THIS IS FINDON VILLAGE - Beating More Bounds

THIS IS FINDON VILLAGE — www.findonvillage.com created by Valerie Martin, contains scenes from her home village of Findon, West Sussex, U.K.

BEATING MORE BOUNDS — 1896 STYLE

An image of life in Tarring many years ago.

I am told that nearby area of Broadwater in Saxon days appeared to all as the rather uninspiring shore of the hamlet of Ordinges — and it was from this that the name of Worthing was derived. "Ordinges" meant "the weedy shore".... and of course, this still exists to this very day.

Back in time the area later to be known as Worthing was of no importance whatsoever. It was just a miserable fishing hamlet at the end of the 18th century. The brook and flat land next to the shore was under water during the winter months for many decades.

Tarring (just to the south of Findon) was the principal town for any form of specialised shopping for anyone wishing to do so from Findon.

It may be difficult to believe but nearby Tarring was once larger than Worthing — the latter now boasts five miles of shoreline to summer visitors. Perhaps the above sketch helps one to imagine the scene to the south of Findon years ago...... not much habitation.......just a track wending its way northwards to Findon (and the development of Findon Valley not even dreamed of .

Way back in time there was a tradition known as "beating the bounds" and this was enacted each year and involved the local dignitaries of each area walking the whole circumference of their respective village to prove its existence and the location of its boundaries.

At five o'clock on Wednesday, 19th August 1896 the beating the bounds ritual was revived in nearby Tarring. The meeting point for this semi-ecclesiastical and semi-parochial ceremony was on the eastern boundary line of Tarring Parish, near to the railway footbridge at an area known as Sheep Combe.

The undaunted participants of this memorable perambulation totalled fifteen. Some were parish council members and others merely youths going along for the day's outing.

The Tarring Rector, the Reverend Dr. Springett; Worthing's Mayor; Mr. W. Fletcher and a Mr. C. Sayers (who took on the role of leader of the group) accompanied the walkers as they set off on their nine mile trek through the familiar countryside.

An observer at the time has thoughtfully left us with a somewhat humorous notation of their unflinching progress:

It was soon apparent that Mr. Sayers was not content to airily indicate the boundaries. Instead, he clambered over a wicker gate erected by the Railway Company and thence to the fence immediately to the right of the path that leads to the footbridge.

The top of this fence is studded with spikes, presenting a tolerably business-like face to the intruder. In consequence, Mr. Sayers' nose was slightly marked, at which point the less enthusiastic among the throng were tempted to smile.

I understand that this oddly assorted convoy passed Moll Soal's Lane — this strangely named location is where a lady by that name is supposed to have committed a murder — for which she was duly hanged. She was buried at South Cross (I'm not quite sure of the location of South Cross). To help you get your bearings, Moll Soal's Lane was the original name of today's Tarring Road (between the Heene Road and the Tarring railway crossing).

The beaters of the bounds then passed Vapour Lane located on the west side of the once tidal Teville Stream. Vapour Lane at one time ran as far westwards as the Heene Road — and is today known as the Teville Road.

Heene Road

The Teville Road c. 1901.

I think the name of Vapour Lane may have come about through the obnoxious stench emanating from the stream meandering its way along this route. This waterway is now fortunately channelled underground.

It is then said that the beaters in 1896 clambered through the quickset hedging bordering the Railway Company's property and then —

...walked through the meadows northwards along the west side and three feet from the roots of the hedge between the land known as South Farm, Broadwater and the Tarring Town Field.

The group continued on this set route for some 500 yards, then carefully traversed to the eastern side of the same hedge and continued again in the same direction....

.... until they reached the south-east corner of the Hazellands, where the centre of the ditch is the boundary for about six yards.

Our intrepid contemporary reporter of the day tells us that the walkers continued until they reached Poulter's Lane (also popularly known as Shady Lane at that time).

The treaders next turned their attention westwards, with the southern face of Mr. Gaisford's wall being the boundary and so on to the passways at the southern end of Offington Lane.

c. 1910 — Offington Corner to the south of Findon. This view is looking north. Crockhurst Hill on left, Findon Road in centre and Warren Road on right.

The date of the photograph is 24th March 1934. This is a scene familiar to all Findonians. The cemetery at Offington Corner. It was opened in 1927 and the photograph was taken seven years later.

Many suppose that the tall trees on the right of the picture lasted for many years and finally came down in the hurricane of October 1987.... but that is incorrect and Pam Stepney of Findon Village tells me that they disappeared as long ago as the 1930s or 1940s. The trees on the site that were brought down by the hurricane of 1987 were the conifers that were planted just inside the cemetery fence.

Having arrived at Offington Corner, the walkers intent on beating the bounds in 1896 were near to Crocodile Hill (Crocker's ......or now better known as Crockhurst Hill) having taken its name from a former owner, a gentleman by the name of John Crocker.

If the participants in the enterprise actually stuck to their correct brief on that day, I think they would have then proceeded up the middle of the lane, leading straight towards Findon village. (Survey maps indicate the actual centre of the highway as the boundary line, although the Turnpike Act of 1823, plus Findon's repairing of the entire highway, tends to assign the western side of the lane as the boundary line).

Sheepcombe Gate was reached at 6 o'clock and the party turned westwards towards Salvington Hill at this point. It is worth mentioning here that Sheepcombe Gate was the present junction of the A24 Findon Road and Limetree Avenue.

The downland hillside was reported as .....

....a toilsome climb to the brow but all were rewarded by the lovely view that charmed the eye on every side.

Leaving the High Salvington Windmill, the wayfarers followed what was known as the Straight Hedge to the south. It appears that Straight Hedge (between Salvington and the railway line), was some 300 yards east of Salvington Hill, Durrington Hill and Durrington Lane, cutting across the Littlehampton Road, just east of the North Star public house at Beggar's Bush. It then traversed to the east of Field Place in the region of the Ringmer Road before slicing across the railway track, west of Elm Grove.

The stout-hearted beaters then met the Arundel Road just east of Swandean, then the Littlehampton Road. Here they discovered how strangely this part of the parish was made up. Going westwards towards Limbrick Lane, they traced Tarring's boundary into a corner of a field known as Old Woman's Ground. This strangely descriptive named area seems to have been half-way down Limbrick Lane on its east side.

Their journey took them to the east. An indication of the thoroughness of their investigation into the ancient ritual of beating the bounds is now gleaned by mentioning that many of the plucky parish councillors went to the extent of crawling through two culverts constructed along the line of the boundary. I think these were most likely somewhat overgrown as it was summer at the time.

The Straight Hedge was then met up with again and the railway line crossed once more.

Arriving at Goring Lane, the now straggling team of stalwart walkers drifted towards the sea. After taking an eastward course, they headed into Hogdell Corner and then eastwards once more, by way of Moll Soal's Lane..... to the spot whence they had started four hours earlier.

A tired and weary bunch adjourned to the Downview Hotel (still there today) to partake of a hearty and welcome supper where it is written that...

.........Mr. Lephard made the most ample provision to ensure the enjoyment of all his guests.

Continue if you would like to see the Brides of Findon over the years.

Back to Church Index

Back to Main Index

THIS IS FINDON VILLAGE — www.findonvillage.com is a continually growing record created by Valerie Martin exclusively for documenting life in Findon.

E-mail: valeriemartin@findonvillage.com