beating the bounds
see also beating the bounds on wikipedia; and our 1911 encyclopædia britannica disclaimer .
to see pictures of the event, go to the beating of the bounds photo gallery .
jurymen and pirates stage mock battle at beating of the bounds ceremony. poole, dorset .
beating the bounds, again outside the fox and goose in 1898. source: ealing as it was hendon publishing 1993
beating the bounds was a kind of medieval data backup, a way to pass the knowledge of the parish boundary to the next generation .
beating the bounds, hungerford 1913; an example of the ritual of ‘bumping’ heads upon boundary markers. with kind permission of hungerford virtual museum
beating the bounds, hungerford 1913. this demonstrates the extremes that parishioners went to, walking through the river thames. with kind permission of hungerford virtual library .
despite it being very much an important part of the parish calendar, the tradition of beating the bounds has dwindled over the last hundred years. in a small few pockets of the county, there have been recent revivals of perambulations. in 2005, holt held a beating the bounds festival with numerous activities, blending the old traditions with new .
on ascension day each year brasenose (along with other colleges and several shops) welcomes two groups of visitors carrying out the ancient tradition of beating the bounds .
boys are used to beat the bounds at meopham in kent. soundtrack missing .
beating the bounds has taken place in a variety of forms in britain for over 2000 years and has developed from many different cultures from across europe and beyond .
other ceremonies such as dancing around a may pole,' clipping' (which is holding hands around the church) and even the beating of the hobby horse in padstow are all obliquely connected to the' beating of the bounds'. in scotland the perambulations are known as' riding the marshes' .
branches cut from willow trees have been used to beat the bounds for hundreds of years .
boys from st. mary of the angels school beat the bounds of their new school at addlestone .
pupils beat the boundaries with sticks. photo from 2010 by ianvisits from the londonist flickr pool. one of the more peculiar traditions in london' s well - stocked cupboard of oddities is the ceremony of beating the bounds .
it is unfortunate that these ancient customs are dying out but with advancing technology and a massive reduction in rural church congregations, the ‘beating of the bounds’ will soon be just a distant memory of our generation .
the festival of rogantide appears to have originated in 467ad in france when the bishop of vienne was desperate to seek god’s intervention, following a series of devastating events that plagued the inhabitants. his action resulted in “beating the bounds” becoming a christian ceremony. rogantide derives from the latin
this is one of the last remaining observances in the uk of “beating the bounds, ” a tradition with a 600 - year history. a procession of church dignitaries and parishioners mark the borders of their parish by walking them and hitting marker stones with willow wands .
in britain the custom involved walking around the parish boundary and beating it with a stick, or stripped willow branch known as a wand .
the custom of beating the bounds goes back to the anglo saxon period at least. in the days before maps and written title deeds a knowledge of the physical boundaries of property was very important. so the custom grew up of walking the boundaries, stopping at intervals to strike boundary stones to ‘mark' the bounds. the practice was often linked to rogation days, days set aside by the church for prayers for the crops; walking the boundaries of the parish was an obvious opportunity to do so .
the ritual of beating the bounds of the ancient borough of llantrisant originated during the early history of the town when in may or june every seven years the clergy and town officials went in procession around the boundary. the charter of 1346 conferred many privileges on the burgesses of llantrisant and these were exercised within and bounded by the “liberties of the borough” – in other words, the boundary. by undertaking the ceremony in may or june none of the harvests would be spoilt by the great procession trooping through the field and the daylight hours long enough for the ceremony. according to former clerk trefor rees, the earliest recorded existence of beating the bounds in llantrisant took place in 1555, although the ceremony has its origins back in the 9th century .
a tradition that has long since died out in winchester is that of beating the bounds. it involved young boys being
bumped
at various points along the city boundary. the purpose, lost in antiquity, was probably a memory of some primitive ritual to bless the land .
traditionally beating the bounds took place on ascension day or in rogation week and would also involve prayer and intercessions for spring and a good harvest. in england the tradition stretches back at least as far as the anglo - saxons and probably has both roman and pagan origins .
the tradition of beating the bounds still continues in many parishes around britain although sadly is not as prevalent as it once was. british pathe has some delightful archive film of the tradition which can be found on their website. the clip above is of a revival in hereford in 1933 .
