| Beating of the Bounds Sunday, May 9, 2010 |
Meet from 12.00 noon
at the Hare & Hounds PH, Lea Bridge Road, Leyton E10 | for LUNCH and WILLOW-STRIPPING
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at 2.15pm
by the Ice Rink car park, Lea Bridge Road | or join us for the WILLOW BLESSING and ELECTION OF THEGNS
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The New Lammas Lands Defence Committee warmly invite you, your family and friends to join residents of the parishes of Leyton, Walthamstow, Hackney Marsh and Clapton in celebrating the ancient tradition of Beating the Bounds - and have fun! Once each year we walk around our former local Lammas Land, following a tradition intended (before maps existed) to re-establish ancient rights of common or access and to mark significant boundaries.
Such processions often took place during Rogationtide, when prayers were offered asking for the fertility of the land and a good harvest. Our walk follows the tradition, but without any prayers!
Stripped willow sticks bedecked with flowers and ribbons were carried and important boundary markers hit with them. In some places, children would also be beaten with sticks or even turned upside-down to have their heads bumped three times on boundary markers 'to imprint the location on their minds'! We sometimes 'bump' children, but only with the child's (and carer's) permission.
Although nowadays maps often show boundaries, they seldom indicate our thousands of Common Lands and Village Greens. All too often these precious and historic open spaces suffer enclosure, fragmentation, inappropriate building, or encroachment on their margins - all of which have happened recently on Leyton Marshes. By continuing to beat the bounds we hope more local residents will become aware of our ancient greens and common lands and perhaps join us in helping defend them.
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