Beating the Bounds

Beating the Bounds of a parish is an ancient tradition, based on the need for inhabitants to know the extent of their land, before the days of maps. The people, led by the vicar and choirboys, would walk round the boundary, checking that the boundary stones were in place, and making sure that everyone, particularly the young, knew where the boundary lay. The Vicar would also bless the land in the hope of a fruitful harvest.

The earliest record of this in Westerham is on 22nd May 1718. Trees and posts were marked with the letter W.  Next in 1758 and again in 1805, mentions are found in the parish archives.

These days the event concludes with a fair on The Green, and in 2016, we introduced Maypole dancing, which is thought last to have taken place in Squerryes Park during the countries’ Peace Celebrations in 1919…