the traditional day for beating the bounds of the parish was holy thursday (ascension day) 40 days after easter. the rogation days fall on the four days from the fifth sunday after easter which itself falls on the sunday after the first full moon following the vernal equinox. in different places these may be called cross days, gang days or grass days .
a tradition which has been rejuvenated within cholesbury - cum - st leonards parish in more recent times has been the periodic' beating of the bounds.' no doubt this custom would have occurred at regular intervals around the manors and later church parish boundaries that historically constituted this parish. immediately prior to 1934 covering the area of the current parish there were four principle civil parishes; buckland, cholesbury, hawridge and st. leonards. in more recent times and in recognition of the establishment of the civil parish a beating of the bounds ceremony occurred in april 1974 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the parish .
“i’ve been ‘beating the bounds’ of westerham the last few years”, malcolm tells me, “and i enjoy the day for a number of reasons. a good walk in the countryside around westerham, i like the focus it brings to the town and i also believe that we should appreciate and keep alive our local traditions” .
this is a podcast made by the making suburban faith team when we took part in the beating the bounds walk on may bank holiday monday 2015. beating the bounds is an ancient tradition, carried out once a year when the parish priest, churchwardens and congregation would walk around the formal boundary of the parish. they would mark the boundary stones of the parish, sometimes by ‘bumping’ the boys of the parish on the stones. the walk served a practical purpose to determine the true extent of the parish, ensuring the extent of those required to contribute to the church, or who might require its services, such as burial. the young boys were supposed to ensure that this knowledge of the parish boundaries was passed on through oral tradition .
' now we must make a shout here that we may recollect the bounds.' the people then huzzard and took off their hats.'
it is likely that beating the bounds was carried out in high wycombe for centuries until it died out early this century. the revival of 1985 was repeated for a couple of years but has lapsed again. how wonderful if this piece of history could be revived .
a collection of archive footage and old clips in which boys go about' beating the bounds'. an ancient english tradition in which boys parade about their local area marking out the territory with sticks. traditionally a public school event, or conducted in london by beafeaters .
before the roman invasion of britain rituals connected with spring were performed each year as part of the pagan festival of beltane. birch twigs or besoms were struck against the boundary marks as part of the ritual. (modern - day pagans still perform a form of beating the bounds ceremony when occupying a house for the first time) .
it has been almost impossible to find anyone who remembers the beating of the bounds in high wycombe but thanks to help of olive howes of wycombe age concern, one gentleman recalled it last being carried out in 1928 and having gone through sands, terriers, and wycombe marsh .
dating back to medieval times, every ascension day a group of people — a
beating party
— made up of clergy, schoolchildren and (if in the square mile) city bigwigs, walk around the edges of the parish, beating boundary markers with long sticks, and praying for protection of the land .
a photo from 1893 taken outside the ranelagh pub in bounds green, showing members of the community at a beating the bounds ceremony. photo from haringey pubs by chris & hazel whitehouse. although many churches mark the occasion, the most eye - catching is that at the parish of all hallows by the tower, the city' s oldest church. because the southern border of the parish is halfway across the thames, the beating party — made up of students from st dunstan' s college, catford, livery company masters and clergy — takes a boat out into the river, where a student strikes the watery marker from the safety of the vessel. it used to be that they were dangled off the side to perform their duty, but safety concerns have put paid to that .
the beating the bounds of the old parish of hanwell been revived in recent years in hanwell as a community event which raises money for hanwell carnival, one of the oldest carnivals in london. it is no longer led by priests, although it does include, of course the parish church of st mary’s in hanwell and the famous gospel oak tree, which once marked the site of outdoor services between the parishes of hanwell and brentford. like the carnival procession itself, beating the bounds blends secular and religious understandings of suburban space, and their intertwined and changing histories. the route takes in the canal, tube - station, semi - detached houses and back gardens, allotments, the golf course, a housing estate and edge city green spaces along the roadside .
the beating party is made up of students from st dunstan' s college, catford, who return to their roots in the parish of st dunstan - in - the - east to take part in the proceedings, together with the clergy and the masters of our associated livery companies. the south boundary of the parish is mid - stream of the thames and the beating party board a boat which takes them out onto the river to beat that boundary mark. they then return to shore and the procession moves around the parish, stopping at various points to allow the beating party to mark the boundaries with canes as they go. the ceremony is followed by a service of
beating the bounds played an important part in reinforcing anglo saxon charters and the royal and baronial charters of the later medieval period. being legal documents that recorded rights over property and people, the assertion of these rights was of crucial importance to the landowner who would define the extent of their territory and ensure corrections or repairs were instigated where there had been an encroachment .
