Perambulations of the Boundary Part 2 - Chipping Sodbury
In my article in last month’s Boundary Magazine I wrote about the Perambulation, or Beating the Bounds, of Old Sodbury parish. This month I will look at the much smaller parish of Chipping Sodbury. It must be remembered that until 1947 Chipping Sodbury was entirely surrounded by Old Sodbury and was only about 107 acres. Perambulations took place regularly to ensure that the boundaries were maintained and no encroachments had been made. I have copies of a number of the Perambulations and I am basing this article on the Perambulations of 1676 and 1783. The walks started in different places, but for this story, I will start at the top right of the map below and go anti clock- wise around the town. Note In text modern names are given in italics.
The river marked some of the parish boundary to the north and the record states that the perambulators walked through the river and under the arches of the bridges. The walk starts at Dairy House (Vayre House?) and mention is made of walking along land owned by Mr Tovey – Skinner, along by the fishpond in Mr Hopkin’s Ragg,(River Walk by Couzen’s Close and Ross Close) under the arch of the bridge of the Turnpike Road to Wickwar (Wickwar Road by Church), along the stream to Weare’s Mill (the Old Mill in Brook Street). Mention is made that the boundary stone here was “by land taken out of waste” by a certain resident. The walk continued along the river and up to Bulling Hill up what used to be known as the Zig-Zag (up to the Parade) to the top of Bowling Hill. It then crossed the Bristol Turnpike road and went up Stow or Slough Lane (Culverhill Road) along to Gaunt’s field (junction of Bowling Road and Cotswold Road) and thence along by the fields, using hedgerows as the boundary, towards Bucket Hill. (Cotswold Road or by pass, also known as Molly Jones Lane in the 19th Century) The boundary turned north to run along (Two Stone Lane) and turned right up (Woodman’s Road) and ran around Flint’s Close (by end of Kingrove Crescent where a hedge and ditch still mark the medieval limit). The walk then crossed the “Causey to Old Sodbury” (Horse St) to Catshol or Back Lane (Gorlands Road) and all the way along to Greenhill Common (the little grass triangle where Gorlands Road meets Hatter’s Lane). It then turned down to meet the “wooden bridge over the brook” (Hatter’s Lane Bridge) from whence the walk started. At the end of the perambulation of October 1783 it states “it was found that several inclosures out of waste land had been made to the prejudice of the Lord of the Manor and freeholders” …. This was deemed to be “a public evil exam- ple” and the fences of inclosures were ordered to be removed by Christmas next or the perpetrators would have to pay a fine of 20shillings. A considerable sum in 1783!
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