BOUNDARY HUNTER

FINDING AN OLD WALKING ROUTE can be fun, offering a fresh approach to a familiar area. Faded magazines offer rich pickings – even the dusty pages of out-of-print books draw on the experiences of a bygone era. Setting out, rediscovered guide in hand, a different outlook is yours, following in the wake of travellers dressed in tweed, gabardine or waxed cotton. But what about chainmail?

The year was 1240, and the Sheriff of Devon had moved fast. Henry III’s command, inscribed on vellum, had only been issued a month earlier. This required ‘twelve good knights of the country’ to visit Dartmoor Forest, given recently by the King to his cousin Richard, Earl of Cornwall. Like all forests, the land was valuable hunting ground, and Henry was already in dispute with local landowners over the exact extent of his generous gift. A survey was needed. It’s known today as the Perambulation.

Despite the date, a surprising amount is known about this ancient property assessment. All twelve knights (Henry obviously anticipated trouble with those landowners) are named. We even know the day the survey commenced – July 24th. Amazingly, a detailed description of the route they followed to map