today it’s the congregation of st michael at the northgate, the city church of oxford, beating its bounds. st michael’s is the oldest building in the city. its boxy tower, now lost in a jumble of modern store frontages, once looked down on the muddy street grid of the anglo - saxon town, nearly a thousand years ago. its parish lies roughly over the area enclosed by the medieval city wall .
in britain at least,' beating' of a parish boundary for both the christian and legal ceremonies have become woven together as church jurisdiction succeeded that of the manorial estates .
beating the bounds is an ancient custom still observed in many english parishes. its roots go back to mediaeval times when parishes reaffirmed their boundaries by processing round them at rogationtide, stopping to beat each boundary mark with wands and to pray for protection and blessings for the land. at all hallows we beat the bounds of our parish every year on ascension day, and this year' s ceremony will take place on thursday 10 may, starting at 4. 15pm .
later, the anglo saxons changed a largely lawless society, and through land ownership, established a new rule of law that needed periodic enforcement. it was crucial that demarcations between neighbouring communities were clearly recognised to avoid boundary disputes breaking out. beating the bounds would have played an important part in reinforcing anglo saxon charters .
christianity, which probably arrived in britain by the 4th or 5th century ad, incorporated a number of pagan, roman and anglo - saxon festivals and customs. beating the bounds was not originally been part of religious celebration but became gradually integrated. remember in many cases early christian churches were built on sites considered sacred by ancient britons .
malcolm and neil’s comments provide a true testament to the local traditions that are sometimes forgotten as times move on. ‘beating the bounds’ may not be something that everyone has heard of, but for many who have, it’s an important local event that provides a sense of pride and enjoyment at continuing one of the country’s oldest, and possibly most bizarre, customs .
traditionally beating the bounds ceremonies took place on ascension day or else during rogationtide, the fifth week after easter of which ascension day is a part. it was the original intention to hold the 1985 revival in high wycombe on ascension day but it could not be organised in time for this and the invitation for it to be held after the new mayor' s first civic service on june 9th seemed the most appropriate time to settle for .
other traditions on bealtaine include walking the circuit of one' s property (beating the bounds), repairing fences and boundary markers as well as feasting, dancing and drinking. according to the ancient irish book of invasions, the first settler of ireland, partholan, arrived on may 1, and it was on may 1 that the plague came that destroyed his people. years later, the mythical group knows as the milesians, were said to have conquered the tuatha de danann on may day .
( 1761) pp. 213 - 214). bequests were sometimes made in connexion with bounds - beating. thus at leighton buzzard on rogation monday, in accordance with the will of one edward wilkes, a london merchant who died in 1646, the trustees of his almshouses accompanied the boys. the will was read and beer and plum rolls distributed. a remarkable feature of the bequest was that while the will is read one of the boys has to stand on his head .
) the divine blessing upon the parish lands for the ensuing harvest. this feature originated in the 5th century, when mamercus, bishop of vienne, instituted special prayers and fasting and processions on these days. this clerical side of the parish bounds - beating was one of the religious functions prohibited by the injunctions of queen elizabeth; but it was then ordered that the perambulation should continue to be performed as a quasi - secular function, so that evidence of the boundaries of parishes, & c. might be preserved (gibson ,
they went under the subway past the anchor pub, the back of the falcon pub and to the angel pub, almost on the same site as the old angel pub mentioned in the 19th century account of the beating of the bounds. from the angel they walked up st pauls row and stopped to look at the standing stone in front of the guildhall. this was another marker point and the last place a boy was bumped. they walked along frogmore past the old red cow pub (now demolished) then into temple end past the red cross knight pub and turning into priory avenue. after going along priory avenue they went into amersham hill and back down to birdcage walk .
he expressed the hope that
winchester might extend itself up to those downs
- - he did not think it would ever do anything of the kind [ laughter ] - - at least, not in their time. and so the procession and ceremony continued until they arrived back at bar end, where the volunteer band was waiting. three cheers for the new boundary were given and the mayor was hoisted shoulder high. to round off the event, there was a dinner at the guildhall. it seems the beating of the bounds had last been carried out in 1836 .
