Lot 189: Six scenes of country customs, including Villagers gathering for the Beating the Bounds ceremony; 'Heaving', a man lifted in a chair by women; A young couple before a church (illustrated); A woman carried in a basket by a crowd; A women's

James Stephanoff, O.W.S. (1787-1874)
Six scenes of country customs, including Villagers gathering for the Beating the Bounds ceremony; 'Heaving', a man lifted in a chair by women; A young couple before a church (illustrated); A woman carried in a basket by a crowd; A women's running-race; and Halloween (illustrated)
pencil, pen and grey ink with grey wash
3¾ x 5¼ in. (9.5 x 13.4 cm.) (6)

These drawings are illustrative of rural customs and country life. Beating the bounds was a custom in which parishioners walked around the boundaries of ecclesiastical parishes to re-affirm those boundaries. Halloween is a celebration of All Hallows Eve, 31 October, a festival rooted in pagan times.