Our Rodney

I have just had the delightful opportunity to get to know – slightly – some of the travelling ladies of Gainsborough. Preconceived ideas went out of the window and a unique way of looking at life came in. The event was a workshop to look at family trees with the emphasis on the Romany/Gipsy/Traveller records. Most people will say that there would be little that can be found on the traveller but when I looked up the only gypsy that I know – Gypsy SMITH born in 1860 – he said in his book that gipsies always had their children baptised as it was a matter of business and so are recorded. After a short pause one of the ladies mentioned, in a matter of fact way, that Gypsy SMITH had come up with the “Gypsy Gospel Wagon” as part of the Salvation Army into which he had been invited by General BOOTH and was her great-great-Uncle. The event was set up by Elizabeth TAYLOR and Paul BOUCHER. Both of these are occupational names. The TAILOR we all know but BOUCHER comes from the Old French bouchier and thence to Middle English boucher and the more familiar butcher. Another occupational name is that of BIDDLE. This is a just a change in the spelling of the official known as the Beadle. The job was made famous through Charles DICKENS books.
Some of the names that came up were highly concentrated into specific areas. One of the least spread out was that of RICKER. Found in one small area in the middle of England this is a variation on the Christian name Richard which makes it odd that there are so few. Another centralised name is that of CALLADINE. Found mainly in the Nottingham and Derby areas this name is of unknown origin but thought to be connected in some way to CARWARDINE. CARWARDINE does have an origin from the place in Cheshire called Carden which in the 13th century was spelt Kawrdin.
One of the things I noticed was the Irish accent that was prevalent. Not really surprising really as most of the travellers have Irish links of one kind or another but some of these links are many years ago. Two names of Irish ancestry turned up even though one of these was a helper and not a client. The first was DUFFY. This has links to Scotland as well as Ireland with dubh - duff being the gaelic word for black. The Gaelic O’DUBHTHAIGH would have been a descendant of someone with the name Dubhthach and this was borne by a 6th century saint from Armagh. The name we now have as O’FARRELL also comes from a forename and the ‘correct’ spelling was O’ FEARGHAIL and this time was the descendant of Fearghal .
A locational name next. HALLAM which is in a regional name around southern Yorkshire is thought to be of the same type root at ALLAM and the name ALLUM. These two come from the south of the country and the place name Alham which is in Somerset.
And finally a nickname. The Old Norse frio meant seed and this evolved into offspring, child or small person. In fact just a small FRY.
Bits and Bobs
Thanks to the Internet the information that there is a Lincolnshire burial to be found in Tuddenham St.Mary Suffolk parish registers - 10 August 1628 John WALKER of Wigstoft Lincs, a traveller – and is passed on to interested parties by Margaret Taylor who lives in Toronto.
The ease with which data can be found and passed around the world continues to astonish me.