this tradition has almost died out (thank goodness the boys might say !) but was revived in 1985 as part of the town' s 700th mayoral anniversary. the original 1920s' box (pictured) used to' bump' the boys' heads on was found in an archive and re - used. the custom of beating the bounds, was once found in almost every english parish and besides its more usual name was also known as' riding the marches',' riding the fringes' or' common riding' .
the custom of' beating the bounds' has existed in britain for well over 2000 years. precise origins are unclear although it can be found as part of ritual celebration within many different cultures across europe and beyond. in simple terms it involves people in the locality perambulating their farm, manorial, church or civil boundaries pausing as they pass certain trees, walls and hedges that denote the extent of the boundary to exclaim, pray and ritually' beat' particular landmarks with sticks .
the boundary line between the state of new hampshire and the state of vermont shall be perambulated and markers and bounds renewed wherever necessary once in every seven years forever by the attorney general of this state in conjunction with the attorney general of the state of new hampshire or by such person as the attorney general shall in writing appoint for that purpose .
today modern maps show the parish boundary and it is no longer crucial to remind people through beating the bounds of their local boundaries however, reliance on definitive maps may still result in ancient rights of way being forgotten. maps sometimes fail to accurately reflect the extent of the boundaries of commons and village greens or precise route of footpaths and bridleways. often these are unfenced, and local people may not only be unsure about the boundaries, but totally unaware that this land has any special status .
the ceremony used to be very important and one of the highlights of the town' s year. it served several purposes: to bless the field and crops, to emphasise exactly where the parish boundary was, to enable the poor to have a celebration and good time, and simply to bring the people of the town together. the actual boundary line and marker stones were considered almost sacred and woe betide anyone who had removed one of the stones or built their house on the boundary line. there are reports of the whole procession in one parish marching, termite - like, through the front door of a house built on the boundary and out of one of its windows. one elderly gentleman told strange folklore society that when the bounds were beaten near his village of piddington, close to west wycombe, young boys were made to climb up or down chimneys where the house was on the boundary. during the beating of the bounds in london on one occasion a driver refused to move his stage coach off the boundary line. those taking part then promptly climbed in one side of the stage coach and out the other .
following the re - establishment of the christian festivals the priest led the congregation during rogantide in ceremonial procession from the church around the lands falling within ecclesiastical jurisdiction .
the annual tradition of ‘beating the bounds’ or ‘perambulations’ has been carried out for many centuries in our parishes in england, scotland and wales. in scotland, the tradition was known as ‘riding the marshes’; a method of reaffirming the parish boundaries from way before the introduction of maps. in some parishes, this annual ritual is still very much part of village or town life. it is believed that this religious practice was first introduced in vienne, france, around ad 470 by the holy bishop mamertus. there were many reasons for the ceremony but the parishioners believed that it would ‘avert great calamaties’. it would affirm their devotion to god; ask him for forgiveness from sins and for protection from evil and to bless the congregation and the fruits of their labour .
in 2015, as part of the ahrc’s connected communities festival we took part in the carnival, holding a stall to share our research project ‘making suburban faith’ with the public and inviting them to share their own stories of religious and secular walks in hanwell. we decided to join the beating the bounds walk to learn more about this ‘reinvented’ tradition and what it means to those who take part. in this short podcast we share conversations with some of those involved in re - establishing the walk, hearing about how the special boundary stones song was composed and how new boundary stones have been unearthed each year, as well as talking to some of those who have chosen to join the walk .
how much? - - democracy has bad taste: what is quality, how might we judge it, whose opinion counts, and does it even matter any more? - - beating the bounds: what counts as art? although we live in a era when anything can be art, not everything qualifies; nice rebellion, welcome in! : is art still capable of shocking us or have we seen it all before? - - i found myself in the art world: how do you become a contemporary artist? - - the end .
in a built environment that is increasingly off - bounds, owned, restricted, charged for, and in a technological age that increasingly divorces us from the physical, this is a kind of alternative cartography. it’s a mapping with the feet that charts the city of the past and pays little attention to the modern landscape of retail and business; a neural pathway in a community’s memory .
