Leeds University Library's Gypsy, Traveller and Roma Collections

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Leeds University Library's Gypsy, Traveller and Roma Collections are one of the five Designated collections held by the Brotherton Library at the University of Leeds. The collections contain an extensive range of international books, manuscripts and archives relating to Gypsy, Traveller and Roma culture.  The majority of the materials do not originate from within these communities, instead they encapsulate external representations. [1]

Contents

The origins of the Collections can be traced back to 1950 when the poet and dramatist, Dorothy Una Ratcliffe, donated her archive material and printed books and pamphlets to Leeds University Library. [2] [3] The Collections have since been augmented by additional donations and purchases.

As of 2020 the printed materials surpassed over 3,500 published works.  Archive material includes letters, research papers, press-cuttings, artwork, photographs and case files. The collections date from 16th century to the modern day.  The Gypsy, Traveller and Roma Collections are located in Special Collections in the Brotherton Library, University of Leeds. [1]

UoL Library: Gypsy, Traveller and Roma Collections
LocationThe Brotherton Library, Leeds, United Kingdom
TypeArchives, printed books, printed items, press cuttings, photographs, artworks
Established1950
Branch ofSpecial Collections, University of Leeds Library
Collection
Items collectedPrinted books, manuscripts from approximately 16th – 21st century
SizeOver 3,500 print items, multiple manuscript collections
Criteria for collectionSocial history, community history, political history, languages, culture, art
Access and use
Access requirementsVisit Special Collections, Brotherton Library - request items in advance
Other information
Website Special Collections: Gypsy, Traveller and Roma Collections

Designation

Acknowledgement of the significance of the Collections came in 2005 when the Gypsy, Traveller and Roma Collections were designated by the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council. [1] The Designation Scheme is a mark of distinction which recognises collections in non-national institutions, which are of outstanding national and international importance for users. The scheme is now administered by the Arts Council England. [4]

The Gypsy, Traveller and Roma Collections are one of five Designated collections in Special Collections at Leeds University Library. The library holds five Designated collections. [5]

History

Overview

The Cameron family in Dundee, 1883 The Cameron family.jpg
The Cameron family in Dundee, 1883

The Gypsy, Traveller and Roma Collections comprise collections from different sources acquired by the Brotherton Library at various times.  These are curated under a single collection group.  Each collection is an outsider’s representation of the communities as the collectors were not Gypsies, Travellers or Roma.  The collections trace attitudes to, and relationships with, the communities, from the romantic stance of the early twentieth century to the social reality of more modern collections. [1]

The Gypsy, Traveller and Roma Collections relate to communities with a nomadic culture, history or lifestyle.  The communities represented include those recognised in UK law as ethnic groups; English and Welsh (Romany) Gypsies, Irish Travellers and Scottish Travellers. [6]   They also embrace non-ethnic groups that consider themselves distinct e.g. New Travellers, Showmen and Bargees. [7] ‘Gypsy' may be viewed as offensive outside of the UK, so ‘Roma’ is often the preferred term. Roma represents a number of distinct groups such as Sinti and Manouche. [8]

The Romany Collection

The Romany Collection was donated by Dorothy Una Ratcliffe in 1950. [9]  It includes manuscripts, letters, typescripts, press cuttings, photographs, musical scores, artwork and objects featuring Gypsies and Travellers in the UK and worldwide. Many of the archives relate to the Gypsy Lore Society and its members. [10]   The papers reflect the members’ research interests. They include articles published in the Journal of the Gypsy Lore Society. [11]

Ratcliffe left a fund to purchase more material for the collection.  Additions include individual items and a series of press cuttings from Durrants Press Cuttings Limited. [10]

The Library bought the following collections in the 1970s with Ratcliffe's fund:

Later donations

In 2001 Sir Angus Fraser author and scholar bequeathed his collection to the Library.  More recent additions include the collections of the activists Jenny Smith, Bristol area Councillor and Labour Campaigner for Traveller Rights, and Diana Allen, Solicitor and Rights Campaigner. [10]

Introductory video

In 2017 the Leeds Gypsy and Traveller Exchange (GATE) community collaborated with Special Collections to create a short video introduction to the collections. [16]

New acquisitions

Leeds University Library acquires books and archives to enhance the Gypsy, Traveller and Roma Collections. [1]

Collections and highlights

Sir Angus Fraser Collection

A decree issued by Philip V of Spain regulating the lives of Gypsies in Seville, 1717 Pragmatica; que su magestad, dando regla, y estableciendo nueva forma en que deide aora en adelente han de vivir los que se dizen Gitanos, y Gitanas.jpg
A decree issued by Philip V of Spain regulating the lives of Gypsies in Seville, 1717

The collection was bequeathed in December 2001.  It includes personal papers, manuscripts, correspondence, research material and printed works referencing Gypsies, Travellers and Roma in UK and Europe. Many were collected by Sir Angus Fraser in his post of assistant editor of the Gypsy Lore Society. He acquired others while researching his book The Gypsies (The Peoples of Europe) 1995. [17]

The subjects of the papers include national legislation in European countries, history, language/dialects, culture, religion, The Holocaust [Porajmos], Romani studies and the work of the Gypsy Lore Society.

