31 January 2013

A Rood is Not A Rod With an Extra "o"

Measurements can get genealogists into trouble.

A rood is a old English unit of area measure--equal to 1/4 of an acre.

A rod is a unit of linear measure--equal to 16 1/2 feet.

Occasionally, one will see the word "rod" used where "rood" is intended. Rod is linear measure (length) and rood is area measure.