I'm a gypsyologist AMA

[Devlesko]

Just this really, anyone interested I'll answer if I can.

[Devlesko]

If anyone wants to look at recent issues and problems facing Travellers in general this is our go to charity.
www.travellerstimes.org.uk/

This government have been particularly bad for us, but even though I'd never vote conservative in fairness other governments aren't much better.
www.travellerstimes.org.uk/ Have a good flick through the pages to get a good sense.

[Devlesko]

No idea why I posted it twice

[Devlesko]

There's a Biddle mentioned on the cooking fb report.

[SoftMick]

@bringbacksideburns and @nancy75, where I grew up there is a cemetery with an elaborate Boswell grave in it. I was quite fascinated by it as a child.

[Devlesko]

SoftMick

We tended to buy up cemeteries, not so much now as there aren't isn't the space. My grandparents bought land in the 60's as you couldn't travel anymore, really. They built a small home and had trailers on their land. At this time they bought graves for the whole family the next gen to mine, (parents) all have their designated place, ready.
the stones are huge and no expense is spared. Quite often you can see them towering above the others, and many are really ornate.

[Facefullofcake]

I had an ex who told me his dad is Roma, but didn't meet until him or that side of his family til he was a teenager. He died couple of years back, sadly, too young. I didn't meet his family but he spoke of them a lot - he was a Hudson, from the Midlands - do you know of his dad's side at all please? Sorry if I'm being insensitive asking.

[Devlesko]

Not insensitive at all, and I haven't heard of the name. I'm sorry he died so young.
Sometimes when somebody has married into the family you tend not to hear that name again, because obviously if it was another Romany family the name would be well known, if that makes sense.
I had a woman marry in one of my lines, she was a great grandma by how ever many x's She ran away with a gypsy, was a farmers girl.
Now, she would have been accepted once married and in taking the culture would then be considered Romany as she's be starting her own family. Her family would never be heard of again, unless of course they were welcome to visit.

[Facefullofcake]

Thank you
He showed me videos on YouTube of a feuding branch of his family in Scotland telling their relatives in England not to dare come over the border and stuff - I can't remember their surname though. I had promises of him taking me to Appleby and visiting a few sites where extended family stayed - that never materialised.

Although I did find out after he died that half his life stories were to be taken with a pinch of salt.... does 'no travel, no peace' or 'no travel, no justice' sound familiar as a Roma saying? I wonder whether I was taken for a ride about his family history..

[Facefullofcake]

Oh - he also reckoned my nan might have been a traveller, owing to all the caravan and 'gypsy' ornaments/horse brasses/copper pots etc.i remember her having when I was little.

I don't suppose you know of any Weatherald/similar spelling from North Yorkshire so I can put that pondering to bed too ?

[Devlesko]

He's sounding plausible there.
Horse brasses, animal ornaments, horseshoes, copper pots etc, all usual van adornments.
The names don't ring a bell, but as above it doesn't mean that they aren't just because of the name.
He knew about this, so he could have been on the level.
It is interesting as in the UK we tend to say Romany or Gypsy or even traveller. It's rare to hear Roma unless it's Romany moved from Eastern Europe. I interchange depending on the sites/ organisations I'm writing about.

I can't believe i haven't posted this yet, another brilliant way of keeping up with news and politics. You can click on the Romany language at the top to see it written.
www.errc.org/

[Facefullofcake]

Thank you so much - you've been so helpful x

I'm going to do some digging into my mum's side of the family.. on the subject of animals, I was absolutely obsessed with these (pics attached) in my nan's house and garden when I was little. She also had shedloads of owl stuff, but that was because of her husband's nickname.

I've just remembered that she moved to London to work 'in service' when she was quite young, and met and married my grandad there before moving back up north again. Weirdly, I lived down south for a little while, and lived round the corner from the house she worked at, not far from where my grandad was born, and near the registry office they married at - all I'd known before moving there was that she'd been 'in London '. Life is strange sometimes

Thanks for the link- I am going to spend tonight looking over it. The Romani written content visually at least reminds me a bit of Czech or Polish (sorry if that's already been discussed).

