Shirenewton Local History Society
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Beating the Bounds |
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Beating the Bounds
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Every Rogation Sunday the is a 'Beating of the Bounds' walk. The bounds in question refer to the parish boundaries. Recently this walk has been arranged and led by the Shirenewton Local History Society.
This is a traditional activity which used to involved actually 'beating' the parish boundary markers with the head of a child - typically a boy. Shirenewton no longer adheres rigidly to this custom although if a young lad happens to be on the walk the odd boundary stone may be lightly tapped with a head - in a fun way!
There are numerous write-ups regarding this strange parish custom which, it is generally agreed, dates back way beyond the onset of Christianity. Various references are provided below.
- Cholesbury LHS with a good write-up -
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© Shirenewton Local History Society 2007 - 2009 Hosted by www.shirenewtonchurch.com as a community service |
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