*** Is this also an error in transcription? Churchyard would make more sense.

Or where the peasant treads the Churchward***
path.

Well I like the original word, the spoken poem reads much better with churchward then churchyard - the 'y' is harsh. Churchward is also a much better poetical description - OE weard defined here, 'having a specified direction', which is of course the path the peasants wind through....

"Old English pre 7th Century 'cyrice' meaning church, plus 'weard', a ward of gaurdian,"