Tinker = Romany??

[redred28]

Hiya Ann
Just to add for your own info MOSS is also a well known traveller name that my Winter's married into

thanks for your own info
Red

[An65]

Ah! Those elusive Winters again

[Rachel Bowen]

Hello, Just a note about the origin of the term Gypsy.
In French Gypsies are often called 'les Egyptiens' or female "les Egyptiennes" - example - Esmeralda in "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" .

Just because someone was of a travelling occupation, anywhere, does not indicate that people were necessarily Gypsies. Some were, some were not.
 Don't know if this helps, but it is another bit of info.
Sincerely,
Rachel Bowen

[hollow]

My family surname is Lee. My grandad and his brothers could all speak romany.
But I have gone back to 1810 and not one of my ancestors was listed as traveller or hawker. Though one thing we all have in common is that our holidays have been spent under canvas. My dad couldn't stand to sleep in anyone's  bed that wasn't his own. He and his own father told him they came from gypsy's but I have no proof of this. But how did they know the romany language.

[whpool]

Hi hollow,
I have 'Lee' in the family side - be they travellers or gypsies.    If you could let me have a few names and the area of the country  it might help to swap some info.
Also the Burnsides - there's still a big family of them up in the north.
whpool

[hollow]

The earliest I have got back to is 1810 when JOHN LEE was born in Calow
Derbyshire. His parents were WILLIAM LEE and mother MARTHA. I have not found any marriage for them in the same area.There is a marriage in Eastwood Nottinghamshire for a WILLIAM LEE and MARTHA WYSELL. He had a brother called WILLIAM born 1815 at Calow. John is then found in 1835 marrying NANCY DAVY in Rotherham. They were then in Sheffield in the 1841 census. Their children were all born in Sheffield and families that came after were also in Sheffield.JOHN'S occupation on the 1841 census says turnipman. The area they were living had farms.He then went into the steel works. I remember my dad telling me that his parents took him to see his grandparents and they were in Sheffield but living in a caravan. The area was known for gypsies staying there. But I found them having a house in the census. It is so confusing but a aunt and uncle on my dad's mum side also told me that the Lee's came from gypsies.

[An65]

Now Lee is a very well known Romany name. The Lee family is huge - and two books were written about them .....
Moderator Comment:  References to a living person removed at that person's request.


You might like to check these photos for any family similarities:

http://sca.lib.liv.ac.uk/collections/gypsy/photoind.htm#Appleby

Scroll down to find photos of Lees and Coopers
Ithal Lee, Julia Lee, and Oliver Lee.

[An65]

Oh I should have given you the names of the books -

Moderator Comment:  References to a living person removed at that person's request.


Best of Luck with your searching!

[hollow]

Hi, Thank you for your help. Will try to see if I can get those books from our local library or if they can obtain it for me.