BORDER GIPSIES.
It would be an unpardonable omission were I to overlook the descendants
of John Faw, "Lord and Earl of Little Egypt," in this history of the
Gipsies in Scotland. But to enter into details relative to many of the
members of this ancient clan, would be merely a repetition of actions,
similar in character to those already related of some of the other bands
in Scotland.
It would appear that the district in which the Faw tribe commonly
travelled, comprehended East Lothian, Berwickshire and Roxburghshire;
and that Northumberland was also part of their walk. I can find no
traces of Gipsies, of that surname, having, in families, traversed the
midland or western parts of the south of Scotland, for nearly the last
seventy years; and almost all the few ancient public documents relative
to this clan seem to imply that they occupied the counties above
mentioned.
I am inclined to believe that the Faws and the Baillies, the two
principal Gipsy clans in Scotland, had frequently lived in a state of
hostility with one another. These two tribes quarrelled in the reign of
James V, when they brought their dispute before the king in council; and
from the renewal of the order in council, in the reign of Queen Mary, it
appears their animosities had then existed. In the year 1677, the Faws
and the Shaws, as already noticed, advanced into Tweed-dale, to fight
the Baillies and the Browns, as mentioned by Dr. Pennecuik, in his
history of Tweed-dale. At the present day, the Baillies consider
themselves quite superior in rank to the Faas; and, on the other hand,
the Faas and their friends speak with great bitterness and contempt of
the Baillies, calling them "a parcel of thieves and vagabonds."[156]
[156] This long standing feud between the Baillies and the Faas is
notorious. In paying a visit to a family of English Gipsies in the
United States, the head of the family said to me: "You must really
excuse us to-day. It's the Faas and Baillies over again; it will be
all I can do to keep them from coming to blows." The noise inside of
the house was frightful. There had been a "difficulty" between two
families in consequence of some gossip about one of the parties before
marriage, which the families were sifting to the bottom.
The Faas and their partisans, on reading this work, will not overwell
relish the prominence given to the Baillie clan.--ED.
In Ruddiman's Weekly Magazine, of the 4th August, 1774, the following
notice is taken of this tribe, which shows the fear which persons of
respectability entertained for them: "The descendants of this Lord of
Little Egypt continued to travel about in Scotland till the beginning of
this century, mostly about the southern Border; and I am most credibly
informed that one, Henry Faa, was received, and ate at the tables of
people in public office, and that men of considerable fortune paid him a
gratuity, called blackmail, in order to have their goods protected from
thieves."
One of the Faas rose to great eminence in the mercantile world, and was
connected by marriage with Scotch families of the rank of baronets. This
family was the highly respectable one of Fall, now extinct, general
merchants in Dunbar, who were originally members of the Gipsy family at
Yetholm. So far back as about the year 1670, one of the baillies of
Dunbar was of the surname of Faa, spelled exactly as the Gipsy name, as
appears by the Rev. J. Blackadder's Memoirs. On the 18th of May, 1734,
Captain James Fall, of Dunbar, was elected member of parliament for the
Dunbar district of burghs. On the 28th of May, 1741, Captain Fall was
again elected member for the same burghs; but, there being a double
return, Sir Hew Dalrymple ousted him. The family of Fall gave Dunbar
provosts and baillies, and ruled the political interests of that burgh
for many years. When hearty over their cups, they often mentioned their
origin; and, to perpetuate the memory of their descent from the family
of Faa, at Yetholm, the late Mrs. Fall, of Dunbar, whose husband was
provost of the town, had the whole family, with their asses, &c., &c.,
as they took their departure from Yetholm, represented, by herself, in
needle-work, or tapestry.[157] The particulars, or details, of this
family group were derived from her husband, who had the facts from his
grandfather, one of the individuals represented in the piece. A
respectable aged gentleman, yet living in Dunbar, has often seen this
family piece of the Falls, and had its details pointed out and explained
to him by Mrs. Fall herself.[158]
[157] "He will be pleased to learn that there is, in the house of
Provost Whyte, of Kirkaldy, a piece of needle-work, or tapestry, on
which is depicted, by the hands of Mrs. Fall, the principal events in
the life of the founder of her family, from the day the Gipsy child
came to Dunbar in its mother's creel, until the same Gipsy child had
become, by its own honourable exertions, the head of the first
mercantile establishment then existing in Scotland." [This seems to be
an extract from a letter. The authority has been omitted in the
MS.--ED.]
