A fence viewer is an official similar to an electrical or plumbing inspector in today's terms. The duties include functional inspection of fences for animal restraint and, nowadays, legal requirements as to height, appearance, offset, and structural integrity. It's not as antique as you might think, Dick. I was Fence Viewer for the City of Marlborough, MA for a while, until last year. (And still am a Civil Constable.) I thought it was somewhat antique, myself. I quickly found that I had to bone up on civil law and be knowledgeably involved in minor civil disputes (And, it's unpaid.) dlm