For several hundreds of years the new Forest Gypsies wandered throughout the Forest as free as the ponies and deer, They lived their own way by their own traditions apart from the main communities.

 

The Gypsies also known as Romany or Romani have been subject to much speculation as to where they originated from, with various theories being put forward. The English term “Gypsy” is said to derive from the early English “Gypcian” which is said t5o be a shortened form of Egypcian, in other words a person who came from Egypt. It was a wide belief that the Gypsies originated from Egypt and travelled into Europe From the North African Regions.

 

However new evidence suggests that the Gypsies  originated from  Northern India

Where the migrated to Europe via the Middle East.

​

They spoke their own language and those that lived in the Forest were called the “Nevi Wesh” Which is Romani for New Forest.

 

Since the Gypsies first came to this Country which has been said to be sometime in the 15th century  the Wilderness regions like that of The New Forest have always appealed to the Gypsies as it suited their life style of travelling round, catching their own food, cooking outdoors.

 

The gypsies made their own medicines to treat all sorts of ailments from plants and other natural resources  such as wild herbs and other medicinal plants.

The Forest was a natural home for them which had  abundant supplies of wild game , fish and fresh water.

 

From as far back as King Henry VIII of the Tudor era the gypsies have faced prejudice and persecution because of their choice of lifestyle. In fact a legislation was passed against them called “The Egyptian Act 1530 which made it legal to expel what they described as “ outlandish people calling themselves Egyptian (Gypsy) using no craft nor feat of merchandise, who have came into this realm, and gone from shire to shire and place to place, in great company, and used great subtlety and crafty means to deceive the people.” If caught the penalty under the act was death.

 

The Gypsies have suffered Centuries of persecution throughout Europe and the rest of the world. None more evident then that of the Holocaust of WWII, where Thousands of Roma, Sinti died at the hands of the Nazi Regime in the Concentration Camps.

 

Rumours by the local community who did not like nor trust the Gypsy people have followed them through the centuries. Branded “Tramps, Thieves, and in some cases the women were called out as Witches”.

​

However there is no real evidence to prove that the gypsy did no more that a bit of poaching and a little pilfering to help with their families needs.

 

The New Forest Gypsies lived by their own strict rules within their community, Observing the old rituals for birth, betrothals marriages and Funerals.

​

All except the Funerals were times for Traditional Music and Dance and the odd fight between families their was many a rivalry between the “Rom Baro’s” that was settled in a man to man fashion “Bare Knuckle Boxing” spurred on by the families  even a little wager was taken on who would be the victor.

 

Marriages outside the Gypsy community were  not allowed anyone who broke the rules were disowned “Excommunicated” by their own community. This Rule was to keep the “Blood line pure” They also had  a rule which stated that no Gypsy stole or cheated another Gypsy “Kinsman”.

 

Those considered “True” Romany Gypsies were regarded and described as “Black Blood Gypsy” the word “Black” was used often as a compliment, particular in peoples names which meant a “Gypsy of the purest blood”.

 

While some of the Families lived in the forest all year round, there were those who would travel away to the villages during the summer months Kent was one of the favourite places for Gypsies to camp where they would get work in the orchards picking fruit or hops to earn some money.

 

Those that remained in the forest made clothes pegs, baskets and artificial flowers from the natural materials that were readily available to them. Some were  travelling knife, scissor and tool sharpeners  and they offered their services around the local towns and villages.

 

The Gypsy Camps which lay deep into the forest were located by other gypsies through secret signs made out of twigs or mounds of earth .The Traditional Gypsy home of that time was called a “Bender”  which was a tent made from plyable branches such as those from the hazel tree, the branches were stuck into the ground then bent and woven into a dome shape, which they then covered with blankets or tarpaulin they may have. An opening in the middle top of the tent was for them to have a fire “Yog” for heat and cooking, It is said that the yog was the centre of a gypsy families life.