[158] "There are," says a correspondent, "several gentlemen in this
town and neighbourhood who have heard declare, that the Falls
themselves had often acknowledged to them their descent from the Gipsy
Faas. I am told by an old Berwickshire gentlemen, who had the account
from his mother, that the Falls, on their departure from Yetholm,
stopped some little time at a country village-hamlet called Hume, in
Berwickshire, where they had some female relations; and after a few
days spent there, they set out for Dunbar, taking their female friends
along with them.
"Latterly, the late Robert and Charles Fall, who were cousins, kept
separate establishments. Robert possessed the dwelling house now
occupied by Lord Lauderdale; and Charles possessed one at the shore,
(now the custom-house.) built on the spot where some old houses
formerly stood, and was called 'Lousy Law.' It was in these old
cot-houses that the Falls first took up their residence on coming to
Dunbar. It appears the mother of the first of the Falls who came to
Dunbar was a woman of much spirit and great activity. Old William Faa,
the chief of the Gipsies at Yetholm, when in Lothian, never failed to
visit the Dunbar family, as his relations. The Dunbar Falls were
connected, by marriage, with the Anstruthers, Footies, of Balgonie,
Coutts, now bankers, and with Collector Whyte, of the customs, at
Kirkaldy, and Collector Melville, of the customs, at Dunbar."
The mercantile house of the Falls, at Dunbar, was so extensive as to
have many connexions in the ports of the Baltic and Mediterranean, and
supported so high a character that several of the best families in
Scotland sent their sons to it, to be initiated in the mysteries of
commerce. Amongst others who were bred merchants by the Falls, were Sir
Francis Kinloch, and two sons of Sir John Anstruther. It appears that
the Falls were most honourable men in all their transactions; and that
the cause of the ruin of their eminent firm was the failure of some
considerable mercantile houses who were deeply indebted to them.
One of the Misses Fall was married to Sir John Anstruther, of Elie,
baronet. It appears that this alliance with the family of Fall was not
relished by the friends of Sir John, of his own class in society. The
consequence was that Lady Anstruther was not so much respected, and did
not receive those attentions from her neighbours, to which her rank, as
Sir John's wife, gave her a title. The tradition of her Gipsy descent
was fresh in the memories of those in the vicinity of her residence; and
she frequently got no other name, or title, when spoken of, than "Jenny
Faa." She was, however, a woman of great spirit and activity. Her
likeness was taken, and, I believe, is still preserved by the family of
Anstruther.[159]
[159] Speaking of a gentlemen in his autobiography, Dr. Alexander
Carlyle, in 1744. says: "He had the celebrated Jenny Fall, (afterwards
Lady Anstruther,) a coquette and a beauty, for months together in the
house with him; and as his person and manners drew the marked
attention of the ladies, he derived considerable improvement from the
constant intercourse with this young lady and her companions, for she
was lively and clever, no less than beautiful."--ED.
At a contested election, for a member of parliament, for the burghs in
the east of Fife, in which Sir John was a candidate, his opponents
thought to annoy him, and his active lady, by reference to the Gipsy
origin of the latter. Whenever Lady Anstruther entered the burghs,
during the canvass, the streets resounded with the old song of the
"Gipsy Laddie." A female stepped up to her ladyship, and expressed her
sorrow at the rabble singing the song in her presence. "Oh, never mind
them," replied Lady Anstruther; "they are only repeating what they hear
from their parents."[160] The following is the song alluded to:
JOHNNY FAA, THE GIPSY LADDIE.
The Gipsies came to my Lord Cassilis' yett,
And oh! but they sang bonnie;
They sang sae sweet, and sae complete,
That down came our fair ladie.
She came tripping down the stair,
And all her maids before her;
As soon as they saw her weel-far'd face
They coost their glamourie owre her.
She gave to them the good wheat bread,
And they gave her the ginger;
But she gave them a far better thing,
The gold ring off her finger.
"Will ye go wi' me, my hinny and my heart,
Will ye go wi' me, my dearie;
And I will swear, by the staff of my spear,
That thy lord shall nae mair come near thee."
"Gar take from me my silk manteel,
And bring to me a plaidie;
For I will travel the world owre,
Along with the Gipsy laddie.
"I could sail the seas with my Jockie Faa,
I could sail the seas with my dearie;
I could sail the seas with my Jockie Faa,
And with pleasure could drown with my dearie."
