ADULTS and children, parishioners, former parishioners and friends of the village pulled on their walking boots this week to beat the bounds of Belstone. A large crowd met at 9.30 am last Thursday to set off at the sound of a horn and proudly follow a Union flag on the seven-yearly ritual, in which residents of the parish walk its boundaries with adjoining parishes. This year, the youngest parishioners to complete the 12-mile circuit were six-year-old Freya Weaver and Jim Finley. Along with other children from the village they had been given the day off school for the event ? and had their heads tapped three times on the boundary stone in Taw Marsh, to make sure they remember the boundaries until the next beating in seven years? time. The children were also all awarded a £2 coin for beating the bounds ? a sum that was once sixpence, but has increased with inflation. En-route the walkers enjoyed pasties, bread, cheese, fruit cake and generous quantities of beer and cider to sustain their spirits. Belstone youth club leader Theresa Weaver said: ?It was an incredible day. The weather was fantastic ? good but not too hot. And there was a wonderful feeling of community. ??Lots of people who don?t live in the village any longer came back for the day and re-established friendships?. As part of the proceedings this year, Belstone?s newly-formed youth club buried a time-capsule in Taw Marsh, which will lie undisturbed until the 2021 beating of the bounds in 14 years? time. Theresa said: ?The children put things in the capsule that reflect their views of Belstone and living in the village, things like pictures, maps, and even CDs of their favourite music. ?We?re hoping that all of the children who put things in the capsule will be able to be here in 14 years? time when it?s dug up. It?ll be a great opportunity to come back and re-establish contact. The youngest ones will be 19 by then ? and the oldest will be 30!? This year, the beating of the bounds had a particular emphasis on safety, with a police escort to make sure that all 200-plus walkers were safely escorted along the old A30. ?The police were incredible, really efficient,? Theresa said. ?They made it a safe day for everybody.? The walkers did not return to Belstone until around 7pm. Most agreed that the last stretch of the route was the hardest ? following the boggy banks of the River Taw through Skaigh Valley. But none were tempted to take an easier alternative route and each walker ended by ceremoniously tapping the last rock on the boundary, before returning to the village hall for a bring and share supper. Beating the bounds has been practiced across Britain since at least the 8th century as a way of ensuring that ecclesiastical or manorial boundaries are properly observed.
