meresman
(ˈmɪəzmən)
[f. mere's, genit. of mere n.2 + man.]
A man appointed to find out the exact boundaries of a parish, etc.
| 1828 R. Griffith Let. 26 Sept. in C. Close Early Yrs. Ordnance Survey (1969) 112 Any casualty among the meresmen or expense incurred by calling back the boundary surveyors from distant parts..must be charged to the Ordnance. 1867 H. Parr Stone Edge vii. in Cornh. Mag. XV. 737, I were a fool to promise thretty shillin' a year for't,—the Meresmen said as how it werna much above three acre. 1875 Parish Sussex Gloss., Meresman, a parish officer who attends to the roads, bridges and water-courses. 1884 Times 29 May 8/4 The boundaries laid down..were pointed out to the Ordnance Surveyors by Meresmen, or persons appointed by Her Majesty's Justices of the Peace. 1895 Edin. Rev. July 55 Great trouble was taken to secure the most trustworthy meresmen in each barony. 1935 Rep. Progress Ordnance Survey i. 6 In 1841..the Survey Act of that year authorized the appointment, by Justices of the Peace in England..and by Sheriffs in Scotland, of ‘meresmen’ to aid the surveyors in identifying and locating the parish boundaries. Ibid., The legally appointed meresmen often disagreed. 1972 House of Commons Rep. Standing Comm. D: Local Govt. Bill 27 Jan. 1043 A ‘meresman’ is someone whose job it is to ascertain..boundaries. |