They wandered high, they wandered low,
They wandered late and early,
Until they came to an old tenant's barn,
And by this time she was weary.
"Last night I lay in a weel-made bed,
And my noble lord beside me;
And now I must lie in an old tenant's barn,
And the black crew glowring owre me."
"O hold your tongue, my hinny and my heart,
O hold your tongue, my dearie;
For I will swear by the moon and the stars
That thy lord shall nae mair come near thee."
They wandered high, they wandered low,
They wandered late and early,
Until they came to that wan water,
And by this time she was weary.
"Aften I have rode that wan water,
And my Lord Cassilis beside me;
And now I must set in my white feet, and wade,
And carry the Gipsy laddie."
By-and-by came home this noble lord,
And asking for his ladie;
The one did cry, the other did reply,
"She is gone with the Gipsy laddie."
"Go, saddle me the black," he says,
"The brown rides never so speedie;
And I will neither eat nor drink
Till I bring home my ladie."
He wandered high, he wandered low,
He wandered late and early,
Until he came to that wan water,
And there he spied his ladie.
"O wilt thou go home, my hinny and my heart,
O wilt thou go home, my dearie;
And I will close thee in a close room
Where no man shall come near thee."
"I will not go home, my hinny and heart,
I will not come, my dearie;
If I have brewn good beer, I will drink of the same,
And my lord shall nae mair come near me.
"But I will swear by the moon and the stars,
And the sun that shines sae clearly,
That I am as free of the Gipsy gang
As the hour my mother did bear me."
They were fifteen valiant men,
Black, but very bonny,
And they all lost their lives for one,
The Earl of Cassilis' ladie.
[160] I beg the reader to take particular notice of this circumstance.
A Scotch rabble is the lowest and meanest of all rabbles, at such work
as this. In their eyes, it was unpardonable that Lady Anstruther, or
"Jenny Faa," should have been of Gipsy origin; but it would have
horrified them, had they known the meaning of her ladyship "being of
Gipsy origin," and that she doubtless "chattered Gipsy," like others
of her tribe.--ED.
Tradition states that John Faa, the leader of a band of Gipsies, seizing
the opportunity of the Earl of Cassilis' absence, on a deputation to the
Assembly of divines at Westminster, in 1643, to ratify the solemn league
and covenant, carried off the lady. The Earl was considered a sullen and
ill-tempered man, and perhaps not a very agreeable companion to his
lady.[161]
[161] See page 108.--ED.
Before proceeding to give an account of the modern Gipsies on the
Scottish Border, I shall transcribe an interesting note which Sir Walter
Scott gave to the public, in explaining the origin of that singular
character Meg Merrilies, in the novel Guy Mannering. The illustrious
author kindly offered me the "scraps" which he had already given to
Blackwood's Magazine, to incorporate them, if I chose, in my history of
the Gipsies; but I prefer giving them in his own words.
"My father," says Sir Walter, "remembered Jean Gordon of Yetholm, who
had a great sway among her tribe. She was quite a Meg Merrilies, and
possessed the savage virtue of fidelity in the same perfection. Having
been hospitably received at the farm-house of Lochside, near Yetholm,
she had carefully abstained from committing any depredations on the
farmer's property. But her sons, (nine in number,) had not, it seems,
the same delicacy, and stole a brood-sow from their kind entertainer.
Jean was so much mortified at this ungrateful conduct, and so much
ashamed of it, that she absented herself from Lochside for several
years. At length, in consequence of some temporary pecuniary necessity,
the good-man of Lochside was obliged to go to Newcastle, to get some
money to pay his rent. Returning through the mountains of Cheviot, he
was benighted, and lost his way. A light, glimmering through the window
of a large waste-barn, which had survived the farm-house to which it had
once belonged, guided him to a place of shelter; and when he knocked at
the door, it was opened by Jean Gordon. Her very remarkable figure, for
she was nearly six feet high, and her equally remarkable features and
dress, rendered it impossible to mistake her for a moment; and to meet
with such a character, in so solitary a place, and probably at no great
distance from her clan, was a terrible surprise to the poor man, whose
rent, (to lose which would have been ruin to him,) was about his person.
