Final answer:
Metes and bounds is a property description system using local landmarks for measurement and boundaries. Metes refer to measurements like lengths and distances, while bounds are based on physical features. Due to the irregularity and potential changes in boundary landmarks, this system often led to difficulties in mapping and determining property lines.
Step-by-step explanation:
What Are Metes and Bounds?
Metes and bounds is a system that was used to describe land or property in terms of its boundaries and measurements. This system, introduced by English settlers during the colonial period, was particularly used during the 17th and 18th centuries for land surveying and registration. In a metes and bounds description, metes refers to the measurement of length, distance, or direction of the boundaries of the property. These measurements were typically made in relation to local landmarks such as trees, boulders, or streams. On the other hand, bounds are the physical features that define the property borders.
Working with metes and bounds involved considerable challenges due to the irregularity of the land parcels and potential shifts or changes in the boundary landmarks over time. Unlike modern systems that use grid systems and numerical lot designations, the metes and bounds system led to properties being mapped like a large jigsaw puzzle, with an irregular layout making it difficult to determine exact property lines. This issue was exacerbated by the fact that some natural markers could move, like streams, or change over time, such as trees growing or dying.
The complexity of determining exact distances and directions as one would with measurement of distance, whether using contemporary tools like maps and computers or historical methods like covered wagons, is a good example of the challenges faced when using the metes and bounds system.