The large amount of official Spanish documents dating from 16th and 17th century which relate to laws applying to "Gitanos" [Roma] in Spain are a highlight of the collections.

Jenny Smith Collection

The Collection consists of material created and collected by Jenny Smith in the course of her work campaigning on behalf of Gypsies and Travellers in Bristol area and around the UK. It includes papers on UK and European laws and policies and their impact on the lives of Gypsies and Travellers. New (Age) Travellers, that is, non-ethnic Travellers who adopt a nomadic lifestyle feature in particular. [8]

Donald Kenrick Collection

The focus of the collection is material from the 1960s and 1970s related to the establishment of the Gypsy Council in 1966 and its activities. [18] Donald Kenrick also deposited a considerable number of books and pamphlets about Gypsies, Travellers and Roma. [19]

T. W. Thompson Collection

Thomas William Thompson (1888–1968) was a prominent collector of Gypsy and Traveller folklore particularly in the North of England and Midlands from 1915.  Thompson recorded information from conversations with Gypsies and Travellers in two series of notebooks.  The topics include language, customs, biographies and the genealogy of family groups. [20] There is a further collection of Thompson material, the Archive of T. W. Thompson, in the Bodleian Archives & Manuscripts. [21]

Robert M. Dawson Collection

Robert M. Dawson is a writer and educationalist. He has been president of the Romany & Traveller Family History Society and a former Treasurer of the Derbyshire Gypsy Liaison Group. [22] [23] [24] Dawson champions the heritage and campaigns of Gypsy and Traveller communities. [25] The collection contains press cuttings and card indexes relating to Gypsies and Travellers collected by Dawson. He donated a further collection The Robert Dawson Romany Collection to the Romany & Traveller Family History Society in 1998. [26]

Research and outreach

Research topics

The Gypsy, Traveller and Roma Collections offer research opportunities in subjects such as art, literature, history, culture, language/linguistics, philology, sociology, religion, law, politics, human rights, activism and geography. [27]

Recent research

Researchers have used the collections to explore the experiences of the community in different parts of Europe including Spain and in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Many of the collections have been studied to explore Romani contributions to European culture and the singing traditions of the community. Some researchers have examined the concept of the nomad and nomadic living. The collections have been studied for information about the construction and design of wagons sometimes known as caravans.

Publications

In books

'The Gypsies; The Peoples of Europe', Angus McKay Fraser, Blackwell, 1995.' McKay used the Romany Collection extensively when researching his book. [32]

Directory of Rare Books and Special Collections in the UK and Republic of Ireland, ed. by. Karen Attar, Facet Publishing, 2016. [33]

Exhibitions

In 2018 an exhibition 'Rights and Romance' in the Treasures of the Brotherton Gallery at the University of Leeds featured archives from the Gypsy, Traveller and Roma Collections. [34] It was co-curated with Dr Jodie Matthews, a senior lecturer, at the University of Huddersfield. [35] The exhibition included material with historical representations of Gypsies and Travellers by people external to the community, together with contributions from the communities through Leeds Gypsy and Traveller Exchange. [36] The exhibition led to an international seminar entitled 'Why do we need Romani History'. [37]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Romani people</span> Ethnic group of Indo-Aryan origin

The Romani, also spelled Romany or Rromani and colloquially known as the Roma, are an ethnic group of Indo-Aryan origin who traditionally lived a nomadic, itinerant lifestyle. Linguistic and genetic evidence suggests that the Romani originated in the Indian subcontinent, in particular the region of present-day state of Rajasthan. Their subsequent westward migration, possibly in waves, is now believed by historians to have occurred c. 1000 CE. Their name is from the Sanskrit word डोम which means a member of the Dom caste of travelling musicians and dancers. The Roma population moved west into the Ghaznavid Empire and later into the Byzantine Empire. The Roma are thought to have arrived in Europe around the 13th to 14th century. Although they are widely dispersed, their most concentrated populations are believed to be in Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, Serbia and Slovakia.

The Gypsy Lore Society was founded in Great Britain in 1888 to unite persons interested in the history and lore of Gypsies and rovers and to establish closer contacts among scholars studying aspects of such cultures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Romanichal</span> Romani subgroup in the UK

The Romanichal are a Romani subgroup within the United Kingdom and other parts of the English-speaking world. Most Romanichal speak Angloromani, a mixed language that blends Romani vocabulary with English syntax. Romanichal residing in England, Scotland, and Wales are part of the Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller community.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flag of the Romani people</span> Ethnic flag

The Romani flag or the flag of the Roma is the international ethnic flag of the Romani people, historically known as "Gypsies", which form a stateless minority in countries across Eurasia, Africa, the Americas, and Australasia. It was approved by the representatives of various Romani communities at the first and second World Romani Congresses (WRC), in 1971 and 1978. The flag consists of a background of blue and green, representing the heavens and earth, respectively; it also contains a 16-spoke red dharmachakra, or cartwheel, in the center. The latter element stands for the itinerant tradition of the Romani people and is also an homage to the flag of India, added to the flag by scholar Weer Rajendra Rishi. It superseded a number of tribal emblems and banners, several of which evoked claims of Romani descent from the Ancient Egyptians.

