Gypsies and Travellers in Devon
History of Gypsies and Travellers and their definitions
The Devon population of Gypsies and Travellers comprises of mainly English Romany Gypsies, New Travellers and some Irish Travellers.
Gypsies
Gypsies were thought to have left the northern Indian sub-continent about 1000 years ago. Over the centuries they travelled westwards, often settling in countries where the host culture was more welcoming. Today they live on every continent. Gypsies are thought to have arrived in England during the reign of Henry VIII.
People thought they had come from Egypt, and so at first called them 'Egyptians'. The name changed over the years to 'Gyptians' then 'Gypsies'.
The Romany language has its roots in Hindi and has been adapted according to the host language. Many Gypsy children today are bi-lingual, speaking Anglo-Romany at home.
Their culture has always been an oral (spoken) one, and the language has never been formally recorded so there is no standard spelling. Some Romany words have been absorbed into English, for example, 'lolly' and 'dosh' can mean 'money'; 'mush' can mean 'man'; 'pal' can mean 'brother' and 'kushti' can mean 'good'.
New Travellers
'New travellers' are a diverse group of people originating mainly from the settled British population, although some new travellers are now 2nd or 3rd generation. People in Britain have taken to the road for centuries, often as a reaction to social and economic pressures, and the present day 'new traveller' movement originated from people seeking an alternative way of life in the early 1970's. New travellers come from varied backgrounds, and choose, or end up, living as a traveller for different reasons. These reasons often include strong personal or political convictions.
Irish Travellers
When Gypsies arrived in the UK, there were already nomads here.
Until the 19th Century, Irish Travellers moved around in bender tents and wagons and were commonly known as Tinkers. The name Tinker came from 'tinceard' which means 'tinsmith'. This came from their ancient pre-Gaelic language called Shelta, which some Irish Travellers still use today alongside English.
'Irish Travellers' is a name society has given them, but their name for their people is Pavee.
Many do not consider themselves to be Irish. They consider themselves to be the indigenous population of the island of Ireland, much like the aborigines in Australia and the Native Americans in North America.
Past intermarriage between Gypsies and Irish Travellers and with the settled population, has resulted in English Gypsies being generally fairer than their European cousins.
Occasional intermarriage still occurs, but Irish Travellers and English Gypsies remain two distinct groups.
Race Relations Case Law recognises English Romany Gypsies, and Irish Travellers as ethnic minorities. These do not include New Age Travellers.
English Romany Gypsies and Irish Travellers have the same rights to race relations protection as other recognised ethnic minority groups, but most rights are available to all under the Race Relations Act 1998.
Public bodies such as Devon County Council have a legal duty to promote equality and racial harmony between these groups and others in everything they do, including decision making.
Public bodies must also look to Human Rights legislation. This does not mean that Gypsies and Travellers receive special treatment - rather their needs should be balanced against those of the settled community.