Jean set up a loud shout of joyful recognition. 'Eh, sirs! the winsome
gude-man of Lochside! Light down, light down; for ye manna gang farther
the night, and a friend's house sae near!' The farmer was obliged to
dismount, and accept of the Gipsy's offer of supper and a bed. There was
plenty of meat in the barn, however it might be come by, and
preparations were going on for a plentiful supper, which the farmer, to
the great encrease of his anxiety, observed was calculated for ten or
twelve guests of the same description, no doubt, with his landlady. Jean
left him in no doubt on the subject. She brought up the story of the
stolen sow, and noticed how much pain and vexation it had given her.
Like other philosophers, she remarked that the world grows worse daily,
and, like other parents, that the bairns got out of her guiding, and
neglected the old Gipsy regulations which commanded them to respect, in
their depredations, the property of their benefactors. The end of all
this was an enquiry what money the farmer had about him, and an urgent
request that he would make her his purse-keeper, as the bairns, as she
called her sons, would be soon home. The poor farmer made a virtue of
necessity, told his story, and surrendered his gold to Jean's custody.
She made him put a few shillings in his pocket; observing it would
excite suspicion should he be found travelling altogether penniless.
This arrangement being made, the farmer lay down on a sort of
_shake-down_, as the Scotch call it, upon some straw; but, as is easily
to be believed, slept not. About midnight the gang returned with various
articles of plunder, and talked over their exploits, in language which
made the farmer tremble. They were not long in discovering their guest,
and demanded of Jean whom she had got there. 'E'en the winsome gude-man
of Lochside, poor boy,' replied Jean; 'he's been at Newcastle, seeking
siller to pay his rent, honest man, but deil-be-licket he's been able to
gather in; and sae he's gaun e'en hame wi' a toom purse and a sair
heart.' 'That may be, Jean,' replied one of the banditti, 'but we maun
ripe his pouches a bit, and see if it be true or no.' Jean set up her
throat in exclamation against this breach of hospitality, but without
producing any change of their determination. The farmer soon heard their
stifled whispers and light steps by his bed-side, and understood they
were rummaging his clothes. When they found the money which the prudence
of Jean Gordon had made him retain, they held a consultation if they
should take it or not; but the smallness of the booty, and the vehemence
of Jean's remonstrances, determined them on the negative. They caroused,
and went to rest. So soon as day dawned, Jean roused her guest, produced
his horse, which she had accommodated behind the _hallan_, and guided
him for some miles, till he was on the high-road to Lochside. She then
restored his whole property, nor could his earnest entreaties prevail on
her to accept so much as a single guinea.
"I have heard the old people at Jedburgh say that all Jean's sons were
condemned to die there on the same day. It is said the jury were equally
divided, but that a friend of justice, who had slept during the whole
discussion, waked suddenly, and gave his vote for condemnation, in the
emphatic words: 'Hang them a'.' Jean was present, and only said, 'The
Lord help the innocent in a day like this.' Her own death was
accompanied with circumstances of brutal outrage, of which poor Jean
was, in many respects, wholly undeserving. Jean had, among other
demerits, or merits, as you may choose to rank it, that of being a
staunch Jacobite. She chanced to be at Carlisle, upon a fair or market
day, soon after the year 1746, where she gave vent to her political
partiality, to the great offence of the rabble in that city. Being
zealous in their loyalty when there was no danger, in proportion to the
tameness with which they had surrendered to the Highlanders, in 1745,
they inflicted upon poor Jean Gordon no slighter penalty than that of
ducking her to death in the Eden. It was an operation of some time, for
Jean was a stout woman, and, struggling with her murderers, often got
her head above water; and, while she had voice left, continued to
exclaim, at such intervals, 'Charlie yet! Charlie yet!'
"When a child, and among the scenes which she frequented, I have often
heard these stories, and cried piteously for poor Jean Gordon.
"Before quitting the Border Gipsies, I may mention that my grandfather,
riding over Charter-house moor, then a very extensive common, fell
suddenly among a large band of them, who were carousing in a hollow of
the moor, surrounded by bushes. They instantly seized on his horse's
bridle, with many shouts of welcome, exclaiming, (for he was well known
to most of them,) that they had often dined at his expense, and he must
now stay, and share their good-cheer. My ancestor was a little alarmed,
for, like the good man of Lochside, he had more money about his person
than he cared to venture with into such society. However, being a bold,
lively man, he entered into the humour of the thing, and sate down to
the feast, which consisted of all the different varieties of game,
poultry, pigs, and so forth, that could be collected by a wide and
indiscriminate system of plunder. The feast was a very merry one, but my
relative got a hint, from some of the elder Gipsies, to retire just when
'The mirth and fun grew fast and furious;' and, mounting his horse,
accordingly, he took French leave of his entertainers, but without
experiencing the least breach of hospitality. I believe Jean Gordon was
at this festival.