one of the most significant dates in prehistoric and early historic ireland was the festival of bealtaine. the first of may is the ancient festival of bealtaine or beltane, the cross quarter day marking the midway point between the spring equinox and the summer solstice .
it is exactly six months away from samhain - the new year on november 1. like many ancient festivals the date has an agricultural significance as it marks the end of the unfarmable winter in the northern hemisphere and symbolised the start of the summer - when the cattle were moved to the high pastureland. the word bealtaine is still used in the irish language and translates as the month of may .
the event' s organisers, high wycombe' s strange folklore society, had some difficulty deciding which bounds to beat. the official parish boundary for high wycombe now stretches more than 20 miles around cressex, west wycombe, downley, micklefield and almost up to loudwater. many felt this was too far to walk even if it was divided over a couple of days. so strange member clive harper suggested they beat the bounds of the old municipal borough of chepping wycombe. there was a detailed account of this boundary being beaten on august 13th, 1846 (note, not during rogationtide) published by henry kingston in his book the history of wycombe with reflections of my native town .
rogationtide is the ancient festival to invoke a blessing on fields, stock and folk emerging after a sequence of natural disasters in fifth century france. by the eighth century in england it involved parishioners' ganging' after the cross around the edge of the parish. this helped everyone to remember the boundaries before maps were commonplace. along the way prominent trees often became places for preaching ­ gospel oaks. locations of various landmarks - stones streams, hedges, ponds were impressed upon the children: in the past by ducking them, ritually beating them and then giving them a treat .
this sunday 1st may, westerham will continue its long held tradition by inviting locals to ‘beat the bounds’ of the kent town. the 12. 5 mile walk of the town’s boundaries, an annual event run by the westerham society and westerham ramblers, permits seasoned walkers and pleasure - seekers alike to trek through some of the county’s most picturesque walks, including views of the north downs and other areas of outstanding natural beauty. and although the tradition isn’t unique to westerham, the town is proud to note that the first recorded walk of its kind was in 1715, although the route and purpose were no doubt different to those of today .
may 25 is ascension day in the christian calendar. on this day a priest with a white beard, robes flowing behind him, strides past a display of sunglasses followed by 40 people all carrying long willow wands, taller than themselves. store staff stand aside, shoppers pause to stare. the group gathers around the metal plaque. the priest kneels and writes on it with chalk, steps back and the crowd shout “mark! mark! mark! ”, beating the plaque with their willow wands .
the celebration of spring (rogantide) as part of the roman church' s litany reached england from italy via gaul around the 8th century. the name' rogantide' derives from the latin rogatio to intercede, ask or beseech. the rogation days being the time of the year when god' s blessing was asked for the seeds sown in the spring. the perambulation is thought to derive from the' gang days' of the anglo saxon / viking traditions (from the norse gangen' to walk'. )
this printed account inside a parish register held in our archives at the history centre, give details of the 12 - 14 mile route taken during the ceremony along the parish boundary of leigh delamere. the start of the route begins with; ‘from the old ditch on the streta fosseway. here there is a cottage and a junction of a road to littleton drew. the cottagers came out and joined in the short service, the sign of the cross was made on the ancient roadway and the long walk began along the old roman road... ’
the romans worshipped a number of gods associated with fertility and the purification of the land. in a festival called
every third year the ceremony includes a' battle' with the governor and yeomen warders of hm tower of london at the boundary mark shared by the tower and the church. during the middle ages the boundary was always in dispute, and this meeting commemorates an occasion in 1698 when a riot took place between the people of the tower and those of the parish. the battle will next take place in 2020 following the service of evensong and, fortunately for all concerned, the exchange in present times is rather more peaceful than in the past !
the oldest marker stone is in the back wall of the staff bike lock - up of the clothing store zara. when the procession reaches it, a store manager is waiting to unlock it .
four years ago minister alan kelly turned the sod on the south kerry greenway .
establishment of church festivals led to a revival of rogantide as an important feast day and processions once again walked around the boundaries of the parish. however the tradition died out towards the end of the 19
the boundaries of the parishes of st. michael at the northgate and st. mary the virgin pass through the grounds of brasenose college. on ascension day groups from both parishes visit to mark the boundary stones by marking them with the year in chalk and striking them with willow wands .
