Originating in India, gypsies came to Europe around the fourteenth century, the term having originated from “Egyptian” because, when the Romanies were first encountered, it was wrongly thought that they had come from Egypt. It is estimated that the first gypsies to come to Britain arrived at the turn of the fifteenth century, with the first written records referring to fortune‐tellers in Lambeth. This is significant, since fortune‐telling provides a useful first or second income, especially for Kalderash and Sinti families who, in Western Europe, use palm‐reading techniques. The first gypsy migration to the USA included farm workers, blacksmiths and mercenary soldiers as well as musicians, entertainers and fortune‐tellers. Eddie Izzard's recent television series The Riches recounts the story of a travelling family in America, of whom it is said “Some call us gypsies, others call us thieves. Most, though, don't even know we exist”. Much the same attitude that applies to the aborigines of Australia. In present‐day UK, gypsies only get noticed when they occupy privately owned land or when they get in the way of developments such as the London Olympic development, which has recently evicted the Clays Lane site that had been occupied by several families for over 35 years.
Donald Kenrick has recently retired from a career pioneering basic education for gypsies and training courses for those who work with them. He has written extensively on the history, language and culture of gypsies and, as such, knows what he is talking about; this shows in the book under review, the first edition of which was not noted in these columns. The stated aim of the Historical Dictionary of the Gypsies (Romanies) is to seek an end to the prejudice that gypsies have attracted from the governing powers and the domestic public alike. This is going to be a major task, for settled communities have frequently felt threatened by these “outsiders” who were an early target for Hitler's Nazis, with internment camps being set up as early as 1935 in Cologne and Gelsenkirchen. Kenrick tells the whole sorry story, but also has entries relating to happier events such as the gathering of English gypsies on Epsom Downs at the time of the Derby horse race, where sporadic attempts by the authorities to prevent caravans being brought to the Downs have failed.
Although the Romany and Gypsy cultures have not embraced the written word extensively, Kenrick's book contains an invaluable 44‐page bibliography of post‐1945 works arranged by subject. This book is thoroughly recommended.
