Citylife in Lichfield September 2020

Sheriff William Arthur Wood Beating the Bounds at Lea Grange in 1908
By Foot, Horse,
Carriage & Car
...........................
On Saturday 5th September 2020 a large group of horse
riders would have set off from the Lichfield Guildhall to
embark on one of Lichfield’s most historic, and
respected, traditional customs, the Sheriff’s Ride. However, the
Covid-19 pandemic has meant that this tradition, like many
others in 2020, will not take place as planned. Instead of a horse
the sheriff will travel round the 20-mile circuit in a car, with only
a driver and passenger, there will be no accompanying horses
and riders, and there will be no crowd of onlookers to welcome
the sheriff, and his entourage, back to Lichfield as they complete
the ‘beating of the bounds.’ Jono Oates takes a look at the
history of this iconic local event.
Lichfield is well known for its ancient customs and traditions with
the Sheriff’s Ride being one of the most colourful and impressive, as
well as one that has been taking place since the middle of the 16th
century. In 1553, when King Edward VI was succeeded by Queen
Mary I, Lichfield was separated from Staffordshire and granted its
own status as a county, meaning that it was then able to appoint its
own sheriff. Queen Mary’s Charter stipulated that the sheriff should
‘perambulate the new County and City annually on the Nativity of
the Blessed Virgin Mary.’ The sheriff would visit all of the boundary
markers of Lichfield to ensure that they were all well maintained and
this became the annual ‘beating of the bounds.’ Originally the sheriff
undertook the duty on foot but this took so long to complete that
eventually horses were employed so that it could be completed
within a single day. The original date for the ride was always fixed as
September 8th but, again, over the years this rule has been relaxed
and it now takes place on the Saturday nearest to, or after, the 8th of
September.
The first Sheriff of Lichfield to undertake this honour in 1553 was
Gregorie Stonynge, who owned the remains of the Franciscan Friary
building, later to become the Girls High School in the late 1920s and
home to Lichfield Library until 2018. In 1877 the sheriff was Thomas
Hull Hunt and the editor of the Staffordshire Advertiser described
the horses as being a mixture of ‘weedy mounts’ and ‘fiery chargers’,
and that some horses were so steady that they would not shy even
if they were met by ‘a
waggon-load of monkeys
with their tails burnt off.’
With similarities to the
current year, in September
1914 Thomas Baxter was
the sheriff for the first ride
since the First World War
had commenced and,
although the ceremony
went ahead as usual, only
the sheriff and Under-sheriff
undertook the ride as there
was a severe shortage of
horses with so many of
them being used for military
purposes.
By the time of the Second
World War in September
1939, Councillor Frank
Halfpenny made history by
becoming the first sheriff to
undertake the ride carrying
a gas mask with him on his
horse. All the usual
Sheriff Michael Mullarkey in 2018
Frank Halfpenny.
(photo courtesy of Robert
Yardley).
festivities surrounding the ride, including the reception and
refreshments, were abandoned and the sheriff set off with only one
other rider, Mr Sam Ashley, rather than the customary 40 to 50.
Not every sheriff chooses to ride a horse and in 2018 Michael
Mullarkey, of Michael’s Menswear on Market Street, completed the
course in a magnificent horse and carriage, evoking memories of
Lichfield’s 18th century coaching past.
Due to Covid-19 Lichfield City Council chose not to elect a new
sheriff, or Mayor, for 2020 so the sheriff will again be Dr Daryl Brown
of Maple Hayes Dyslexia School, who, unlike last years, will ‘beat the
bounds’ in a car rather than sat on a horse. However, regardless of
the mode of transport – by foot, horse, carriage or car – the most
important thing is that this most historic Lichfield tradition is carried
out and that the Sheriff’s Ride will set off on Saturday 5th September
for the 467th time in its history.
*Please note that this year’s Sheriff’s Ride is not a public event.
Sources: British Newspaper Archive; Lichfield City Council website
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