markstones are small boulders usually used simply to mark a boundary or a route, but which are often thought by the town folk to be of much more importance. they will sometimes have a ghost or devil legend attached to them. from this markstone they walked down to the london road, a40, and to the river wye on the northern side of the rye. to beat the bounds properly they would have to walk through the river - or at least send one of the boys through it. three or four brave fellows did just that although the river was deeper than it looked resulting in quite a soaking! the others walked westwards to the bridge by pann mill and then back along the rye. they followed the river bank (south side) to rye mill garage and then crossed the rye to the dyke. on their left was holywell mead and on their right the rye. as they got near to the open air swimming pool, clive harper pointed out that this was a likely spot for high wycombe' s holy well, filled in during the 1950s .
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century, largely as a result of the impact of the enclosure acts and the transfer of church parish jurisdiction to local government .
they continued across the rye to the dyke - the ornamental water way formed in 1923 by the marquis of lincoln. then they headed westwards (on the northern side of the dyke) to the teashop. they carried on round to wycombe abbey school entrance where the ruins of the elm tree could be seen in the driveway. this is probably the same elm tree referred to in the 1846 account when kingston writes
... to a large elm tree on the north front of the abbey, nearly opposite the entrance hall, where the company were regaled with bread, cheese and beer, the gift of the said lord carrington
. this is where attempts to follow the 19th century route had to end and they carried on through the town to frogmore and back to birdcage walk. they crossed marlow hill and queen alexandra road, around the college and into lily' s walk .
the enclosures of the 18th and 19th centuries which' fixed' so many lands into common, field and bounds killed many of the perambulations. but where they do survive they prove a wonderful way of getting into the countryside, different domestic customs are still practised or have been revived in secular ways to offer a friendly way of looking at the place from its edges, checking its corners are in good heart whilst getting to know people. on returning' home' you may be lucky enough to be offered ganging beer and rammalation biscuits .
every three years the church' s ceremony includes a' battle' with the governor and yeomen warders of the tower of london, marking the time in 1698 when a dispute with the tower of london over where the boundary lay, erupted into a riot .
once back on dry land the group tours the remaining markers before attending a church service .
“we’ve got to pick up the pace! ” shouts the priest, dashing out of the doors and crossing the street into a shopping mall, followed closely by his motley congregation .
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between 1598 and 1834 the care of the poor was the responsibility of the parish under successive poor laws, the necessary means being raised by local poor rates. the parish had to relieve needy, apprentice children and care for the destitute. the responsibility was for all those settled in the parish; this included illegitimate children, which sometimes led to parish officials trying desperately to remove pregnant unmarried women to another parish so that they would not be responsible for the baby! the poor laws provided another reason for ensuring that everyone knew the boundaries of the parish. the inhabitants needed to know which authorities to apply to for help, and the authorities to know which inhabitants were entitled to that help
century, it would have existed alongside pagan traditions. the celebration of “rogantide” as part of the church’s litany probably reached england around the 8
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during the reign of elizabeth i the incorporation of church and state led to the event becoming a more subdued affair and part of the formalised liturgical calendar known as rogantide. cromwell banned all such celebrations and the use of colourful banners .
clive harper worked out that at least half of the route described by kingston could still be followed. on june 9th about 30 people including the new mayor, reggie goves, and several councillors met at high wycombe' s parish church. a group of high wycombe cub scouts had been recruited as' victims' to be beaten. after a short introduction and an ample bumping of one of the boys on a' bumping box' they started the beating proper. it began at birdcage walk near the railway station with the first bumping. they then walked along to the irish club and crossed saffron platt into easton terrace and then stuart road. on the corner of stuart road there is what appears to be an old markstone, perhaps one mentioned in the 1846 account. they though this a good spot to bump one of the boys .
in 1548 the protestant reformers prohibited the carrying of banners in processions by the clergy although queen mary later rescinded this particular church law. during the reign of elizabeth 1 the unification of church and state led to the annual rogation festival becoming a more subdued affair once again. in the 1640s, oliver cromwell banned all such celebrations as part of the puritan’s prohibition of religious ceremonies .
