William Stobie
Toronto Daily Star, August 13 1931
William Stobie (1886-1957) was the mayor of Oxford during a term of office that lasted from 1930 to 1931. He was a physician who spent much of his time on tuberculosis and other respiratory diseases. More details on him can be found on the Oxford History site and the Royal College of Physicians site.
Beating the bounds is an ancient custom. In times past, it was important for people living in an area to know exactly what its boundaries were, so it was standard practice every few years to walk these boundaries. To help keep the locations of the boundaries in mind, local civic leaders would swat ("beat") common landmarks with branches.
While this is no longer needed, thanks to modern surveyors, it's still done in some areas, either as a civic ceremony or as a legal requirement. In Oxford, the mayor traditionally beat the bounds on leaving office; Dr. Stobie's unique refinement was to do this with a golf club.
Created September 25, 2025.