"The principal settlements of the Gipsies, in my time, have been the
two villages of Easter and Wester Gordon, and what is called
Kirk-Yetholm,
Making good the proverb odd,
Near the church and far from God."
In giving an account of the modern Gipsies on the Scottish Border, I
shall transcribe, at full length, the faithful and interesting report of
Baillie Smith, of Kelso, which was published in Hoyland's "Historical
Survey of the Gipsies."
"A considerable time," says Mr. Smith, "having elapsed since I had an
opportunity or occasion to attend to the situation of the colony of
Gipsies in our neighbourhood, I was obliged to delay my answer to your
enquiries, until I could obtain more information respecting their
present numbers.
"The great bar to the benevolent intentions of improving their
situation, will be the impossibility to convince them that there either
is, or can be, a mode of life preferable, or even equal, to their own.
"A strong spirit of independence, or what they would distinguish by the
name of liberty, runs through the whole tribe. It is, no doubt, a very
licentious liberty, but entirely to their taste. Some kind of honour
peculiar to themselves seems to prevail in their community. They reckon
it a disgrace to steal near their homes, or even at a distance, if
detected. I must always except that petty theft of feeding their
_shelties_ and asses, on the farmer's grass and corn, which they will
do, whether at home or abroad.
"When avowedly trusted, even in money matters, they never deceived me,
nor forfeited their promise. I am sorry to say, however, that when
checked in their licentious appropriations, &c., they are very much
addicted both to threaten and to execute revenge.
"Having so far premised with respect to their general conduct and
character, I shall proceed to answer, as far as I am able, the four
queries subjoined to the circular which you sent me; and then subjoin,
in notes, some instances of their conduct in particular cases, which may
perhaps elucidate their general disposition and character.
"_Query 1st._ What number of Gipsies in the county?
"_Answer._ I know of none except the colony of Yetholm, and one family
who lately removed from that place to Kelso. Yetholm consists of two
towns, or large villages, called Town-Yetholm and Kirk-Yetholm. The
first is in the estate of Mr. Wauchope, of Niddry; the latter in that of
the Marquis of Tweed-dale. The number of the Gipsy colony at present in
Kirk-Yetholm amounts to, at least, 109 men, women and children; and
perhaps two or three may have escaped notice. They marry early in life;
in general have many children; and their number seems to be encreasing.
"_Query 2d._ In what do the men and women mostly employ themselves?
"_Answer._ I have known the colony between forty and fifty years. At my
first remembrance of them, they were called the _Tinklers_ (Tinkers) of
Yetholm, from the males being chiefly then employed in mending pots and
other culinary utensils, especially in their peregrinations through the
hilly and less frequented parts of the country. Sometimes they were
called _Horners_, from their occupation in making and selling
horn-spoons, called _cutties_. Now, their common appellation is that of
_Muggers_, or, what pleases them better, _Potters_. They purchase, at a
cheap rate, the cast or faulty articles from the different manufacturers
of earthenware, which they carry for sale all over the country;
consisting of groups of six, ten, and sometimes twelve or fourteen
persons, male and female, young and old, provided with a horse and cart,
to transport the pottery, besides shelties and asses, to carry the
youngest of the children, and such baggage as they find necessary. A few
of the colony also employ themselves, occasionally, in making besoms,
foot-basses, &c., from heath, broom, and bent, and sell them at Kelso
and the neighbouring towns. After all, their employment can be
considered little better than an apology for idleness and vagrancy. I do
not see that the women are otherwise employed than attending the young
children, and assisting to sell the pottery when carried through the
country.
"They are, in general, great adepts in hunting, shooting and fishing; in
which last they use the net and spear, as well as the rod; and often
supply themselves with a hearty meal by their dexterity. They have no
notion of being limited in their field sports, either in time, place, or
mode of destruction. In the country, they sleep in barns and byres, or
other out-houses; and when they cannot find that accommodation, they
take the canvas covering from the pottery cart and squat below it, like
a covey of partridges in the snow.
"_Query 3d._ Have they any settled abode in winter, and where?
