GYPSY NAMES AND FAMILY CHARACTERISTICS.

     
      The following list gives the names of the principal gypsy families in England, with their characteristics. It was prepared for me by an old, well-known Romany, of full blood. Those which have (A) appended to them are known to have representatives in America. For myself, I believe that gypsies bearing all these names are to be found in both countries. I would also state that the personal characteristics attributed to certain families are by no means very strictly applicable, neither do any of them confine themselves rigidly to any particular part of England. I have met, for instance, with Bosvilles, Lees, Coopers, Smiths, Bucklands, etc., in every part of England as well as Wales. I am aware that the list is imperfect in all respects.
      AYRES.
      BAILEY (A). Half-bloods. Also called rich. Roam in Sussex.
      BARTON. Lower Wiltshire.
      BLACK. Hampshire.
      BOSVILLE (A). Generally spread, but are specially to be found in Devonshire. I have found several fine specimens of real Romanys among the American Bosvilles. In Romany, Chumomishto, that is, Buss (or Kiss) well.
      BROADWAY (A). Somerset.
      BUCKLAND. In Gloucestershire, but abounding over England. Sometimes called Chokamengro, that is Tailor.
      BURTON (A). Wiltshire.
      CHAPMAN (A). Half-blood, and are commonly spoken of as a rich clan. Travel all over England.
      CHILCOTT (vul. CHILCOCK).
      CLARKE. Half-blood. Portsmouth.
      COOPER (A). Chiefly found in Berkshire and Windsor. In Romany, Vardo mescro.
      DAVIES.
      DICKENS. Half-blood.
      DIGHTON. Blackheath.
      DRAPER. Hertfordshire.
      FINCH.
      FULLER. Hardly half-blood, but talk Romany.
      GRAY. Essex. In Romany, Gry, or horse.
      HARE (A). Chiefly in Hampshire.
      HAZARD. Half-blood. Windsor.
      HERNE. Oxfordshire and London. “Of this name there are,” says Borrow (Romano Lavo-Lil), “two gypsy renderings: (1.) Rosar-mescro or Ratzie-mescro, that is, duck-fellow; the duck being substituted for the heron, for which there is no word in Romany, this being done because there is a resemblance in the sound of Heron and Herne. (2.) Balor-engre, or Hairy People, the translator having confounded Herne with Haaren, Old English for hairs.”
      HICKS. Half-blood. Berkshire.
      HUGHES. Wiltshire.
      INGRAHAM (A). Wales and Birmingham, or in the Kalo tem or Black Country.
      JAMES. Half-blood.
      JENKINS. Wiltshire.
      JONES. Half-blood. Headquarters at Battersea, near London.
      LEE (A). The same in most respects as the Smiths, but are even more widely extended. I have met with several of the most decided type of pure-blooded, old-fashioned gypsies among Lees in America. They are sometimes among themselves called purum, a lee-k, from the fancied resemblance of the words.
      LEWIS. Hampshire.
      LOCKE. Somerset and Gloucestershire.
      LOVEL. Known in Romany as Kamlo, or Kamescro, that is, lover. London, but are found everywhere.
      LOVERIDGE. Travel in Oxfordshire; are in London at Shepherd's Bush.
      MARSHALL. As much Scotch as English, especially in Dumfriesshire and Galloway, in which latter region, in Saint Cuthbert's church-yard, lies buried the “old man” of the race, who died at the age of one hundred and seven. In Romany Makkado-tan-engree, that is, Fellows of the Marshes. Also known as Bungoror, cork-fellows and Chikkenemengree, china or earthenware (lit. dirt or clay) men, from their cutting corks, and peddling pottery, or mending china.
      MATTHEWS. Half-blood. Surrey.
      NORTH.
      PETULENGRO, or SMITH. The Romany name Petulengro means Master of the Horseshoe; that is, Smith. The gypsy who made this list declared that he had been acquainted with Jasper Petulengro, of Borrow's Lavengro, and that he died near Norwich about sixty years ago. The Smiths are general as travelers, but are chiefly to be found in the East of England.
      PIKE. Berkshire.
      PINFOLD, or PENFOLD. Half and quarter blood. Widely extended, but most at home in London.
      ROLLIN (ROLAND?). Half-blood. Chiefly about London.
      SCAMP. Chiefly in Kent. A small clan. Mr. Borrow derives this name from the Sanskrit Ksump, to go. I trust that it has not a more recent and purely English derivation.
      SHAW.
      SMALL (A). Found in West England, chiefly in Somerset and Devonshire.
      STANLEY (A). One of the most extended clans, but said to be chiefly found in Devonshire. They sometimes call themselves in joke Beshalay, that is, Sit-Down, from the word stan, suggesting standing up in connection with lay. Also Bangor, or Baromescre, that is, Stone (stan) people. Thus “Stony-lea” was probably their first name. Also called Kashtengrees, Woodmen, from the New Forest.
      TAYLOR. A clan described as diddikai, or half-bloods. Chiefly in London. This clan should be the only one known as Chokamengro.
      TURNER.
      WALKER. Half-blood. Travel about Surrey.
      WELLS (A). Half-blood. Somerset.
      WHARTON. WORTON. I have only met the Whartons in America.
      WHEELER. Pure and half-blood. Battersea.
      WHITE.
      “Adre o Lavines tem o Romanies see WOODS, ROBERTS, WILLIAMS, and JONES. In Wales the gypsies are Woods, Roberts, Williams, and Jones.” {307a}