Sunday, August 23, 2015

Goulbourn Township Survey 1817

23 Aug 2015
Continued from 9 Aug 2015
 "As this system was one of the many variances of the then
common single front systems, it later became known as a
single front special. In this particular system, each lot was
66.7 chains deep and 30 chains wide and contained 200
acres. [1chain = 66 feet].
 Since land to the military was granted according to rank,
a Major for instance, received 1,000 Acres, while a Private
had to be satisfied with 100 Acres and a further
subdivision of the 200 Acre lot was necessary. For this
reason, additional posts were planted along the concession
lines at the middle of each lot, thus creating the common
land description: The East half of lot..... or the West half
of lot..... Yet another division of the 200 Acre lot was
created by drawing an imaginary line through the middle
of the lot parallel to the concession lines, which resulted
in the Front Half [southerly part] and the Rear Half
[northerly part]. The half lot nearest the boundary, which
was measured and on which the wooden posts were
planted, the surveyor called the front half.
  Meanwhile, John Ryder and his men chopped and
measured their way along the town line to the fifth
concession, a distance of nearly four miles. Here they
turned a 90 degree angle eastward and started the survey
of the fifth concession line, reaching the intersection with
Nepean Township on the 8th day of August.
  Returning to the town line on the boundary between
Beckwith and Goulbourn, he measured to the sixth
concession, again turned a right angle and proceeded
eastward on a bearing of North 54 degrees East along
the sixth concession as far as lot 16. By this time, they
had completely run out of food and were obliged to return
to Perth for rations."
  {To be continued on 30 Aug 2015]

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