As part of the Millennium celebrations, 35 villagers and friends 'beat the bounds' of the parish on 30 April 2000. The route of the parish boundary was kept to, as close as possible. Landowners' permission had to be given, of course, as most of the route was along private land.
The weather was not entirely kind, although it cheered up later in the day. The perambulation started at the Church, from where a short walk along the Barrow road brought us to the boundary with Great Saxham. With a great snarling of lips we swished away the demons from the boundary and proceeded in a southerly direction. Most walkers were more interested in the new views on offer, than marking out their parish, but never mind!
The halfway halt was at Crowswood Cottage, courtesy of Mike and Koko Orr. A few left at that point, but others joined for the northerly route which should cross over the railway line. But because there is no access across, we had to keep to the south of the line, until we were able to pass underneath it when we reached the Risby road. From there the walk contined, all through Fred Gittus' land, back to the starting-point.
A great day was had by all and for some, it even had meaningful connotations with the past!
The following extract is 'borrowed' from the Findon (West Sussex) web site:
|
"Maps were scarce, or non-existent, in centuries past. It's doubtful if many parishioners could read or write, so how were they to determine the boundaries of their village? The answer was very simple; they "beat the bounds". This meant that participants literally traversed the parish limits to inspect the condition and to confirm boundary distinctions. It was always a momentous and exceptionally meaningful exercise and not undertaken lightly as the extent of a village's boundary was very important. The younger lads of the day remembered the marking of their boundaries all their lives. A disagreeable aspect of the exercise during this era was the bumping and whipping of the village boys at every important point as they progressed along the designated route. They were also unmercifully tossed into ponds and also forced to climb up any roofs of houses that may have straddled the line. If a dispute arose in later years, they would well remember their precise village boundary points. It may have been hard on the children but it did ensure they did not easily forget their lesson and could pass the knowledge down to future generations. Many abuses occurred through this activity of whipping and bullying and laws were finally passed to reform the practice during the Elizabethan era. During the great Queen's reign, parishioners were liable to a fine if they did not attend their parish church. Village day-to-day life was closely connected to religion. When a particular July was wet, (which was disastrous for the haymaking), prayers for more temperate weather were offered in church with the Bishop's agreement. The same applied if rain looked as if it would spoil the village harvest. The three "asking days" before Ascension were the periods fixed for imploring "God's blessing on the works of parishioners' hands and the fruits of the field". The clergy and elected villagers then proceeded to travel around the boundaries. At every landmark they committed it, and themselves, to the "Providence of Our Father". It was considered that boundary distinctions were extremely important in the eighteenth century because of the very grave issues of charity, poor law and, of course, vagrancy. Each parish was responsible for its own particular district and was keen to avoid any liability or obligation that it could possibly pass on to another community." |