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NEW STOCK:
Lots of cheap Romani/Traveller DVDs (all free post)! See under DVDs
Tents, usually based on ‘bender’ tents, have been used by Romanies and other British Traditional Travellers pretty well from earliest times. ‘Tent time’ preceded ‘wagon time’ by many centuries, then overlapped and such tents were still in use in the 1970s.
This is the first detailed explanation of the tents in their various designs and shapes including the materials used and the way of construction. A range of designs are illustrated from the most basic short bender to the most sophisticated with built-in chimneys.
Contents:
Acknowledgements Introduction Brief history of Travellers
From barns to benders Lowndes book How a bender was constructed Transporting the bender The basic bender
Wide oval type Wide and tall type Semi detached bender
Open or chimney topped Chimney potted Side opened bender
Lagged benders The Burker factor Over-wintering
Accoutrements The View Inside Some interesting tent pictures
Bibliography
Price £8.99, plus £3.60 post, A4 size, 57 pp, 49 pictures (drawings, sepia prints, colour prints).
This is the first detailed explanation of the tents in their various designs and shapes including the materials used and the way of construction. A range of designs are illustrated from the most basic short bender to the most sophisticated with built-in chimneys.
Contents:
Acknowledgements Introduction Brief history of Travellers
From barns to benders Lowndes book How a bender was constructed Transporting the bender The basic bender
Wide oval type Wide and tall type Semi detached bender
Open or chimney topped Chimney potted Side opened bender
Lagged benders The Burker factor Over-wintering
Accoutrements The View Inside Some interesting tent pictures
Bibliography
Price £8.99, plus £3.60 post, A4 size, 57 pp, 49 pictures (drawings, sepia prints, colour prints).
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UK Traveller Cant and Slang: Romanies, Nawken, Pavees and 50s Tramps
This booklet shows how the events which moulded Romanies and other Travellers illustrate how the cant and slang they use developed into a lingua franca. Price £8.95 plus £3.95 p&p, Introduction; Brief History of Travellers; The Poor; The Dissolution of the Monasteries; Definitions; Cant and Slang; An Observation; Notes on the lists; Features; Abbreviations; Traveller Sources; Alternatively pronounced English by Romanies; Words for Police; Cant and slang lists of Romanies, Nawken, Pavee and 50s Tramps. Appendices: Numbers of loan words in lists What the years show Words recorded historically/not recorded Number of words where etymology was not found Bibliography |
Handbook of UK Romany Gypsy and Traveller Surnames
Do you think or known you have Romanies or other Traditional Travellers in your family history? This new booklet will help. It gives a range of clues to look for, clues from DNA, medical problems, where to search, history of Gypsy Traveller surnames, where the surnames came from and when, origins of Scottish and Irish Travellers. There is a long section listing the actual surnames with the earliest found years and the parts of the country where they have been found since. There is a bibliography and further reading list together with useful websites. A4 stapled, 78pp. Payment: Price £8.95 + £3.95 p&p . |
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Arran's Forgotten Visitors: The 'Tinkers'.
