A History of the Gipsies: with Specimens of the Gipsy LanguageSimson, Walter
History
A History of the Gipsies: with Specimens of the Gipsy Language
Simson, Walter
Romanies; Romanies -- Languages
Before, and long after, the year 1745, the male branches of the Baillies
traversed Scotland, mounted on the best horses to be found in the
country; themselves dressed in long coats, made of the finest scarlet
and green cloth, ruffled at hands and breast, booted and spurred; with
cocked hats on their heads, pistols in their belts, and broad-swords by
their sides: and at the heels of their horses followed greyhounds, and
other dogs of the chase, for their amusement. Some of them assumed the
manners and characters of gentlemen, which they supported with wonderful
art and propriety. The females attended fairs in the attire of ladies,
riding on ponies, with side-saddles, in the best style. On these
occasions, the children were left in charge of their servants, perhaps
in an old out-house or hut, in some wild, sequestered glen, in
Tweed-dale or Clydesdale.
The greater part of the tenantry were kind to the Gipsies, and many
encouraged them to frequent their premises. Tweed-dale being the
favourite resort of the principal horde, they generally abstained from
injuring the property of the greater part of the inhabitants. Indeed, I
have been informed, by eye-witnesses, that several of the farmers in
Tweed-dale and Clydesdale, at so late a period as about the year 1770,
accepted of entertainments from the principal Gipsies, dining with them
in the open fields, or in some old, unoccupied out-house, or kiln. Their
repast, on such occasions, was composed of the best viands the country
could produce. On one occasion, a band dined on the green-sward, near
Douglass-mill, when the Gipsies drank their wine, after dinner, as if
they had been the best in the land. Some of the landed proprietors,
however, introduced clauses in their leases prohibiting their tenants
from harbouring the Gipsies; and the Laird of Dolphington is mentioned
as one. The tribe, on hearing of the restriction, expressed great
indignation at the Laird's conduct in adopting so effectual a method of
banishing them from the district. But so strong were the attachments
which some of the Gipsies displayed towards the inhabitants, that the
chief of the Ruthvens actually wept like a child, whenever the
misfortunes of the ancient family of Murray, of Philliphaugh, were
mentioned to him.
In giving an account of the Gipsies who frequented Tweed-dale, and the
country adjacent, I have thought it proper to mention particularly the
family of Baillie; for this family produced kings and queens, or, in
their language, _baurie rajahs_ and _baurie raunies_, to the Scottish
Gipsies. At one period they seem to have exercised a sort of sovereign
authority in the tribe, over almost the whole of Scotland; and,
according to the ordinary practice of writing history of a great deal
more importance, they should, as the chief family of a tribe, be
particularly noticed.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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