Kernow Goth

Penzance Old Cornwall Society – Preserving & Sharing Knowledge

Penzance Boundary Stones

In 2010 Cedric Appleby our recorder at Penzance  Old Cornwall Society  carried out research into locating the towns boundary stones  In 2014 on the 4000th anniversary of the granting of the Town Charter of 1614 this work resulted in the unveiling by the Duke of Gloucester, of a notice board showing the position of  all the boundary stones  

Before the  availability of accurate maps and records some form of  reliable definition was needed to mark the limits of towns and parishes   Where there was no permanent structure or  point such as a a river  marker stones were erected to denote the boundaries of each town or parish    To make sure that these were continued and to check that there had been no encroachment it was essential to walk around the irregular perimeters of the boundaries.  Each year the ancient ritual of Beating the Bounds was carried out (see attached photo from 1965). This was done by taking local young boys on the route, and bumping them against the stones  trees, walls or posts, so that when they grew up they would be able to pass on their knowledge of the boundary.

There are two stones surviving from the 1614 Penzance Borough Boundaries marked 1687 – one is at Chyandour just below the Royale Hotel and one opposite the Fire Station at Chapel St Clare 

These early boundaries were set in a half mile radius from the Market Stone in the centre of the town at the 'Green Market'

In 1934 the borough was enlarged to include Mousehole, Newlyn, Heamoor and Gulval

The boundary stones  now in place are at Posses Lane near Sainsbury , Trenow near Gulval, Merry Meeting near Heamoor, Tregavarah , Sheffield, Tredavoe and the most westerly at Raginnis  (Spaniard's point) in Mousehole 

Thanks to Cedric's hard work all these stones are marked on the display board erected opposite the Lidl supermarket at Wherrytown hopefully inspiring everyone to find them and check on their condition for the future.