| Where: | Oxford - around the parish boundaries of St Michael in Northgate and St Mary the Virgin on the High Street. |
| When: | Ascension Day |
| Time: | 9am onwards |
Ascension Day was traditionally a time for checking parish boundaries and marking them; in Oxford two neighbouring parishes still perform this in the traditional way. A short service is held in each church, followed by a procession of clergy and dignitaries who follow their ancient route around the landmarks, beating them with white wands , marking them with chalk and calling “Mark! Mark! Mark!”. The walks take about two hours and some of the points are inside shops and pubs and even a library; the end of the St Michael’s is at Lincoln College where the participants are fed and watered with Ivy Beer. During the St Mary’s walk cherry cake is provided at All Souls College, where they used to have cherry orchards, and ice cream at the end. Both processions involve scrambles for money (and sweets, on St Mary’s) and pass through Brasenose College.
Helpful Hints
Ascension Day is linked to Easter ( it’s the fifth Thursday after Easter) and therefore varies in date from year to year but is always on a Thursday.
In 2025 it should be on Thursday 29th May.
Click here for St Mary’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/smvoxford
and website: http://www.university-church.ox.ac.uk
and here for St Michael’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/St-Michael-at-the-North-Gate-Church-Oxford-105844801064894/?ref=page_internal
and website : https://smng.org.uk/
Click here to find out more : http://www.oxfordhistory.org.uk/streets/parish_marks/index.html
Can you tell me where and when Beating the bounds will take place in Oxford in 2021.
As we – tour-conductors in training – come to explore Oxford next year from 13th till 16th May 2021 we are very interested in this ancient custom.
Looking forward to your answer. Kind regards
Viviane De Keyser
Hi Viviane,
Thanks for your question- in 2021 Beating the Bounds should be on Thursday 13th May, and there are 2 separate events in Oxford. We’re not connected to the organisation of the events here at calendarcustoms, and I’d strongly advise getting in touch directly with the organisers particularly as there may be last-minute changes in response to virus restrictions or lockdowns, and they may have special rules in place that are new since we went. Both the walks normally begin at 9 am, one starting at St Mary the Virgin church on the High Street and the other at St Michael’s church in Northgate, and you really need to be there from the beginning to follow the tortuous route- you’d find it difficult to catch up partway through. As they both happen at the same time you can’t do both at once! For the St Mary’s event, go to https://www.universitychurch.ox.ac.uk and scroll down to the bottom of the page to find a link for sending emails or Facebook message them at https://www.facebook.com/smvoxford, and for St Michael’s go to http://www.smng.org.uk/wp/contact/ where you’ll find email and telephone contact details, or find them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/St-Michael-at-the-North-Gate-Church-Oxford-105844801064894/?modal=admin_todo_tour
I’ve only been on the St Mary’s one, which was great fun, so I can recommend it but can’t compare the two. You’ll be allowed to beat some of the marks as part of the walk and will see parts of the colleges that outsiders normally have no access to, and it’s very interesting being able to follow the walk through the ancient buildings. I expect they’ll be very pleased to have some interested visitors from so far away – and that you’ll have an interesting trip,
Best wishes,
Averil