I’ve already waxed lyrical about how much I loved the Bath walking tour that I took. (The Mayor’s Guides are absolutely brilliant tour guides, and you must do it if you are in Bath!) While we did see some fantastic landmarks like the Circus and the Royal Crescent, I loved the tour for all of the minor things that I learned, too. While abbeys and bridges and sculptures certainly play a role in a city’s history, the little pieces of hidden history are just as important. You might almost miss the parish boundary markers in Bath, but they are a perfect piece of hidden history.
You will recall from my Walking Tour of Bath post that the Upper Borough Walls of medieval Bath are literally carved into stone. While the names and words don’t necessarily hold the same meanings that they always do, they are often still preserved. (Heads up: “maidens lane/ road/ walk usually NEVER refers to a maiden, spoiler alert.) So, on our walking tour, many of us happened to notice “SMP′SPPP” just above our heads.
These are actually parish boundary markers. And no, there is not a parish name that long- it is actually where two different parishes meet. St. Mary’s Parish and St. Peter and Paul Parish happen to butt up against each other here. (The apostrophe in the middle is the dividing line between the names.)
This may be the point when you ask, “Historian, why do these boundaries matter?” Well, that is a fair and important question. Your parish was what took care of you if you fell ill and couldn’t work. Ditto for when your husband died or you were left an orphan. And if you needed to beg, you typically were only allowed to do so within the boundaries of your own parish. Parishes were integral to social organisation, and the dividing lines had to be clear and obvious. Hidden history is everywhere, if you know where to look…
Like the parish boundary markers, what hidden history have you discovered?
Cheers,
The Historian
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