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An extract from the account of The Manor of Warsop Perambulation of 26th July 1816

On July 26th 1816 two groups of Warsop folk left the top of Cuckney Hill to walk the boundary of the Manor of Warsop. One group walked west towards Shirebrook and a second group headed eastwards towards Gleadthorpe. The two parties met up again at Peafield Farm. The following extract describes the section of their route between Hazel Gap and the Parliament Oak.

Thence to Hazel Gap to the lately made Turnpike Road from Budby to Cresswell then turning in a Southerly direction by the side of the Hedge of Gleadthorpe Farm until a Cross was dug at a place where the boundary turns in a Southwesterly direction leaving Gleadthorpe Farm on the right through a plantation upon Budby Forest planted by Earl Manvers and thence along the South East Side of Gleadthorpe Farm the Hedge of which again becomes the Boundary to a River called the River Maid which at that place bounds the Manor for about one hundred yards and then through part of the Gleadthorpe Farm where Budby Forest is the Boundary
A Cross was dug at the North East Side of that River which the Boundary crosses at that place
And after crossing such River proceeded in a Southern and South Westerly direction around that part of Gleadthorpe Farm the Hedge of which again becoming there the Boundary of the Manor until we arrived at a very ancient Boundary stone set upon Budby Forest said to be the Stone set to mark the extent of Budby Township and which Stone William Wilkinson one of the Jury aged seventy five years deposed that he recollected being there ever since he could remember anything and he was born within the Manor of Warsop no letter or Mark now appears on this Stone
From that Stone proceeded almost at right angles in a Southerly direction where Gleadthorpe is again the Boundary Crosses were dug at the last Stone and at the turn
We then proceeded in a Southwesterly direction skirting the ancient wood of Birkland Bilhaugh which is to our left about a quarter of a mile is a Boundary Stone and turning towards the right is another boundary Stone where on a W is carved on the side next Warsop thence along the North West side until we arrived at a place called Hanger Hill where on stands a Plantation of Earl Manvers upon which Hill stand three Boundary Stones one of them is marked with the letter E on the side next Edwinstowe where the Boundaries meet another without a letter and another carved with the letter W on the side next Warsop being the Warsop Boundary Stone upon this Hanger Hill according to ancient custom Bread and Cheese and Ale brought from Warsop were given away to a number of Persons from Warsop who had Assembled there and also to a number of Boys who ran Races for it stood upon their heads in the crosses which were dug as Memorials of the Boundary particularly Francis Wardley a boy about ten years of age who won the race
From this place we proceeded to another Boundary Stone whereon a W is carved on the Warsop side which stands under a very ancient Oak Tree apparently as old as the most ancient tree in Birkland *Billhaugh* which Tree is remarkable as being the only ancient Oak Tree *in Birkland* which remains standing within the Manor of Warsop
Proceeding thence a little farther towards the South West to another Boundary Stone where a cross was dug and it appears to have been the ancient Custom to dig a cross at that Stone which is called the Golden Cross said to be so called by an Old Man of the name of George Johnson putting a Golden guinea upon the Stone on which he made a boy stand upon his head and rewarded him with the gold
thence proceeded in a Westerly direction to another Boundary stone marked W and afterwards in the same direction to another and thence to a Guide Post standing on the open Forest which appears to stand near the Junction of the Three Townships of Edwinstowe Clipston and Warsop and there is a Boundary Stone with an E on the Edwinstowe side that Guide Post appears by the inscriptions thereon to be two miles from Edwinstowe and four from Ollerton and the Arms denote the roads To Edwinstowe To Ollerton To Warsop and To Mansfield Woodhouse
about one hundred and fifty yards to the West of this Guide Post at a place where the Boundaries of Edwinstowe Clipston and Warsop Meet the Letter W was dug upon the Turf and the Letter E appearing to have been recently dug on an Edwinstowe Perambulation was filled up as being considered as an Encroachment upon Warsop
from this place proceeded to Clipston Park Pales at or near to a place called the old Womans Grave where a Poor Woman of the name of Wass who had hung herself was buried
proceeded thence in a Westerly and South Westerly direction still along the Open Forest in some parts of which the Middle between two ancient Banks appears to be the Boundary in corroboration of which some years ago a man of the name of George Unwin was prosecuted for killing rabbits within Clipston and that the Matter was contested at Law they were convicted because it appeared in Evidence that they were a yard or two on the Cliptston side of the Midway between those two Banks and
we proceeded thence in a Direction nearly due West along the Side of Clipston Park Pales passing on the Northern Side of a very ancient Oak Tree standing in those Pales call'd Parliament Oak under the Branches of which Tradition says the Ancient Barons met and brought King John (the few remains of whose palace stand at Clipston) to those Terms which laid the Foundation of that Great Charter of our Liberties called "Magna Charta" which History informs us was afterwards signed at Runnymede

This extract of the 1816 Perambulation Document is provided by kind permission of L.Mallett & S.Reddish