prior to the roman invasion, and well before the arrival of christianity in britain, celtic rituals that recognised the passing of the seasons were of great significance. springtime was important, particularly for rural communities, dependent on the fertility of crops or plentiful supplies of fish. the festival of
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but there’s something more. the beaters are clearly enjoying this strange peregrination behind the facades of the city, ploughing over flowerbeds, crossing quads, blocking roads, jostling through the goods entrance of the town hall while tourists gape and take photographs .
during the middle ages, the christian jurisdiction became entwined with that of the manorial estates, as land was often granted by the lord of the manor to the church. literacy was limited to the clergy and a few educated estate owners. therefore processions made sure that boundaries were recognised by parishioners and had not been encroached on by neighbouring landowners .
the use of willow wands may also be significant as the willow was a sacred tree of the druids. the connection between boundaries and child sacrifice, in some ways, parallels the antique custom of burying the body of a sacrificed child in the foundations of a new building. according to geoffrey of monmouth, the british king, vortigern, was advised to do this when he proposed to build a new citadel and it was the search for a suitable victim which brought the infant merlin to his court .
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the procession headed across fields and over fences and more stones were laid and boys bumped. town clerk, walter bailey, laid the third stone in a field off stanmore lane and gave a short speech wishing the newly - enlarged city great prosperity. he told the crowd that he hoped the space between the stone and the city
... would ultimately be filled up
. this was greeted by shouts of
hear, hear !
the report continued :
it might come in the distant future beyond their ken, that their children' s children, walking where they at that moment stood, would declare that the time had again come for the removal of the stones to the north, to the south, to the east and to the west, and would include a still larger area within the city ,
adding in brackets [ applause ] .
the stone used to stand in an alleyway that was later engulfed by the store. it marked the boundary between three ancient church parishes, its original position shown by a metal plaque in the floor nearby .
on the morning of may 1 many people would rise at dawn to collect flowers and boughs from the mountain ash or rowan tree to hang across doorways or on the outside of the windows of their homes. the usual traditions of hospitality and generosity were turned on their heads as anything taken from the home on may day could be used for malicious spells against the owner and guests were turned away at the door .
in ancient times the main beltane fire was lit at the hill of uisneach in county westmeath - regarded as the centre of the country and traditionally known as the navel of ireland. prior to the lighting of the main fire, hearth fires were extinguished and cinders and torches from the main bonfire would pass from townland to townland where each community would light their own bonfires. passing between two bonfires was seen as a rite of purification and herds of cattle were driven between two fires in many villages. members of the community would also pass between the fires and it was considered lucky to do this while the more daring would leap the bonfire to ensure their fertility in the coming year .
in medieval times the ceremonial processing around the land also served to reinforce the power and influence the holder of the charter had over tenants and serfs and was an important means of asserting the primacy of the law in defining the rights of tenants. where all but a very few would be illiterate it was essential that no disputes arose over the ownership of land or rights over tithes. regular perambulation at least every seven to ten years ensured each succeeding generation understood to whom they owed their allegiance .
at a time when maps were neither common nor accurate, all these actions made sure the exact location of the boundary was imprinted on successive generations of the community .
the celebration of the second millennium has coincided with a resurgence of the importance of belonging to a local community. the strengthening of powers exercised remotely has reinforced the importance of local people understanding their locality. parish maps of which this website is a digital example are another demonstration of this phenomenon. a useful account of the value of parish maps can be found on the common ground website .
sinead kelleher the top of coom in kilgarvan is the place to be this sunday for the annual top of coom shearing competitions, which celebrates their 40th birthday this year .
similar ceremonies, accompanied by feasting, drinking and merrymaking, were also found in places outside britain. in jersey there was the tradition of the' visite royal' in which the various parish boundaries were inspected by the magistrates of the island' s royal court. in cork, in the last century, the mayor, in full regalia of office, annually threw a dart into the harbour, its landing - place marking the limit of municipal authority. examples are even to be found in russia and norway .
the story goes that the clergy used to beat the choirboys with the wands at each stop, to impress upon them where their parish boundary was. that, unsurprisingly, is an element that’s been phased out. today the beaters are mostly middle - aged parishioners, tourists and students .
the modern feast of rogantide (originally a period of fasting) is celebrated during the monday, tuesday and wednesday ahead of ascension day, being part of the fifth week after easter. in fact the name easter derives from an incorporation of the pre - christian worship each spring of eostre .
