The Bristol perambulation was a civic ritual, usually performed annually, in Bristol, England, from the sixteenth to the nineteenth centuries. Also called 'beating the bounds' it usually involved a party of civic officers (headed by the mayor and sheriffs) walking or riding around the 8 miles (12.9 km) land boundary of the city and county of Bristol. On the way they inspected the 'shirestones' (boundary markers) to ensure all were visible and in good order.