"_Answer._ Their residence, with the exception of a single family, who,
some years ago, came to Kelso, is at Kirk-Yetholm, and chiefly confined
to one row of houses, or street, of that town, which goes by the name of
the _Tinkler Row_. Most of them have leases of their possessions,
granted for a term of nineteen times nineteen years, for payment of a
small sum yearly, something of the nature of a quit-rent. There is no
tradition in the neighbourhood concerning the time when the Gipsies
first took up their residence at that place, nor whence they came. Most
of their leases, I believe, were granted by the family of the Bennets,
of Grubit, the last of whom was Sir David Bennet, who died about sixty
years ago. The late Mr. Nisbet, of Dirlton, then succeeded to the
estate, comprehending the baronies of Kirk-Yetholm and Grubit. He died
about the year 1783; and long after, the property was acquired by the
late Lord Tweed-dale's trustees. During the latter part of the life of
the late Mr. Nisbet, he was less frequently at his estate in
Roxburghshire than formerly. He was a great favourite of the Gipsies,
and was in use to call them his body-guards, and often gave them money,
&c.
"On the other hand, both the late and present Mr. Wauchope were of
opinion that the example of these people had a bad effect upon the
morals and industry of the neighbourhood; and seeing no prospect of
their removal, and as little of their reformation, considered it as a
duty to the public to prevent the evil encreasing; and never would
consent to any of the colony taking up their residence in _Town_
Yetholm.
"They mostly remain at home during winter, but as soon as the weather
becomes tolerably mild, in spring, most of them, men, women and
children, set out on their peregrinations over the country; and live in
a state of vagrancy, until driven into their habitations by the approach
of winter.
"Seeming to pride themselves as a separate tribe, they very seldom
intermarry out of the colony; and, in rare instances, when that happens,
the Gipsy, whether male or female, by influence and example, always
induces the stranger husband, or wife, to adopt the manners of the
colony; so that no improvement is ever obtained in that way. The
progeny of such alliances have almost universally the tawny complexion,
and fine black eyes, of the Gipsy parent, whether father or mother. So
strongly remarkable is the Gipsy cast of countenance, that even a
description of them to a stranger, who has had no opportunity of
formerly seeing them, will enable him to know them whenever he meets
them. Some individuals, but very rarely, separate from the colony
altogether; and when they do so, early in life, and go to a distance,
such as London, or even Edinburgh, their acquaintances in the country
get favourable accounts of them. A few betake themselves to regular and
constant employments at home, but soon tire, and return to their old way
of life.
"When any of them, especially a leader, or man of influence, dies, they
have full meetings, not only of the colony, but of the Gipsies from a
distance; and those meetings, or _late-wakes_, are by no means conducted
with sobriety or decency.
"_Query 4th._ Are any of their children taught to read, and what portion
of them? With any anecdotes respecting their customs and conduct.
"_Answer._ Education being obtained at a cheaper rate, the Gipsies, in
general, give their male children as good a one as is bestowed on those
of the labouring people, and farm servants, in the neighbourhood; such
as reading, writing, and the first principles of arithmetic. They all
apply to the clergyman of the parish for baptism to their children; and
a strong, superstitious notion universally prevails with them, that it
is unlucky to have an unchristened child in the house. Only a very few
ever attend divine service, and those as seldom as they can, just to
prevent being refused as sponsors at their children's baptism.
"They are, in general, active and lively, particularly when engaged in
field sports, or in such temporary pursuits as are agreeable to their
habits and dispositions; but are destitute of the perseverance necessary
for a settled occupation, or even for finishing what a moderate degree
of continued labour would enable them to accomplish in a few weeks.
"I remember that, about 45 years ago, being then apprenticed to a
writer, who was in use to receive the rents and the small duties of
Kirk-Yetholm, he sent me there with a list of names, and a statement of
what was due, recommending me apply to the landlord of the
public-house, in the village, for any information or assistance which I
might need.
"After waiting a long time, and receiving payment from most of the
feuers, or rentalers, I observed to him, that none of the persons of the
names of Faa, Young, Blythe, Fluckie, &c., who stood at the bottom of
the list, for small sums, had come to meet me, according to the notice
given by the baron-officer, and proposed sending to inform them that
they were detaining me, and to request their immediate attendance.
"The landlord, with a grave face, enquired whether my master had desired
me to ask money from those men. I said, not particularly; but they stood
on the list. 'So I see,' said the landlord; 'but had your master been
here himself, he did not dare to ask money from them, either as rent or
feu duty. He knows that it is as good as if it were in his pocket. They
will pay when their own time comes, but do not like to pay at a set
time, with the rest of the barony, and still less to be craved.'