probably the last occasion it was carried out in winchester was in november, 1900, when the recently - enlarged city boundary was marked out. stones bearing the inscription
city of winchester 1900
were set at strategic points on the boundary. the one pictured still exists in dean lane .
the hampshire chronicle' s report of the event adds :
another young fellow named yates was involuntarily a victim and was pulled out of the water drenched. the boat, thus lightened, righted itself and was got safely across .
when he came to the church reverend wilkes inherited a map of the boundary stones and a spreadsheet of contact numbers for the people with keys to doors behind which hidden markers lurk .
meaning to intercede, ask or beseech. “rogation days” were fixed in the church’s calendar to coincide with the time of the year when god’s blessing was sought for the seeds sown in spring; it also coincides with ascension day, which is five weeks after easter. it became a major event in the church calendar and evolved into a walk led by the priest .
“we go through here, ” shouts reverend wilkes, pointing at a grimy door in the wall. “it’s a restaurant kitchen. don’t all come in at once. ” the procession files through the kitchen, pausing to beat the stone in its back wall then out past the smiling chefs and confused diners .
so this year celebrate the festival of bealtaine, but not by burning your rubbish - that was never part of the tradition .
nonetheless, westerham is keen to maintain the traditional aspect of the walk, and on its 301st anniversary in the town, there are plenty of planned festivities to celebrate the landmark. the bi - weekly farmers’ market will be out for those not walking, whilst for those who are, a whole host of events will be the greeting upon arrival in the town centre after the hike. a barbecue and live music are all planned, alongside a unique ‘dance around a maypole’, a convention not observed in the town since 1919, as well as performances from the town crier. and with a bank holiday soon after, it’s great fun that can be enjoyed (and then probably regretted) the day after too .
the romans who settled in britain brought with customs and the worship of gods such as pan or faunus to ensure fertility and purification of the land. this often involved sacrifice of a goat the blood of which was smeared on the foreheads of young boys who would also parade around the boundaries and whipped, walls or trees with sticks as well as any bystanders foolish enough to be in their path .
, which coincided with may day, marked the second half of the celtic year and included elements closely associated with the marking of boundaries. birch trees, one of the first to come into leaf, were especially significant. it is suggested that maypole dancing is derived from the tradition of dancing round a birch tree to celebrate springtime .
an excellent account of this decennial perambulation was given by the late dr arnold baines [ 1 ] and published in the buckinghamshire archaeological record in 1986. the article makes a number of interesting observations such the parishioners pausing where boundaries with two other parishes occur to cut crosses .
subsequent' beatings' have taken place in 1984, 1994 to mark the 50th and 60th anniversaries. the most recent perambulation was in 2009 to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the parish. a similar walk to celebrate the queen' s silver jubilee took place in 1977 and a more modest perambulation was undertaken in the year 2000 as part of the millennium celebrations. as to walks, which occurred prior to 1974, no information has yet been forthcoming but would be much welcomed .
curiously, certain stones, trees or other marker points around the boundary would also be beaten by literally bumping a boy (often a choirboy) against the mark. the boy would be suspended upside down and his head gently tapped against the stone or he would be taken by the feet and hands and swung against a tree! nobody knows why or how the tradition originated. one explanation advanced is that it was intended to teach the young their parish' s limits and that the bumping of choir boys - at one time all the local children would have been involved - was' to help them remember'.
beating the bounds is an ancient custom still observed in some english and welsh parishes . under the name of the gangdays the custom of going a-ganging was kept before the norman conquest . a group of old and young members of the community would walk the boundaries of the parish , usually led by the parish priest and church officials , to share the knowledge of where they lay , and to pray for protection and blessings for the lands . 
beating the bounds is an ancient custom still observed in some english and welsh parishes. under the name of the gangdays the custom of going a-ganging was kept before the norman conquest. a group of old and young members of the community would walk the boundaries of the parish, usually led by the parish priest and church officials, to share the knowledge of where they lay, and to pray for protection and blessings for the lands.
beating the bounds is an ancient custom still observed in some english and welsh parishes. under the name of the gangdays the custom of going a-ganging was kept before the norman conquest. a group of old and young members of the community would walk the boundaries of the parish, usually led by the parish priest and church officials, to share the knowledge of where they lay, and to pray for protection and blessings for the lands.