 

There was not many records kept if any at all regarding the new forest Gypsies, so it is hard to actually put together their early history in the forest, However in a book published in 1862 about the New Forest, the writer comments that Gypsy Families “Lived in various rides and droves in the forest driven from place to place by the Policemen” and went on to say that “They still to a certain extent, keep up the old dignity and must by no means be confused with the “Strolling outcasts” and “Itinerant beggars who also dwell in the forest”. These forest dwellers were called “Didikais” by the true Gypsies the term was often regarded as a derogatory term.

 

In 1851 The Deer Removal Act was introduced which had a significant impact on the Gypsies food supply, They had always been very good at using their Lurcher dogs to help provide venison for the stew pot, Even though they had a Spartan type lifestyle they had always kept the stockpot supplied with fresh game, which enabled them to live rent free and with no taxes to pay while living in the heart of the forest. It is believed that from this period onwards the Gypsy population of the forest started to dwindle.

 

During the 19th Century there is evidence that missionaries and some  Christian Charities had tried to convert the Gypsy families into a more “Civilized life style” Henry E.J. Gibbins writes in his book which was published in 1909 that he saw little or no evidence of the missionaries efforts working especially in the older members of the Gypsy community and that they would be better trying to bend a “Old Forest Oak Tree” than convert them .

 

Despite their failings so far efforts were continued to be made by the “New Forest Good Samaritans” to encourage the young Gypsy children to take up some form of schooling as they had a very limited vocabulary, Henry Gibbins was a member of this charity which had also been formed to encourage the Gypsies to move into houses and use trades to earn their money .

 

By the end of the 19th Century there was no one left among the Forest |gypsies who could actually speak the Romani Language now although there was certain random words which still remained in use among the community. A Romani woman named Mrs Hannah Lakey who was also know as the “Queen of the New Forest Gypsies” was the only person left who could speak Romani fluently.

 

She died at the age of 85 in 1903 having spent the last years of her life in a small cottage which the New Forest Good Samaritans Charity had persuaded her to move into when her health was failing. The Cottage was near to Beaulieu  she spent the last five years of her life at the cottage. Her rent was paid for by the Charity who also kept her supplied with tea and groceries they also gave her a weekly allowance of Tobacco for her pipe.

 

The 20th Century brought with it new laws that now restricted the Gypsies from staying on the same piece of land for more than 2 days, The majority abided by the new law and would move on every 2 days travelling a regular route through the Forest. In 1926 The Forestry Commission established seven areas that were set aside in the forest for the Gypsy families to camp on.

​

These were Shave Green, Copythorne, Longdown ,Godshill, Crystal Hollow, Thorney Hill and Millersford Bottom. The Gypsies were no longer allowed to roam or camp where they chose  ending the lifestyle they had known and had lasted for centuries . Despite these new regulations some of the Gypsy Families gradually drifted back into the secluded parts of the forest.

 

In 1939 at the start of the second world war the seven Gypsy  camps had been now reduced to five as much of the forest had now became occupied by the Military and a new airfields plus there was now a bombing range established on it.

​

The Families thought that after the war they would be able to return to their pre war life style within the forest, but this was not the case, Many Gypsy men went off to fight in the war and for many it was the end of their secluded lifestyle and nothing would ever be the way it had been again.

 

The five remaining Gypsy sites were reviewed after the war in 1947 by the New Forest Committee; their report stated that the Gypsy families were living in appalling conditions “Hardly reaching the standard of Stone age” At this time the population on the forest had been greatly reduced with only about 400 people. The report started a “Resettlement Policy” by the local Councils who now moved the families of the five encampments into permanent housing. Most were placed in Council Housing while others were placed in the empty barracks at former wwII Military sites. Gypsies were now spread over the New Forest Area with families being several miles away from their Families, In 1963 the last Gypsy family was forcibly removed from the New forest which brought the long history of the New Forest Gypsies or “New Forest Royalty” as they were nick-named to an end.