Marshville Heritage Society's Heritage preservation

Surveying is the work of examining, measuring and recording the area and features of a piece of land, usually to construct a map or to plan a building or town. 

• Early Surveying Units:
  • Link – 7.92 inches
  • Fathom – 5.5 feet
  • Rod/Perch – 3 fathoms or 16.5 feet
  • Chain 66 feet
  • Furlong or Furrowlong – 660 feet
  • Mile – 5280 feet or 1760 yards
  • League – 3.125 miles

“The first township to be laid out was Township No. 1 (later Newark and Niagara) in the summer of 1787. Assisting Frey was Augustus Jones, who went on to become Upper Canada’s leading surveyor prior to 1800. At first townships were identified by number; they were not officially named until after LieutenantGovernor Simcoe’s arrival in 1792. Later surveys in 1787 included Township No. 2, Stamford, and the first concessions of Louth, Clinton, Grimsby, Saltfleet and Barton. Township No. 3, Grantham, was surveyed early in 1788. Other surveys that year were Bertie, Crowland, Willoughby, Thorold and Pelham, and inland concessions from Louth to Barton. Finally Binbrook was surveyed early in 1799, making 14 townships in all. Some townships, like Niagara and Stamford, were laid out in full, but others, like Pelham and Thorold, only in part.”*

*Copyright © 2013 by Alun Hughes (ahughes@brocku.ca)