Which is the oldest form of legal description?

• A. Metes and Bounds
• B. Rectangular Government Survey
• C. Lot and Block
• D. Abstract of Title

Answer: (A)

Metes and bounds is the oldest form of legal description. It describes a parcel by giving directions and distances from a starting point, using natural or permanent monuments (like trees, stones, or rivers) to mark the boundaries. This method has been in use since medieval England and carried into colonial America, so it predates the standardized grid systems that came later.

The rectangular government survey system came after, aiming to standardize land descriptions in the expanding United States by dividing land into townships and ranges on a grid. Lot and Block describes parcels via recorded plats of subdivisions, a more modern approach. An abstract of title, meanwhile, is a summary of the chain of ownership, not a boundary description.