This film is part of Free
Beating the Bounds at St Albans
An ancient parish custom is revived by twentieth century merrymakers in the historic Hertfordshire market-town.
Overview
Armed with wands of willow, the people of St Albans take to the fields for the annual ceremonial marking or 'beating' of the parish boundaries. Among the high-spirited chaos, this newsreel item shows a man and a woman being 'bumped' on a boundary-stone, to the delight of onlookers. Moving back to town, local dignitaries are jostled by brass bands and an ecstatic crowd in the grid-locked centre.
One of the longest-running events in the English calendar, 'beating the bounds' traditionally took place in various locations on Rogation Sunday, the fifth Sunday after Easter. The St Albans ceremony (which claims to date back to the 13th century) is one of a few surviving celebrations of its kind. The intertitle tells us that this occasion in 1913 marked a revival of the custom after a 34-year lapse, which helps explain the particularly large crowd. Today the event continues to serve as a focus for community bonding and general merrymaking.
Related
Our Hertfordshire Heritage Our Hertfordshire Heritage
Travelogue 1955 16 mins Silent Location: Vervlamivm (Roman Town)
The high number of intertitles suggest that the credited ‘Sound Engineer’ provided a now lost music accompaniment to the pictures.
Elizabethan Village - Hertfordshire Elizabethan Village - Hertfordshire
Amateur film 1957 19 mins Silent Location: Wheathampstead
Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother opens Wheathampstead School, 1967. A young Queen Elizabeth at St Albans Cathedral, Maundy Thursday, 1957.
In Old St Albans In Old St Albans
Travelogue 1920 9 mins Silent Location: St Albans
Popular with Romans, monks, and the Hertfordshire Albanians of 1920 and today, the historic city of St Albans was made to be put on film.
New Perspectives: Fish Tank New Perspectives: Fish Tank
Short documentary 2025 4 mins
Adam Smith of Northumbria University explains why Andrea Arnold's coming-of-age story, about a girl who uses dance to escape, is his favourite film on BFI Player.
New Perspectives: Pusher New Perspectives: Pusher
Short documentary 2025 5 mins
Noah Ball of Northumbria University explains why you should seize the chance to watch Nicolas Winding Refn's debut.
Twin Peaks star Kyle MacLachlan on working with David Lynch - Q&A Twin Peaks star Kyle MacLachlan on working with David Lynch - Q&A
Inside Film 2025 38 mins
Kyle MacLachlan talks to BFI CEO Ben Roberts about working with David Lynch on the legendary series Twin Peaks.
On Falling - Exclusive Q&A On Falling - Exclusive Q&A
Inside Film 2025 30 mins
Writer-director Laura Carreira talks to Nia Childs about her debut feature, On Falling.
Layla - Exclusive Q&A Layla - Exclusive Q&A
Short interview 2025 27 mins
Writer, director and performer Amrou Al-Kadhi talks to Rico Johnson-Sinclair about their debut feature.
All We Imagine As Light - Exclusive Q&A All We Imagine As Light - Exclusive Q&A
Short interview 2025 28 mins
Payal Kapadia discusses her Cannes prize-winning and Bafta-nominated drama with Ashanti Omkar.