Year after year, so-called Tinkers - Scottish Travellers - visited Arran to work for farmers in a range of labouring jobs. Their tents and strange talk could cause fear – but these people carried with them the genes of the 1745 rebellion, the Highland Clearances and intermarriage with Gypsies. They faced continual persecution and the removal of their children – yet their culture contained hundreds of long forgotten Scottish ballads and folk songs, a mass of folk tales and a language which reflected their history. This booklet explains their extraordinary contribution to life on Arran, an example of a folk tale, culture, crafts and language and is illustrated with 50 pictures. A4 stapled, 64 page Payment: Price £8.95+ £3.95 |
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William Smith describes his life from childhood to adulthood. In the process, he gives information about the hardly known Romany family of the Ames/Hames and its foundation, links with the Black Patch family of Woodfine Smith and his wife Sarah Boswell, Matchetts, Booths and other Romany families. There are explanations of culture and Romany words. We meet characters including Spicella, storyteller Len Holland and others. Over 90 photos, 68pp, A4 sized booklet. Price £8.95 plus p&p
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My new book, You the Jury –Evidence for The Turin Shroud, is now out. It is written as if a lawyer was explaining to a jury (the reader) the evidence to prove that the Shroud of Turin is, indeed, Jesus’s authentic death Shroud. It describes the Shroud, Biblical references, independent evidence for the Crucifixion, the Resurrection, why the 1988 Carbon 14 Test was flawed, how the image was probably formed, evidence of the injuries, blood group, pollen and plant evidence. The forensic evidence shows evidence for the crown of thorns and flagellation of a total of 130 lashes. The reader is asked to present their verdict – that it is genuine or a disgraceful Medieval fake, and then the implications for the verdict are given. 146 pages, 24 b&w pictures. Price £9.99 plus postage (UK £2.80) Post elsewhere is Europe £6.80, Rest of World £12.50 BUT the automatic Buy Now button is only set for UJK. If you live elsewhere, you will need to may extra on postage - ask me how to do it please. |
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NEW ON FOR GENEALOGISTS
Brand new out, handbook of UK Romani Gypsy Traveller Forenames Genetic Markers. Do you have Romani forebears? This will help you find out. Consists of Types of Forenames, commonest names, Romani Gypsy equivalents of non-Gypsy names, listing of 3000 names and which families they are found in, examples of categories of names, name origins, Bibliography, useful websites. A4 size, card covers, stapled, 124pp. price £12.95. |
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Note: This website is new - apologies for any blips!
Welcome - I'm Robert Dawson, specialising in Gypsy and Romany books; antique, vintage, old and modern Gypsy postcard, historical documents and educational materials for Britain's Traditional Travelling people. Largely, they are the remnants of my collections. My items also include things about Irish Travellers. I've been involved with Travellers (especially Romani/Romany Gypsies and Scottish Travellers) for over 60 years. You can say it's been my life. In my experience, Traveller has become a dirty word but Travellers are, very largely, good decent and honourable people. I find them friendly, interesting and hospitable. The word has become besmirched by a small handful and, of course, the ragings of the gutter press. I am proud to know so many good people. This website is unashamedly pro Traveller and that is reflected in many of the products. I make no profit, never have. Odd things make a profit but cover losses on other things and is ploughed back into the community. All told, I can prove that I am out of pocket by over £100,000 and probably a good deal more - I detest the 'Gypsy Industry'. I seek to record aspects of culture so it is not lost for future generations, to educate GTs and gorjers about that rich culture and history - and the destructive prejudice against GTs. That has always been my aim. |
Overseas purchasers. Please contact me for a postal cost before placing your
order. If there's something you fancy and you can't quite make the price, make me an offer! |
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Writer
Writing interests and details of my published material. Educationalist Details of my Email Writing Scheme for schools. Ethnic Minority Publisher Gypsy and Traveller specialist books I am a small one-person publisher of books by and about Traditional Travellers - British Romany Gypsies, Scottish and Irish Travellers – where the books add to the previous knowledge. This section gives books currently in print. I also produce postcards depicting Traditional Travellers from old photos and cards. Cards, Games, Leaflets and Quizzes, Language and Maths Activities and Other Items Specialist Genealogist Advisor on Genealogy of British Traditional Travellers. More about Genealogy Champion of Bees In recent years, I've become fascinated with solitary bees and bumble bees. Most people think of bees as just honey bees and bumble bees, but solitary bees - and there are about 240 different species in the UK - are every bit as interesting. In 20o years, I have seen the numbers of species of solitary bees logged in my village declining from 21 to 3 and the numbers of species of bumble bees from 12 to 3. Systemic insecticide and other environmental problems are the reasons, yet we rely on bees (directly or indirectly) for 60% of the world's foodstuffs. Stamps/Collectables to help tackle leprosy I voluntarily take in stamps, postcards and cigarette cards (even the humbled 2nd class blue stamps torn round from envelopes!) which I sort by various categories and send off to the Leprosy Mission, These are sold on to dealers and the money - over £1.5M so far - is used to finance vaccinations against the bacillus, to operate on hands and feet affected by it and to educate and prevent. I'm always glad to receive such collectables from half a dozen to albums. A friend, Chris, does exactly the same but specialises in old coins/foreign coins/bank notes. I can put you in contact. |
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REASSURANCE: The Paypal checkout charges the full p&p for every item BUT excess P&p will be refunded.