Wales Scotland and Ireland

There are already many well researched article's on Scottish and Welsh Gypsie's maybe less so the Irish Traveller's.

Although my main lines of research centre mainly on the English Romanychals, It would be remiss of me not to include the Travellers from these three Countries as they have married into nearly all the Major English Traveller families for hundreds of years and thus their rich history is intertwined.The Welsh Gypsie's who descend from the Gypsy "King" Abraham Wood who was originally from Somersetand are of course well Documented in many books, and of course the excellent Welsh Romany Project Romani Cymru.

In My gypsy Days by Dora Yates says that the title of gypsy King atributed to the later Abraham Wood should be

probably aplied to the earlier Abraham who came from Frome Somerset ,and was hanged for high way robbery at Gloucestershire in 1737

"Extract courtesy Romani Cymru"

Abram Wood and his family arrived from England about 1730 and were probably the first tribe to be based solely in Wales.Its members eventually entrenched themselves in the north.The Lees and Lovells followed them, whilst the Locks and others stayed further south.

In 1737 two men were executed for robbing a Gypsy named Henry Lovell. Although these men were not born Gypsies they travelled with them, and one of the condemned left behind a description of his life on the road. He spoke of a gang of thirty 'strollers', including Bozells and Lovells, who staked out sheep during the day and then returned with dogs at night to steal them. Once killed, skinned and taken a safe distance away, the sheep were roasted over a woodfire. Other gang members would steal horses, whilst John Bozell read fortunes or enticed money from his victims by promising sudden wealth. One handsome fellow called George Kemp sold embroidered waistcoats and was often accompanied by four fancy women, but he also stole gold rings from a house in Glamorganshire and committed highway robbery."

Another article disputes the earlier Abraham mentioned by Dora Yates here is the article:-

WOOD , the surname of a tribe of Welsh gipsies; there are of course other tribes of gipsies in Wales, such as the Ingrams, the Boswells, and the Lovells, but the Woods deserve special mention, for two reasons. In the first place, the tribe is so large and wide-spread that the expression ‘Abram Wood's family’ (in some places called ‘Alabama's family,’ see below) became a generic term in the rural areas for gipsies as such; e.g. in Twm o'r Nant's (q.v.) Pleser a Gofid ‘Sal o'r Sowth’ claims that she is related to Abram Wood. Secondly, for nearly two centuries this tribe provided Wales with a remarkable line of harpists. The principal source of the history of the tribe is the Journal of the Gipsy Lore Society (see under ‘Wood’ in the ‘Names’ section of the indexes to the various volumes), and above all the articles contributed by John Sampson (1862-1931), late librarian of Liverpool University. His views on the tribe are followed in the present article; opposite p. 200 of the J.G.L.S. for 1934 there is a detailed and complicated table of the Wood family prepared by Sampson, and based chiefly on the oral traditions of the tribe, the dates being in some cases confirmed by entries in the parish registers. Some of the writers in the J.G.L.S. have gone astray by assuming that every Wood in Wales was a member of this tribe, e.g. the Woods who were settled in Llanbryn-mair from 1500 on (one of them was a churchwarden in 1697), Woods who were respectable merchants at Carmarthen as early as 1630, even the Londoner, colonel Wood, who was Member of Parliament for Brecknock (see under Williams families of Gwernyfed).

It used to be thought that ABRAHAM WOOD (1699?-1799) and his family came to Wales from Frome (Somerset), but it is now accepted (J.G.L.S., 1931, 171-87) that the man from Frome was not the same Abraham Wood. According to his great-grandson, John Roberts, the Newtown harpist (1816-1894) (q.v.), who spoke Romany fluently, our Abram came to the Severn region (Llanidloes, Llanbryn-mair, Machynlleth) ‘some 200 years’ before the time at which John Roberts was writing. But, according to Robert Roberts ‘the great scholar’ (1834-1885) (q.v.), the Woods were to be found round about Flintshire in 1765-8 (Roberts's autobiography 31-6). Abram was a fiddler and not a harpist — it was in Wales that his family learned to play the harp. He is said to have been 100 years old at the time of his death. The date is well known, for he died on the roadside near Llwyngwril, and was buried at Llangelynnin, 12 Nov. 1799 — the entry in the parish register being ‘Abram Woods, a travelling Egyptian.’ He is known to have had three sons, Valentine, William, and Solomon (the ‘great scholar's’ grandmother spoke of Tom and Robin), and a daughter, Damaris, who married an Ingram from north Cardiganshire. This article is concerned with only two of the sons, and those of their descendants who became well-known harpists. As has been already indicated, the family was very numerous — and, as is customary among the gipsies, there was a great deal of inter-marriage among the various branches of the family.

A. VALENTINE (or JOHN) WOOD , b. about 1742, m. one of the Boswells, and was buried under the name ‘John Abraham Woods,’ at Llanfihangel-y-Traethau, 14 April 1818, ‘aged 76.’ He was the first harpist in the family.

