Rural England Parishes to Celebrate ‘Beating of the Bounds’

One of the most rural parts of England is set to be the scene of a huge gathering of churchgoers this weekend as the Diocese of Hereford’s ‘Beating of the Bounds’ event takes place, with nearly four out of five parishes taking part in the region.

|TOP|Rev Nick Read, Chaplain for Agriculture and Rural Life in the Diocese said, “It’s definitely a highlight of the year for our local churches. When we surveyed parishes we found that nearly eighty per cent of them held Rogationtide services, including walking the boundaries of the parish. It’s the sort of thing we like doing in the countryside.”

Rogationtide is marked on the fifth Sunday after Easter or the one just before Ascension Day.

Historically it was a time when the faithful processed through cornfields to pray for the preservation of the crop. However, it later became the day that parishioners marked out the boundary of their parish, with a blessing of the crops taking place as participants went around the perimeter.

Rev Read said, “Parishes tend to get together and have a walk which is symbolic rather than the actual boundaries of their parishes these days. Some start from one church and ‘process’ to another for an evening service.”