[Facefullofcake]

*Romany

[Devlesko]

No it hasn't actually, there are references to other languages. Thanks for that.

[teacake89]

@Devlesko thanks for all the interesting links you have posted. I loved the insight into Queen Victoria's diaries. The timeline is somber reading, I had no clue the Romany were persecuted so badly.
Here is a link to some old videos. I am sure you have already seen them, but I thought I would share in case anyone else is interested. www.britishpathe.com/search/query/gypsies

[workshyfop]

Hi @devlesko can you tell me if Green is a Romany surname? Researching my family history I found that branch living in tents in the census records. Agricultural labourers in Herefordshire. So I wondered if they could be Romany.

Really interesting thread thank-you.

[Devlesko]

Green

Definitely, and one of the admins on one of the fb is a Green.
I'm not familiar with the family, but I could message her if you like or you could join.
facebook, Romany Ancestry UK.
They'll ask you a few simple questions and as long as you follow the rules you'll be fine, honestly. There are many like you, starting with just a name.

[Devlesko]

Thank you teacake I love the Pathe news, but they just seem surreal somehow.
The worst bit I hate is when they were evicted from Kent and the reporter is saying how lovely the new sites was. They brought a local housewife in to show the Romany woman how to make tea. She looked scared to death and so far from her comfort one and where she wated to be. It makes me cry, and I'm not a softie, she just looks lost and beaten.

[workshyfop]

Thanks. I will ask to join the group. That’s really helpful. I’d love to find out more. It must have been a hard life living in tents through the winter with lots of kids. Tough people.

[Devlesko]

workshyfop

I'm not on there much atm, so I won't welcome you as I don't want you to worry about security having been on here, r being outed, or anything else.
I have a couple of others I'm on where even I have to don a hard hat, be careful of the other groups, there's nothing wrong with them but obviously like all groups, they all offer different themes, and might not be suitable. Even those are fine though, some you can't say gypsy or swear, but it clearly states.
Good luck. x

[Alwaysinpain]

Romany Gypsies are Romanian

[Devlesko]

Yes, there are some Romanian Gypsies, I have a link to transilvania. Although I'd love to visit some of these ancestral and distant relatives areas, I'm not going there

Unfortunately the people responsible for language on Peaky Blinders agreed with you and for the first 3 series no Romany or UK traveller could understand the Romanian they were all speaking
By the fourth series they started to head in the right direction, apparently. I didn't watch it because I don't watch series, wish I did, I'd also have liked Downton.

[Elledouble]

This is interesting! I have a Romany ancestor who was a Boswell so I was going to ask, but it seems that’s a very common Romany surname! Family lore says she ate hedgehogs, but that might just be a myth!

[Devlesko]

Content Warning
It's true, she did.
Full of vitamins and minerals, usually ate this if they were hard up or sorry to say had trouble stealing a sheep.
Cook in the oven rolled in clay. Then you just take the clay off, the prickles come off with the clay.
They fed a whole village on this, I'm sure they were all starving for some reason, but can't remember dates off hand.

[sashh]

Thank you for answering my question, yes a lot of people are not mentioned on memorial day who should be.

Another question, a couple of yers ago I was driving down a road and there was a group of caravans and one beautifully painted, well I would cal it a wagon. It didn't have a caravan 'top' it was more flat bed and meant to be pulled by a horse.

There were load of children about and I wanted to stop and photograph the 'wagon', I didn't because I didn't want to seem rude, was that the right thing?

I've just thought of a couple more.

I've heard of weddings where the bride's name isn't mentioned until the wedding, so you would know 'tom White' was getting married but not who too.

And does anyone still jump a broomstick or is that a horrible stereotype?

[Terralee]

@Devlesko actually Transylvania is good to visit as a tourist, one of my colleagues has been.
Lots of shops & stalls selling vampire stuff obviously! But her photos showed a very picturesque middle European area.