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.
Read more about Beating The Bounds: Ceremony, Origins, Contemporary Observations
Famous quotes containing the words beating and/or bounds:
“a great space
Of white and pewter lights, and a din like silversmiths
Beating and beating at an intractable metal.”
—Sylvia Plath (1932–1963)
“Great Wits are sure to Madness near alli’d
And thin Partitions do their Bounds divide;
Else, why should he, with Wealth and Honour blest,
Refuse his Age the needful hours of Rest?”
—John Dryden (1631–1700)