Tin bounds were an ancient legal arrangement used in the counties of Devon and Cornwall in South West England to encourage the exploitation of land for the extraction of tin.
[1][2] Tin bounds were created by the miner (or 'bounder') pitching stones or turves at the four corners of the land he intended to work.
[1] The bounder was required to declare his bounds to the stannary court and to renew them annually by re-pitching the stones or turves.
During the early history of mining, the bounder was also required to actually work the land for tin in order for the bounds to remain valid, although this requirement was diluted over time.
The bounder was required to pay the freeholder of the land a portion of the tin extracted.