I've seen this in deed descriptions in these parts, but not sure what it means. Where I've seen it, the term is used as a description of the terminal point of a line, i.e. a bound. As in, "westerly 20 rods to an oak staddle". Used in descriptions at least a century old. Any suggestions?
I have seen the description here in NH as well. I believe this may shed some light on the subject WIKI(see the bit near the end)
At a quick glance, the following may provide some insight....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Staddle_stones
Yes, thank you both. I think that might be it! Either the stump of a tree or a cut and buried wooden bound.
The unabridged I have says 1) the lower part of a stack of hay or the like; 2) a supporting frame for a stack, or a platform on which a stack is placed; 3) any supporting framework or base
[bef. 900; ME stathel, OE stathol base, support, tree trunk; c. OHG stadal barn, ON stbthull milking place; akin to STEAD]
A Staddle is when a young tree is snapped 90 degrees one way and then 90 degrees another way. When it matures it makes a good monument for a few years.
Steve,
That's a very different description of a staddle. I assume you're kidding. But, maybe not?
Al
Here is an even different description taken from an on-line source as named:
Early Lands of the Rogers Family
in the Foxtown Area (Millington Society) of
East Haddam, Connecticut
Terminology in the deeds can be interesting. In
reading the descriptions, one gets used to seeing a
property bound commonly described as a "stake
and stones," i.e., a wooden post with stones
mounded around its base. One also finds various
types of "staddles" referenced as boundary
markers. For example, a "white oak staddle"
would be a sapling left standing at the edge of a
field, with all others around it cleared away.
Trees were also “marked” or “blazed” by chipping
away parts of the bark at chest level. This may
account for many references to “a tree marked” in
deeds of that era. A rather intricate method of
symbology could be involved in the blazing of
trees, although it did not appear to be extensively
used in this area, according to the deeds under
study. An early local example of such marking is
found in the 1705 laying out of the dividing line
between the Towns of Lyme and Colchester, with
trees marked by the letters “L” and “P” on the east
or south sides of their trunks.27