His children included

(1) ADAM WOOD , harpist, b. at Abergynolwyn, who was 90 years old when he was buried at Lampeter some time between 1852 and 1857. Two of his sons were

(a) JOHN WOOD JONES (1800-1844), said by some to have been born on the roadside near Barmouth; he was christened at Llanfihangel-y-Traethau, 6 April 1800. He was taught to play the harp by his father and by Richard Roberts of Caernarvon (1769-1855) (q.v.), and became one of the most celebrated harpists of his tribe and, indeed, of the country; he was generally known as ‘John Jones.’ He was at one time family harpist to the Gwynnes of Glanbrân, near Llandovery (see under Gwynne, Sackville), then kept a school for harpists under the patronage of Carnhuanawc (q.v.) at Carmarthen, and finally became harpist to the Llanover family; he d. at Llanover, 12 Dec. 1844;

(b) EDWARD WOOD , harpist, (b. 26 Aug. 1838, d. at Bala about 1908 — see J. Glyn Davies's recollections of him in the summer number of Lleufer, 1952.

(2) ALABAINA WOOD , whose name in some districts became synonymous with ‘gipsy.’ J. Glyn Davies published (J.G.L.S., 1929, 143 — 4) some interesting details about her.

(3) THOMAS WOOD , b. in a barn at Llan-y-bydder, and d. at Ruthin at the age of 95. He had nine children, among whom may be mentioned (a) ROBERT WOOD, a harpist frequently encountered at Glanbrân; (b) JEREMIAH WOOD, harpist, buried at Llanrwst; (c) ADAM WOOD, harpist (father of the harpist GODFREY WOOD), who was buried at S. Asaph; (d) SAIFORELLA WOOD, mother of the MATTHEW (‘MATCHO’) WOOD, from whom Sampson obtained much of his recorded gipsy folk-lore — Matthew d. at Bala, 2 March 1929, ‘aged 86,’ and was buried at Llanycil.

(4) JEREMIAH WOOD, (or WOOD JONES) , ‘Jerri Bach Gogerddan ’ (1778?-1867), for fifty-one years the celebrated harpist of the Pryse family (qq.v. on p. 808). He d. 27 July 1867, and was buried at Llangynfelyn. Of his children (a) JEREMIAH, harpist, d. at Abergavenny in 1878, (b) JOHN succeeded his father at Gogerddan, but d. and was buried at Rhyl about 1870, while (c) ELEANOR, after parting from her first husband, ‘Dick Alabama,’ m. the Newtown harpist, John Roberts, and became the mother of a houseful of harpists.

(5) ELLEN WOOD (‘Blind Nelly ’), mother of BENJAMIN WOOD, who was christened at Llan-uwchllyn, 2 March 1831, and became a well-known harpist at Carmarthen.

B. The second son of old ‘Abram Wood’ was WILLIAM (sometimes called THOMAS) WOOD. He was the father of (1) ARCHELAUS WOOD, who was the first pupil of Richard Roberts, the Caernarvon harpist; (2) WILLIAM WOOD, father of HENRY WOOD (‘Harri Ddu’) the Llanidloes harpist who was so well known to the poet Ceiriog (q.v.) — Harry was buried at Penrhyn-deudraeth about 1883; and (3) SARAH WOOD, who married John Robert Lewis of Pentrefoelas (cousin of the almanac-maker John Robert Lewis, q.v.). Their son was John Roberts of Newtown (1816-1894); see the article on him.

Bibliography:

J. Glyn Davies, ‘Welsh Sources for Gipsy History,’ in J.G.L.S., 1930, 64-86;

John Sampson, ‘The Welsh Woods,’ in J.G.L.S. 1932 (56-71), 1933 (33 — 46) (196-205), 1934 (190-200);

R. Griffith, Llyfr Cerdd Dannau. (which, in places, differs from Sampson's table);

information from the late Prof. J. Glyn Davies.

Author:Emeritus Professor Robert Thomas Jenkins, C.B.E., D.Litt., Ll.D., F.S.A., (1881-1969), Bangor.

I know from my own research that the Lock aka/Davis/Boswell and sometimes aka Smith!! family,I found around the Bristol and

Somerset area and also branches further South including the New Forest ,one branch made a base in Anglesey where they traded Horses, I was told because of the closeness of the port to Ireland where they went back and forth trading the as it was then "The new Lino" flooring as well as carpets ,but their main trade was Horses. One of the most well known members of the Lock/Aka Boswell's and much documented and a great friend (Phen)of the Romany Rawni Dora E Yates was of course Esmerelda Lock who descends from the Mathew Lock and Memberensi Boswell who used to travel Herefordshire and Worcestershire and across the boarder into Wales with their pack- donkeys and tents The offspring from this union married into the Jones /Taylor/Organ/and Wood families to name just a few. Esmeralda is well documented and and even when young possesed exceptional grace and beauty ,she married her "Gorgi Rom" Francis Hindes Groome one of the many folklorists who immersed themselves in Roma (Gypsy) life.His most well known books probably being " In Gypsy Tents" published in 1880 and Gypsy Folk Tales published in 1899.Tragically Esmeralda died in 1939 after lamenting in hospital for 6 weeks after being knocked over by a bus she died on 4th April 1939 and was buried in accordance with her wishes as she thought "Frank"(her nickname for Francis Hind Groome) wanted it she told Dora ,and so she was buried with no Gypsy ceremonies and with the last rights of the Church at St.Thoma's Churchyard ,Rhyl. Esmeralda was the eldest daughter of Noah Lock and Dilaia Jones and was born in 1854 "somewhere in the open".

