ABSTRACT
THE people of Gosforth make a sharp distinction between ‘Gosfer’ folk’ and those who live outside the parish. The precise location of the parish boundary is very widely known and a very real difference is recognized between the people who live on either side of it, even where the actual distance is a matter of a few yards. There are several farms situated just inside the parish limits and the families who occupy them make full use of the services and amenities of Gosforth village, despite the fact that all of them could use other centres much more conveniently. In one case the extra distance involved is as much as two miles. On the other hand, there is one farm situated less than ten yards outside the parish boundary: its occupants are rarely seen in Gosforth and seldom mentioned in everyday conversation, although the farmhouse is a mile nearer to Gosforth village than to the hamlet which is the focus of their activities.
