Question

Is there a category for British Romany people? I have come across a member of my tree who has possibly got Romani origins and wondered if there is a category for this, as I can't find it. If not, I think we need one.

Comments

If there were to be one, where would the "cut-off" be. I am descended from Johnnie Fall.

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I'm not envisaging it being used as a badge of descent, in the way you might display being descended from Charlemagne with a badge. I was envisaging it applying to the persons born into and living that lifestyle. If great great grannie married a gorj and lived in a semi in Surbiton, the kids might not qualify for the categorisation, unless they did more than go camping for the holiday fortnight, if you see what I mean. Of course there could be a descended from category, if it was thought appropriate.

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http://www.gypsyjib.com/page/BRITISH+ROMANY+DNA+PROJECT might interest you, Sir William.

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Making the decision as to when they stopped being 'Romany'   There is an account of a settlement examination of Job Loveridge  1859 http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=towcester&id=I8142  shows that the transition wasn't clear cut

 "I am about 74 years of age and was born in a Camp at Ridgemount Beds(near the Duke of Bedfords) and christened there of parents belonging to Towcester My Father William Loveridge had some Cottages at Towcester when I was a boy. He bought them before I was born and sold them when I was about ten or twelve years of age. I was youngest Son. My Father lived in one of the Cottages 3 or 4 years but travelled occasionally. He bought the Cottages of Mr Sheppard and sold them to him again for 100 Guineas. The same sum he gave for them...but then Job wasn't clear about events himself as he ends 'I lived with my Father till he was drowned at Irthlingboro. He never had a House to live in but camped and in Lodgings.'
 

 

 

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I think for the moment I will just stick with adding whatever info I have in the biographies as it is obviously not very clear cut due to the difficulty with finding accurate records for people who lived this lifestyle and whether people were moving about for available work, travelling hawkers, actual romanies or settled descendants. I've done an awful lot of reading the last three days on romany family history sites and feel a bit better equipped to know what to look out for and how to approach my searches.