One has to mention John Sampson who amongst his many other works on the Romany People, met with Gypsies in the north of England and learnt to speak Anglo-Romani and Shelta.Then in 1894 he met Edward Wood near Bala, and: "for the first time I heard from a British-born Kalo the Romani language spoken not as an uncouth jargon, but as a pure Indian idiom, a veritable mother tongue, miraculously preserved from corruption". Two years later he met Matthew Wood and his sons. Between them all, they immersed Sampson in the Kalo-Romani language and introduced him to many of the Rom in North Wales. His close relationship with them earned him the title of 'Rai' (gentleman).he started working on a dictionary of Welsh Romani in 1896 :- it was published 30 years later in 1926 as The Dialect of the Gypsies of Wales, being the older form of British Romani preserved in the speech of the clan of Abram Wood.To help him, he harnessed the enthusiasm of four female "disciples": Dora Yates, Agnes Marston, Eileen Lyster and Gladys Imlach.

"When Sampson died in November 1931 his executors were the faithful Dora Yates and Scott MacFie (secretary of the Gypsy Lore Society). They put an advertisement in the Liverpool Echo as follows:-

Dr John Sampson's ashes will be scattered upon Foel Coch, Llangum, near Corwen, on Saturday next, the 21st instant, at 12.30 pm. All gypsies in the neighbourhood who desire to be present should assemble with fiddles and harps at the Inn, Llangum, at 12 noon.

"And come they did .Those present included Reuben Roberts, his son and grandson, Harry Turpin Wood with his wife and children, Manfri, Jim and Howell Wood, Ben Mathias, Rosie and Mary Lizzie Griffiths.

Ithal Lee from Birkenhead, carrying the casket of ashes, and Augustus John led a colourful procession of Gypsies, university professors and scholars, ladies and gentlemen, and local villagers up the mountainside of Foel Goch: a parade of bright red bandanas and diklos, moleskin waistcoats and hobnail boots, flat caps, bowler hats, fur collars and plus fours. Scott MacFie, swathed in a scarf, rode up the track on a pony.

On a plateau below the summit, against a backdrop of the Berwyns and Snowdon Range, the final Romany ceremony was carried out. Wearing a red spotted diklo, Augustus John gave the oration; Sampson's son Michael scattered the ashes over the mountain in nine handfuls; and the mourners said the Romany lines to the dead: "Te soves misto" (may you sleep well). Reuben Roberts began the Welsh laments with his triple harp, and Turpin Wood and Rosie Griffiths took up the tune on their violins. Others joined in with more harps and fiddles, a flute, zither, clarinet and dulcimer. Finally, the casket was burnt, and Ithal Lee respectfully lit his pipe from the embers."(Courtesy The Scholar Gypsy by Anthony Sampson (Grandson of John Sampson)John Murray, 1997) and newspaper cuttings)

What a sight that must have been , the great Rais and Rawni's the likes of who we shall never see again all together and the wealth of information they all held collectively ,that night while they toasted the Rais life in the White Lion Hotel in Cerrigydrudion. Singing and dancing and mingling with the Gypsies that were present what tales would have been recalled and old stories rekindled and made new! if only it had been recorded!!

The Scottish Travellers and irish Travellers who were often referred to as Tinkers or Tinklers in olden times but now prefer to be called "Travellers" are also well covered and so I shall not go into detail as there is an excellent website alreready devoted to the Scottish Travellers *http://www.scottishgypsies.co.uk The most well known being The Yetholm Gypsies which arecovered on the site as well as the early history, and Scottish Gypsies in general plus many good links to other sites with a focus on Scottish Travellers. Like wise the excellent Pavee Point Travellers Centre web site :- http://www.paveepoint.ie

A few snippets from all the above mentioned Countries:-The Faa Family

The name Faa or Fall, and, perhaps, Farr, too are first known in Scots history during the reign of James IV, about 1500. This first Faa, the Johnne Faa 'lovit' of the King. It is recorded that in 1752, seventeen gypsies were transported to South Carolina from Northumberland for 'incessantly shop-breaking and plundering'. There are many postcards available that show the crowning of the King and also the Queen of the Yetholm Gypsies I myself have bought them from ebay!

The last queen, Esther Faa Blyth, died in 1883 and her son, crowned king in 1902, died a few years later.The gypsy community intermingled with the local folk and effectively disappeared. However, if your surname is Baillie,Tait, Douglas, Young, Gordon or Blyth, you may well have Faa blood in your veins.Despite the demise of the gypsy royal family, the ‘Gypsy Palace’ still stands in Kirk Yetholm, although it now hosts commoners as a bed and breakfast.