kettingenlijnen

Kettingenlijnen, often translated as "chain lines" or "chainage" in English, is a Dutch term used in historical and surveying contexts to refer to the practice of measuring distances using a chain. This method was a standard surveying technique before the widespread adoption of modern electronic distance measuring instruments. A surveyor's chain, typically 66 feet (or 100 links) long, would be physically laid out along the ground and its length counted to determine the distance between two points. This process was repeated for longer distances, often marked by chaining pins at the end of each chain length.

The meticulous nature of chainage was crucial for accurate land division, property boundary definition, and the construction of infrastructure like roads and canals. The length of the chain itself was standardized to facilitate calculations, particularly in relation to acres of land. For example, an acre was traditionally defined as an area 10 chains long by 1 chain wide. While time-consuming and susceptible to errors from uneven terrain or improper handling, chainage provided a reliable and consistent method for measurement for centuries. The term "kettingenlijnen" therefore encapsulates this historical method of distance measurement, representing a foundational technique in the development of surveying and cartography.