NOTE TO SECOND EDITION.
For the additional illustrations in this edition I owe my best thanks to Mr. W. Weblyn, the proprietor and art editor of the Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News; Mr. A. Watson, the literary editor; and also to the Rev. Edward Weldon, M.A., who accompanied me on one of my visits to the gipsies to take the sketches, which appeared with an encouraging and helpful notice on March 1, 1884.
I am also much indebted to the Editor of the Pall Mall Gazette for his sketch and valuable help, and also to others with kind heart and ready pen, whose names would fill a volume, for assisting me to place upon the statute book the Canal Boats Act of 1884, which will, when the whole of my plans are carried out, bring education and protection to 60,000 canal and gipsy children, with but little cost or inconvenience to the van and cabin dwellers.
GEORGE SMITH, of Coalville.
Michaelmas, 1884.
CONTENTS.
I. SUNDAY RAMBLES AMONG THE GIPSIESUPON PUMP HILL. | |
Gipsy Smith’s quarters—Gipsy Brown’swigwam—What I saw at the “Robin Hood”—Teaat Pethers’—Pethers’ trials and reception byhis mother | p. [1]–20 |
II. RAMBLES AMONG THE GIPSIES IN EPPINGFOREST. | |
My companion “on the road”—Thewidow—Telling fortunes—My reception—A youth whohad taken to gipsying—A drunken lot—The Foresthotel—A gipsy hunt—Back to my lodgings | [20]–33 |
III. RAMBLES AMONG THE GIPSIES UPONWANSTEAD FLATS. | |
The Philanthropic Institution, Southwark—MaryCarpenter—Mr. Stevenson—Meeting with “an oldfool”—A fire king—A showman’sintroduction—A school teacher—A gipsy convert’sstory—A flat’s row—My lodgings—Returnhome | [39]–59 |
RAMBLES AMONG THE GIPSIES ATNORTHAMPTON. | |
“On the road”—Upon thecourse—Seeds of thought—My salutation—A gipsydrinking rum out of a coffin—A communist—Agipsy’s earnings—A gipsy child—A gipsysteam-horse owner’s tale | [60]–74 |
V. RAMBLES AMONG THE GIPSIES ATWARWICK RACES. | |
What I saw and heard in the train—Mylodgings—Germs of thought—A race after adog—Meeting with the gipsy Hollands andClaytons—Alfred Clayton’s trials and change forgood—The death of his child—Meets with an educatedyouth—Clayton begins to pray—Race-goers | [75]–91 |
VI. RAMBLES AMONG THE GIPSIES ATBOUGHTON GREEN. | |
Polls, Jims, and Sals—Drawn to theGreen—Northampton Mercury—Cowper’spoem—History of the Green—Spectacle lane—Gipsymurders—Rows—Captain Slash—Sights upon theGreen—Gipsy dodges—My lodgings—Attea—Gipsy fight—Mine hostess sings—My bed | [92]–121 |
VII. RAMBLES AMONG THE GIPSIES AT OXFORDFAIR. | |
Woman and child in the arms of death—Tramping withmy loads—What I saw on the way—Travellers atPaddington—Arriving at Oxford—What I saw onSunday—My lodging—Meet with Jenny Smith—Numberof gipsies at Oxford—Sights at Oxford—My visionsduring the night—A gipsy showman—A walk with NabobBrown—Gipsy fairies—Gamblingstalls—Boscoe—Backsliders turned gipsies—Mylast peep—Letter in The Daily News—A gipsyteaching her children to pray | [122]–164 |
VIII. Rambles amongthe gipsies at hinckley. | |
My tramp—A gipsy woman’shardships—Row—Gipsy horse-dealing—A gipsySmith—Salvation Army—My lodgings—Aphorisms—A Sunday morning turn-out—Meetingwith the gipsies Bedman—Breakfast—A gipsy’screeds—Present-day gipsies—Burden’s poems | [165]–196 |
IX. AMONG THE GIPSIES AT LONGBUCKBY. | |
Romany—In the bye-lanes—By the side of thecanal—Aphorisms—In the meadows near Murcott, and whatI saw—Scissor-grinding gipsy—A gipsy with herbasket—A stolen child among thegipsies—Friends—At the gate—Coronationpole—G. Flash—Tear-fetching scene—An engineergipsy—His wife’s sufferings—Tramp fromHeckington to Spilsby | [197]–225 |
X. RAMBLES AT BULWELL ANDNOTTINGHAM. | |
On the way to Leicester—My train experiences—ASunday evening at Leicester—My lodgings—Meeting withgipsies Winters and Smith at Nottingham—A childstolen—Congress papers—Return home—Gipsiesspreading disease—Morning Post | [226]–251 |
XI. RAMBLES AMONG THE GIPSIES ATDAVENTRY AND BANBURY. | |
My companions—Meeting with gipsy Mott—Gipsyhorse-stealing—Gipsy showmen—Gipsy Smith’sexperiences—Start to Banbury—Gossip on theroad—Children’s revival at Byfield—Mylodgings—My hostess’s cats—My bed—What Isaw on the way to Banbury—Gipsy shows—Number of vansattending Banbury fairs—Solo needed | [252]–277 |
XII. SHORT EXCURSIONS AND RAMBLES. | |
Gipsy sham—On the way to Edinburgh—What I sawat Leicester—Cherry Island—HackneyMarshes—Bedford—Leicester fair—What otherssay—Letter from Mr. Mundella—Essex quartersessions—Question put to the Government—How theytreat gipsies in Hungary—Question put to the Governmentthrough Mr. Burt—My Bill—Visit to TurnhamGreen—Fortune-telling—Gipsies round London | [278]–303 |
RAMBLES AMONG THE SCOTCHGIPSIES. | |
Wanderings of the brain—My start fromLeicester—On the way to Carlisle—Germs of thoughtgrown on the way—Arrival at Kelso—My lodgings—Acold night—Aphorisms—Start to Yetholm—Lovelysnow—Arrival at Yetholm—Leydon’spoems—Introduction to Blythe—Parting—Meeting anold gipsy—Gipsy queens—Return to myquarters—Baird’s work—Child sold to thegipsies—Gipsy frozen to the ground—What England hasdone—What she ought to do—Poem: Zutilla | [304]–338 |
APPENDIX A. | |
My plans explained and objectionsanswered | [339]–351 |
APPENDIX B. | |
Letter to the Right Hon. Earl Aberdare | [352]–355 |