A COLOURFUL ceremony dating from medieval times will be relived in Poole this summer as the town reminds its neighbours of its borough boundaries.

During a four-hour, 32-mile perambulation on Saturday, June 12, bailiff Ray Knight and six boundsmen will escort the Mayor and Sheriff to meet neighbouring civic leaders and see off their challenges.

Beating the Land Bounds involves six stops with "pins and points" ceremonies where a boy is whipped with a leather lace and a girl's hand pricked with a wooden bodkin to ensure they remember the borders.

"It dates from time immemorial," said Douglas Cook, secretary of the Society of Poole Men, which revived the ceremony in 1926 and this year celebrates its 80th anniversary.

"It goes back to beating the bounds of the manor, certainly to medieval times," he said.

However, the origins of the "pins and points" can be dated to 1667, a year after the Great Fire of London for the boys, with the girls getting in on the act 10 years later.

When the society revived the ceremony, Poole had acquired areas including Hamworthy, Broadstone and Creekmoor under local government reorganisation. It was found at the time that the borough had expanded so much that many people in Poole did not realise how big it was," said Mr Cook.

The charabancs of those days have been replaced by double-decker buses and development has ensured some of the old boundary sites are no longer accessible.

"For a time in the 1950s the Mayor, Mary Llewellin, met the Mayor of Wimborne in the middle of the main bridge going into Wimborne. We might have one or two objections if we tried to do that today," he said.

The party starts off from the Civic Centre at 12.45pm, arriving at the Guildhall at 1.10pm. Ham Common, Upton Country Park, Canford Bridge, near Bournemouth University and the Sandbanks ferry follow.

They are expected to meet the Mayors of Wareham, Wimborne and Bournemouth, the chairmen of Purbeck and East Dorset Councils and a representative of Studland.

As well as the colourful Jolly Pirates of Poole, the Wareham Court Leet and Wimborne Militia will all be taking part in the various ceremonies.

Supporters wishing to book £7 tickets on the bus, which include programme and cream tea, can contact Mr Cook on 01202 674593.