This should sort any confusion
rod, pole or perch 40 poles = 1 furlong
1 pole=5.5 yards
4 poles = 1 chain
80Chain=1mile
1 rod = 1 pole = 1 perch Rods, poles and perches are different names for the same unit. Medieval ploughing was done with oxen, up to 4 pairs at a time. The ploughman handled the plough. His boy controlled the oxen using a stick, which had to be long enough to reach all the oxen. This was the rod, pole or perch. It was an obvious implement to measure the fields, such as 4 poles to the chain. A BBC webpage about allotments says that "an allo