Jonathan Scott tracks down useful websites for ancestors who were Travellers
The website of the Romany and Traveller Family History Society (rtfhs.org.uk), our expert’s choice this month, has all sorts of excellent advice if you have transient kin. It’s a complicated subject, and the key to searching within many sources, indexes and databases is the clever use of keywords. Words such as circus, fair, caravan, van, tent, camp and encampment can all help when using historic newspapers. There are numerous words that might describe specific Roma communities too. Irish Gypsies or Travellers, a distinct ethnic group, are often referred to in parish registers as “Pavees” or “Mincéirs”. Other terms are itinerants, rogues, vagabonds and vagrants, plus, of course, Traveller and Gypsy (also spelled Gipsey or Gipsy).
As for occupations, some members of Traveller communities would be recorded simply as “agricultural labourers” in the census. However, more common occupations include horse dealer, basket maker, brush maker, knife grinder, pot seller, marine dealer, pedlar (or pedler), blacksmith, tinman, chimney sweep, showman and hawker.
ROMANI
w romaheritage.co.uk This excellent website started as one individual’s attempt to map out his Romany family tree, but very quickly “grew out of hand” and turned into a heritage project dedicated to finding, tracking and recording any mention of Romany Gypsy families and individuals between 1500 and 1900, in any sources. One fun way to explore the material is by clicking ‘Newspapers’ in the menu bar, then ‘Plot All Articles on a Map’. From there you can drill down to stories from locations across the UK. Clicking randomly we came across a reference in Wembdon, Somerset, where, in 1869, one Thomas Stanley was fined 10s for allowing two horses to stray on the highway. The coverage may seem random, but it’s fun to explore, and should inspire your research.
SURREY HISTORY CENTRE
w tinyurl.com/surrey-heritage-sources-gyp You can use the Surrey History Centre’s online catalogue to find all kinds of material – from references in quarter sessions to pedlars’ certificates. The best starting point is this page, which details what the archive holds, and where you can find it. Another highlight is the Philip Bradley Fairground Collection. When he was 16 he began keeping a written and photographic record of every fair he visited, including their rides and vehicles. There’s a
