The grave of Dan Boswell "Gypsy King"
This above is the title of a Photo taken of the new gravestone erected to the side of the old broken gravestone which is still standing in its original position, the year being 1976, the articles are wrote over two separate pages in one article it states words like the “previous year" so you have to be mindful yet not seduced. In 2012 i was approached in st Helens churchyard by the very man who claimed to be the one who had excavated and installed the new gravestone, the original stone “its right there” he exclaimed pointing to the ground just in front of the new monument, he told how he had dug the hole and set the new stone, which he claimed was not in the original position, this as now turned out to be true, the photo is now compelling absolute evidence proving he at least spoke the truth among the many down through these long years since Dan Boswell was interned who spoke and wrote, “conjectured was the tomb” yes he at least was an honest man, I could see him racking his brain, in deep thought he tried for me to remember details from a time long gone, he did well in his thoughts, I will write again soon with more evidence and history of this amazing story...Gipsy Dan Boswell.
On reading the exact articles located in the Ripley and Heanor News and Ilkeston Division Free Press dated 30 April 1976
you will hear and see for yourself the most fascinating encore, as of yet, this most intriguing mist like rich story of old, cloaked in crooked lies adorned with untruths, trod this ground was by the most unholy scoundrels, strangers to the truth, kings of conjecture sullied this resting place the place of Boswell the Gipsy himself.
So it now transpires that through reading the articles you will find yourself that there were three gravestones, two made of stone one of wood, and mind blowing is the very fact that it is stated that the Vicars wife Mrs. Simmonds had marked the grave with a wooden board marked in poker work— Dan Boswell, Gypsy King, how many years this wooden monument stood, i do not know, the very hands of the Vicars wife were the first to transcribe the words “Gypsy King” how the road turns would you believe it, I do wonder could it turn once more, who knows, sure I never would believe such a story not in my wildest thoughts over manys the hour of research on this story did I chance to think of such a thing, and more to descendants of Dan Boswells the “Spendloves” are stated as still living in Selston and Dan was evan born in Selston, “under an hedgerow.” on common land now known as Portland road It is also stated that they along with like minded locals help to raise the funds for the last of the three monuments, well it tells of how relations contributed, I am just thinking it could be the Spendloves but it does not actually link the two it could be others through the name of Boswell, the man who first told me the story of the gravestone did say that some people had claimed that they payed for the new gravestone and this fact he said was wrong he told it was mostly the family's of the church at st Helens who raised the money, he was quite adamant on this touched with a saddening tone to his voice.
To be truthful in 2012 July the month on the 12th day was the day, the very same day manys the year before that my Mother died in front of these eyes of mine, I still am entombed in that day, so truthfully all I was doing was working round those winding beautiful slopes of Selstone doing some outside work, the rain would come and go, I thought to myself I know I'll visit and pay my respects to the Gipsy Dan Boswell, truthfully I was respecting the memories of my Mother and Gipsies gone to the world she had great love for Gipsy people, we are just scrag ends but I did find through the science of d.n.a that we are related to quite a few Boswells evan some in America, I was very proud to be honest, I did like the ones which came down from and through Lawrence known today as the Derbyshire Boswells, yet for me the biggest smile of all was when i was reading about the shared fragments of d.n.a with a Boswell who descended from Daniel Boswell, how wild is that, this story is wild.
So if you are interested in reading and seeing the first ever photo of the old stone side by side with the new one just singe up to the national newspaper archives, believe me its fantastic, they are real nice people there who will help you navigate that web site, you can just pay as you go if you want, say for just a day, its very inexpensive or evan enroll for a few months or a year.
www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk It is wrote selton was once known as salestone in the doomsday book "the place of the willows." also do not forget the old gravestone was buried in the ground just Infront of the new stone, it does not tell you this in the report above plus the man who dug the new grave in dug out the old one and like I say its now buried on top of the grave, he also told of the photo taken of him digging the grave so in the future more hopefully will transpire, this photo above shows the original stone facing the church, they must have thought of leaving both the old and new gravestones together, for some reason the old one was dug out and buried, maybe legally you can not have two stones or evan move a stone either way the details in the photo from the 70s align with the words told to me.
