Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 24, 1913.djvu/341

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page needs to be proofread.

Ceremonial Customs of the British Gipsies. 319

between Gipsies travelling in different areas, it is as usual as not for the husband to leave his own district and travel that of his wife's family. Lastly, in the case of the famous band of Gipsies that travelled through the country giving balls about the year 1S70, I have been able to obtain from Noah Young, the commercial manager, the names of its principal members.-' In addition to himself it consisted of his mother, ShOri Chilcott, widow of Taiso Heme {aims William Young), his brother Walter, his sister Lureni and her husband Kenza Boswell with his father Wester and some of his brothers, (Bui being specially excepted), and the brothers Lazzy and Oti Smith, He did not mention Union Chilcott and Charles Lee, but they were with the party when it was in Lancashire at any rate. These appear to have been the nucleus, though the names of Neily Buckland and Tom Lee ought, perhaps, to be added. At first sight it would seem as though this were a very mixed band, the members having no particular con- nection with one another ; but on examination it becomes evident that there is a clear connecting link, and that a very interesting one. Practically every one of the male Gipsies mentioned was connected with the daughters of John Chilcott and Liti Ruth Lovell ; some were husbands, some were sons, and some had married daughters. To illustrate this point I append a small genealogical tree : —

JOHN CIIILCOTT = LITI RUTH LOVELL.

Caroline C. Union C.= Shuri C = Florence C. =

= Tom Lee. Charles Lee. Taiso Heme (Wm. Young). Wester Boswell.

Lazzy Noah Walter Lureni

Smith = KCrlenda. Caroline = Young. Young. Young. = Kenza. Oscar, (S:c.

• There are two exceptions, Oti Smith and Neily Buck- land ; but even they had some connection on the female

' A full account of this band has since been published m Journal of the Gypsy Lore Society, N.S., vol. vi. (1912-13), pp. 19-33.