease agreements, chattel loans, wills, etc commences in 1905 to ? (I haven't cheated and peeked at the end of the book yet!). One oddity I am encountering has me curious and I thought I'd see if any of our listers can explain this - the land descriptions are very detailed, but - in land descriptions I see the terms, which I have heard before, of - chains, measures, links, feet, yards, rods and acres - all in the same paragraph or on the same page. It's not a matter of it being entered by a different author - these reports were all entered by W.H. HEWSON. I was just curious to know if there was any sort of standard which determined when various terms were used, i.e. chains, links, etc. Or was it merely a matter of Mr. Hewson writing down descriptions perhaps based on previous descriptions, or just writing whatever his little heart desired. Any opinions? Methinks Mr. Hewson just did this, knowing that 100 years hence I'd be puzzled over the same...........No?

MANY THANKS TO ROBERT NEIL, for an excellent dissertation on metes, and bounds. I am intending to print this one out, for sake of future reference. That said; let's expand, just a little. In SIMCOE COUNTY, which commenced in 1843 ( with it's first Council ), the concessions were, indeed, one-and-a-quarter miles apart. BUT, this allowed for a 66 ' (foot) road allowance, on either side of the enclosed SQUARE MILE. THE SQUARE MILE thus contained 640 acres, which was divided into FOUR FARMS. The actual farm thus became 160 acres, (more-or-less) allowing for natural allowances, as rivers and streams. Those of us OLD ENOUGH, will probably remember the Old Song "I've got 160 ACRES in the Valley, A 160 acres to call my own " THAT FRIENDS, was a QUARTER SECTION, or one-quarter of a square mile .. The square mile of 640 acres being known as ONE SECTION. My Mother purchased a farm, in Oro, in 1940, said to be 160 acres, more-or-less. She was second-owner, from the Crown. Thirty-three years later ( 1973 ), when I administered her estate, we were still trying to sort our titles, to various pieces of the farm, which had been sold to various persons, but the titles never registered !!!!!!! I eventually gifted some of it to various folks, who had been working their purchase, since before we became farmers !!!!! This was my initiaton into METES AND BOUNDS !!!! Paul Robins World Traveller, that I became :-) . I once became acquainted with a fellow who was farming TWENTY-TWO SECTIONS, in Alberta !!!!!!! Paul -----Original Message----- From: can-ont-simcoe-bounces@rootsweb.com [mailto:can-ont-simcoe-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of Robert Neil Sent: December-20-07 7:34 AM To: can-ont-simcoe@rootsweb.com Subject: Re: [CAN-ONT-SIMCOE] Measures & chains & acres - This may help: LAND MEASUREMENT IN ONTARIO. Land must be described in precise terms so that one tract can never be mistaken for another. There are two systems used in Ontario. 1. Lot and Plan of subdivision 2. Metes and Bounds, (angles and distances) commonly used in rural, non-settled areas LOT and PLAN In 1792, Governor Simcoe had the "new" PROVINCE of Ontario, divided into COUNTIES by having surveyors trek through the bush and mark the actual boundaries. In some cases the boundary followed a lake or water course, but in most cases just a straight line through bush established the boundary . Regards, --- Bob === Robert Neil Chatham-Kent, ON rneil@sympatico.ca