Today’s Memory Monday is inspired by an article on “Old Customs” printed in the Royal Leamington Spa Courier on 24th May, 1873. The article describes the perambulation or beating of the bounds of Stoneleigh Parish, to which Westwood Heath belonged until 1928.
The article begins:
Many old customs yet linger around the Heart of England. Last week witnessed the erection of May-poles, garlanded and bedecked as of old, with merry groups around them, dancing and playing as in the “good old times”…This week, though the lowly and beautiful milkwort could hardly be found in the dry meadows or upland pastures, the inhabitants of Stoneleigh went a “processioning” …and perambulated the boundaries of that parish.
The newspaper tells us that this particular walk around the parish border in 1873 was the first since 1808 and within living memory for some. The lapse in time shows that this once regular practice was now of less importance and that its revival was, perhaps, an attempt to renew interest and to inform local people of its significance.
History and context
The beating the bounds is a very old tradition, reminding people - in the days before maps - of the importance of boundaries around where they lived. There is evidence of its being a Roman festival, later developing within the Christian faith. The group procession around the parish boundary took place during Rogationtide (the 5th week after Easter). This was a period of fasting and prayers asking for God’s blessing on the crops and from plagues and natural disasters ('rogation' is derived from the Latin word, 'rogare' meaning 'to ask'). Children were an important part of the procession, carrying willow wands to beat the boundary markers with, often accompanied by a chant of, “Mark! Mark! Mark!”. Usually, one child would be turned upside down and have their head bumped (gently, in a symbolic gesture!) on the stones to imprint them on their memory.
After the Reformation, this became less of a religious occasion and more of an annual custom, but one with an important purpose: to prevent encroachment by neighbours, to ensure that boundary markers had not moved and could be seen clearly and to pass on that knowledge to the next generations. Many trees and other natural features acted as boundary markers, either already in existence or planted specifically for the purpose. It became the practice to pause for Bible readings during the walk, under shelter of a tree, hence the name Gospel Oak, sometimes Procession Oak or Vicar’s Oak.
The newspaper article describes the two-day Stoneleigh perambulation starting and finishing at the Gospel Oak (by then, reduced to a stump) at Chantry Heath. The Stoneleigh Ledger Book (1392) describes nearby Motslow Hill as a meeting place for the locality.
At lunchtime on the first day of the perambulation, the Stoneleigh party were met near Hearsall Common by the Vicar of Westwood , accompanied by six local boys. The following shows the incredible detail included in the article and covers some of the boundary in our area:
Lunch ended, they continued their route, skirting Hearsall Common, across Tile Hill Road, through the gate from Hearsall Common to Broad Lane, across the Broad Lane and down a lane leading to Whoberley Farm, in which there were three boundary stones. Leaving Whoberley Farm on the left, along a narrow lane leading to Guphill Ford, as far as the Allesley road, where there was a stone, sharp to the left along the brook which divides Allesley and Stoneleigh parishes, leaving Mount Nod on the left to Eastern Green, where were two stones on cottage gardens. Along the Banner brook as far as Banner Lane and Broad Lane where the three parishes of Stoneleigh, Allesley and Berkswell meet, up Banner Lane as far as Tile Hill, with Berkswell Parish on the right, through the field adjoining Mr Dunn’s tan-yard, across the Berkswell road and through the back of the Bell Inn premises, keeping about 30 yards from the road, through the cottage gardens facing the road, across the London and Birmingham railway, through the porch of one cottage and over the well of another, coming onto the road again at an old house opposite Black Waste Wood as far as the Hollies. Then running to the left along Red Lane with Kenilworth Parish on the right hand, along fields on the opposite side of road, skirting the Bordells and leaving Bokyngden Grange on the left pointing towards Kenilworth but soon turning sharp to the left down to Crackley Wood, along the road skirting the wood as far as the corner opposite the spring, Kenilworth then [visible] to the left across the fields as far as the 4th milestone to Coventry on the Coventry and Kenilworth road, opposite to which is a boundary stone, across the road through Crackley Grove and then to the left to Melbourne brook, along the brook towards Finham brook then to the left as far as the meadow opposite Dale House, along the course of the brook to Worsley Bridge on the road from Stoneleigh to Gibbet Hill.
This article acts as a historical record, documenting the boundary at the time and provides a starting point for further research into the places mentioned, some already very familiar.
There is still some practical relevance today; in some areas of the country, local groups beat the bounds as they exist today, looking for old boundary stones, Gospel oaks and other trees and ancient hedgerows that might have once been a part of the boundary. The major boundary change affecting Westwood Heath occurred in 1928, when Westwood Heath school children and others took part in a celebration of the extension of the city of Coventry. I can find no more records of the beating the bounds having taken place here. Perhaps we could organise a shortened version in the future, when it is safe to meet once more!
If you know of any ancient boundary markers in the area, please do get in touch on here or email me at westwoodheathhistory@gmail.com.
If you would like to see the changes in Coventry’s boundary over the centuries, please visit
This site also contains a link to work done by Amanda Slater, a fascinating pictorial record of the many boundary stones created in the Coventry area as a result of the 1928 and 1932 boundary changes.
Some really interesting early to mid - 20th Century footage of revivals of the practice can be found at the British Pathe website:
Sources:
British Newspaper Archives accessed via www.findmypast.co.uk
The Open Spaces Society www.oss.org.uk
Image:
‘Rogationtide’ from My Book of the Church’s Year by Enid M. Chadwick. London, Mowbrays. No date.
