General Chat

Thanks romany xxx

Its always at Appleby in Cumbria, usually around 3 June time. The Thursdays is setting up day, Fridays, Sats and Suns are best for visiting and by Monday most have gone home. Theres lots of market stalls and obviously you'd walk into the town to go to the coffee shop etc (they dont like gypsies but are happy to take the money because those takings over those few days pay the rent for the year!!). The young ladies due to buy a wedding dress go to Nico's in Liverpool, which was featured on 'My big fat gypsy wedding'.

hi romany i would love to go to appleby ive read about it in a novel somewhere , the only thing i am alergic to horses but would take some antihistimines that day , do you know where the next one is as we have a caravan and would camp near by i will have a look online save you the trouble xx

Appleby boots are also known as riggers..

I havent heard of Appleby boots (it sounds like the title of a poem!), but they would be 'dealer boots', all the men and boys tend to wear them even now especially on a big site or when horse dealing. You can even find them on ebay sometimes lol, the toddler ones look so cute. Theyre just more practical and waterproof than trainers etc. Riggers are safety boots like Doc Martens.

My mother always used to say Gypsies are rouges but they are GOOD ROUGES. !! LOL

Maybe because she was an Irish Catholic and her Grandmother must have been an influence on her about Gypsies.

Although I have only gone back to 1840 on the Irish side , so who knows I might be of Gypsy stock !!

Hi RomanyStar

What a fascinating thread....

Have you ever heard of " Appleby Boots ".....

I was born and grew up not far from Appleby and although ( as far as I know ) we have no gypsy connection, we went to Appleby fair a number of times ( we were a horsey family, so really just went to look at the horses )

One memory that sticks in my mind, the boots a lot of the men used to wear (I'm talking in the sixties now ) I recall chatting to some chap's and asking why so many of them had the same boots ( they were the short,black leather riding boot type, with an elastic panel in the side ) One just laughed and said...Appleby boots, young lady, Appleby boots...never did find out what he ment....

I also remember what a good atmosphere there was, the noise, the smell and the cash that changed hand's...wads ( I mean huge wads ) of notes taken from a pocket and peeled off one by one...

I could reminisce about Appleby fair all day, so much stuff I haven't thought about for years....but ( lucky for you ) have things to do.

Misty x

I have passed the Kenilworth fair often but never been..maybe I should drop in next time, see if they are how I remember.....

I remember about 3 years ago, some gypies had set up camp in the car park next where I worked, they broke down a barrier to get on it, every day we would watch in a morning as one of the vans had a different strip with different names of companies offering their services for gardening, tarmacing and even fencing we had a good laugh about that one, I did wonder how many old folks in the town were about to ripped off that week, they wasn’t there long after about 4 days they had disappeared in to the night, unfortunately its these what do give the travelling community a very bad name. And the state of the place after wards was disgusting.

Oh Jan that's really sad. Yes, they really stick by their own, talk about showing support.

Oo-er Pussercat!! :-)) the men ARE gorgeous arent they, but believe me, they know it lol! I suppose gypsies are quite a vain lot, maybe not the older people but I think its a case of showing that theyre not dirty, scruffy, poor etc. They'll go without if it means buying nice clothes for the kids. I suppose all teenagers and young women are concerned about their looks tho, and with the majority of gypsy ladies being at home in the day (and certainly the teens and young married ladies) theres time to straighten hair, go to the sunbeds etc. The kids are usually well dressed and not allowed to get dirty or they'll 'show up' the mother. Have you ever been to a gypsy horse fair? We go to Kenilworth, Peterborough, the Lee Gap fair (Leeds) and Stow. And obviously theres Appleby and more. Everyone makes a real effort for the fairs, the teenage boys and girls all walk round together but not holding hands or kissing etc, and theres a lovely atmosphere, everyone is so happy.

I remember a gyspy funeral in my town years ago when I was 15.
There had been a young gypsy girl engaged to be married, when she was knocked over by a car and died. We were all amazed about how many coaches and cars were in the funeral cortege on the way to the funeral service. Rumour had it that the girl was in a glass coffin in her wedding dress. I worked in a shop overlooking the church where the service was, and me and the other staff counted all the buses, coaches and cars in the cortege. We lost count after 30 coaches!
The relatives and friends had come from all over the Country - it was amazing to see it. I've never forgotten it.

why are you so gorgous looking especially the men, id be affraid to attend any type of service without falling in love ten times over i would need a fan for me hormones or a bucket of ice xx

Most of the funerals have anywhere from 600 to thousands of people attending. If they've settle in a house and dont see many other gypsies apart from their family, obviously the funeral would be smaller.

Wow that some story RomanyStar........I thought funerals would be BIG.

Wouldn't that be worth seeing on telly .

Shame about burning the caravan though, and yes I know what Hayley means all that lovely sparkly crystal in those glass cabinets ..!!

Its funny how if we see something like bright colored vases etc... or crystal we say its a bit gypsy !! LOL.... So true.

Thanks for that info, If I see a caravan on fire I'll know whats happened .. !

Have to say a prayer instead of blaming it on kids !! LOL

Lol Hayley!!

I was just about to ask about the caravan, I went to school with a girls who were gypies, when their Dad died the burnt the caravan and then the girls and their mum moved in to a house, only the eldest girl married a gypies she was engaged to him when she was 14, they did go their different ways for a while both married other people but got back to gether about 10 years later I couldnt stand the bloke infact my mum battered him but thats another story, none of the other girls married gypies. I remember going to their house when I was about 10 with 1 of my sisters and just staring at the glass cabinets.

Hi Marilyn, gypsies are always buried not burnt although personally I believe we all end up the same anyway in spirit. I'd rather be cremated! People think the weddings are big but they should see the funerals. After the death the family and extended family including close friends sit with the body and refrain from eating red meat. The extended family take care of all the housework and children, they practically move in and stay there for as long as is needed. A fire is lit and people sit by it, a marquee or portacabin is put up for the men while the women stay in the trailers or the grieving peoples house. Pick up trucks or lorries are used for the flowers as theres so many. And the deceased persons trailer is burnt, sometimes with their possessions if the family can afford to do that.

Hi RomanyStar,

I would love to see a burial on the next TV series.
I bet that's a show piece ..!

Now what happens when someone dies and because they travel around, do they bury their families all over the place or go back to a certain cemetery ?

Lol Lesley! Yes, they are religious I suppose although not the younger ones as much (and funnily enough its the younger ones who seem to turn out at the church!!). I think the Irish gypsies would call themselves religious as they are Catholic, mostof the Romany gyspies (in my experience) have no religion although the modern 'traveller' churches are springing up, the guitar playing ones. They seem to struggle to sit still and listen to the service, I think thats what the problem is as well. And the dowry still exists, called the 'fortune' if a Rom girl is marrying into the Irish. Not all have to pay it though, depends on the families.

RomanyStar
I really appreciate the way you phrase things to help people understand. I have had a lot of interaction with Gypsy/Travellers, and you are right you have to see the culture and why they do things. e.g. its not good enough to just try and buly them into sending their kids to school, you have to understand why they don't want to and work with that.
People are so quick to judge but i have yet to meet a traveller family who didn't care deeply about their kids. Whereas I can think of many non traveller families who don't pay taxes, are on benefits, have all the time in the world and their kids are still neglected.
Not judging just thinking that trying to protect your kids from 'society' may be frowned upon but ..........
Back to the programme. I thought it was funny when they said how religious the travellers were then in the next scene said most people don't turn up to the chapel just for the party! Family always let you down don't they?