The title King of the Gypsies has been claimed or given over the centuries to many different people. It is both culturally and geographically specific. It may be inherited, acquired by acclamation or action, or simply claimed. The extent of the power associated with the title varied; it might be limited to a small group in a specific place, or many people over large areas. In some cases the claim was clearly a public-relations exercise. As the term Gypsy is also used in many different ways, the King of the Gypsies may be someone with no connection with the Roma.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anti-Romani sentiment</span> Racism against Romani people

Anti-Romani sentiment is a form of bigotry which consists of hostility, prejudice, discrimination, racism and xenophobia which is specifically directed at Romani people. Non-Romani itinerant groups in Europe such as the Yenish, Irish and Highland Travellers are frequently given the name "gypsy" and as a result, they are frequently confused with the Romani people. As a result, sentiments which were originally directed at the Romani people are also directed at other traveler groups and they are frequently referred to as "antigypsy" sentiments.

Scottish Romani are the Romani people of Scotland. This includes Romanichal and Lowland Roma.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edward Brotherton, 1st Baron Brotherton</span> British politician

Edward Allen Brotherton, 1st Baron Brotherton,, known as Sir Edward Brotherton, Bt, between 1918 and 1929, was an industrialist in Wakefield, West Riding of Yorkshire, England and a benefactor to the University of Leeds and other causes. He was also a Conservative Party politician, and sat in the House of Commons between 1902 and 1922.

Romani studies is an interdisciplinary ethnic studies field concerned with the culture, history and political experiences of the Romani people. The discipline also focuses on the interactions between other peoples and Romas, and their mindset towards the Romas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kale (Welsh Roma)</span> Romani subgroup in Wales

The Kale are a Romani subgroup predominantly found in northwestern Wales, specifically in the Welsh-speaking areas. Many Kale claim to be descendants of Abram Wood, the first Rom to reside permanently and exclusively in Wales in the early 18th century, although Romanichal have appeared in Wales since the 16th century. Romanichal inhabit South Wales and North East Wales.

The Romani people are known by a variety of names, mostly as Gypsies, Roma, Tsinganoi, Bohémiens, and various linguistic variations of these names. There are also numerous subgroups and clans with their own self-designations, such as the Sinti, Kalderash, Boyash, Manouche, Lovari, Lăutari, Machvaya, Romanichal, Romanisael, Kale, Kaale, Xoraxai and Modyar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Le Patourel</span> British medieval historian

John Herbert Le Patourel was a British medieval historian and professor at the University of Leeds.

Sinte Romani is the variety of Romani spoken by the Sinti people in Germany, France, Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands, some parts of Northern Italy and other adjacent regions. Sinte Romani is characterized by significant German influence and is not mutually intelligible with other forms of Romani. The language is written in the Latin script.

T. W. Thompson (1888–1968) was an English collector of folklore, specialising in the 'Gypsy' people of the Lake District. His papers were read before the Folklore Society and published in the journal of the Gypsy Lore Society.

Leeds University Library's Cookery Collection is one of the five Designated collections held by the Brotherton Library at the University of Leeds. It comprises an extensive collection of international books, manuscripts and archives relating to food, cooking and culinary culture.

Dorothy Una Ratcliffe, often known as D.U.R., was a socialite, heiress and author. She wrote in the Yorkshire dialect, despite being born in Sussex and brought up in Surrey. She published 49 books, edited a magazine called The Microcosm, travelled all over the world, and was a prolific collector of books, manuscripts and other documents.

Stewart Forson Sanderson (1924–2016) was a Scottish folklorist and linguist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Romani people in the United Kingdom</span> Ethnic group

Romani people have been recorded in the United Kingdom since at least the early 16th century. There are estimated to be around 225,000 Romani residing in the UK. This includes the Romanichal, Kale, Scottish Lowland Roma and a sizeable population of Roma from Continental Europe, who immigrated into the UK in the late 1990s/early 2000s and after EU expansion in 2004. They are considered part of the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller (GRT) community.

Gypsy, Roma and Traveller is an umbrella term used in the United Kingdom to represent several diverse ethnic groups which have a shared history of nomadism. The groups include Gypsies, defined as communities of travelling people who share a Romani heritage, resident in Britain since the 16th century; Ethnic Travellers, the traditional travelling people of Ireland and Scotland; and Roma, who are defined as recent Romani migrants from Eastern Europe. Although these groups' traditional lifestyles involved travel, most GRT people now live in houses or permanent caravan berths.

References

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