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.”
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