"I accordingly returned without their money, and reported progress. I
found that the landlord was right: my master said, with a smile, that it
was unnecessary to send to them, after the previous notice from the
baron-officer; it was enough if I had received the money, if offered.
Their rent and feu duty was brought to the office in a few weeks. I need
scarcely add that those persons all belonged to the tribe.
"Another instance of their licentious, independent spirit occurs to me.
The family of Niddry always gave a decent annual remuneration to a
baron-baillie, for the purpose of keeping good order within the barony
of Town-Yetholm. The person whom I remember first in possession of that
office was an old man, called Doctor Walker, from his being also the
village surgeon; and from him I had the following anecdote:
"Between Yetholm and the Border farms, in Northumberland, there were
formerly, as in most Border situations, some uncultivated lands, called
the Plea-lands, or Debatable-lands, the pasturage of which was generally
eaten up by the sorners and vagabonds, on both sides of the marches.
Many years ago, Lord Tankerville and some others of the English
Borderers made their request to Sir David Bennet, and the late Mr.
Wauchope, of Niddry, that they would accompany them at a riding of the
Plea-lands, who readily complied with their request. They were induced
to this, as they understood that the Gipsies had taken offence, on the
supposition that they might be circumscribed in the pasturage for their
shelties and asses, which they had held a long time, partly by stealth,
and partly by violence.
"Both threats and entreaties were employed to keep them away; and, at
last, Sir David obtained a promise from some of the heads of the gang,
that none of them should show their faces on the occasion. They,
however, got upon the hills, at a little distance, whence they could see
everything that passed. At first they were very quiet. But when they saw
the English court-book spread out, on a cushion, before the clerk, and
apparently him taking in a line of direction, interfering with what they
considered to be their privileged ground, it was with great difficulty
that the most moderate of them could restrain the rest from running down
and taking vengeance, even in sight of their own lord of the manor.
"They only abstained for a short time; and no sooner had Sir David and
the other gentlemen taken leave of each other, in the most polite and
friendly manner, as Border chiefs were wont to do, since Border feuds
ceased, and had departed to a sufficient distance, than the clan, armed
with bludgeons, pitchforks, and such other hostile weapons as they could
find, rushed down in a body, and before the chiefs on either side had
reached their home, there was neither English tenant, horse, cow nor
sheep left upon the premises.
"Meeting at Kelso, with Mr. Walter Scott, whose discriminating habits
and just observations I had occasion to know, from his youth, and, at
the same time, seeing one of my Yetholm friends in the horse-market, I
said to Mr. Scott, 'Try to get before that man with the long drab coat,
look at him on your return, and tell me whether you ever saw him, and
what you think of him.' He was as good as to indulge me; and, rejoining
me, he said, without hesitation: 'I never saw the man that I know of;
but he is one of the Gipsies of Yetholm, that you told me of, several
years ago.' I need scarcely say that he was perfectly correct.
"When first I knew anything about the colony, old Will Faa was king, or
leader; and had held the sovereignty for many years. The descendants of
Faa now take the name of Fall, from the Messrs. Fall, of Dunbar, who,
they pride themselves in saying, are of the same stock and lineage. When
old Will Faa was upwards of eighty years of age, he called on me, at
Kelso, on his way to Edinburgh, telling me that he was going to see the
laird, the late Mr. Nisbet, of Dirlton, as he understood that he was
very unwell; and he himself being now old, and not so stout as he had
been, he wished to see him once more before he died. He set out by the
nearest road, which was by no means his common practice. Next
market-day, some of the farmers informed me that they had been in
Edinburgh, and seen Will Faa, upon the bridge, (the south bridge was not
then built;) that he was tossing about his old brown hat, and huzzaing,
with great vociferation, that he had seen the laird before he died.
Indeed, Will himself had no time to lose; for, having set his face
homewards, by the way of the sea-coast, to vary his route, as is the
general custom of the gang, he only got the length of Coldingham, when
he was taken ill and died.
"His death being notified to his friends at Yetholm, they and their
acquaintances at Berwick, Spittal, Horncliff, &c., met to pay the last
honours to their old leader. His obsequies were continued three
successive days and nights, and afterwards repeated at Yetholm, whither
he was brought. I cannot say that the funeral rites were celebrated with
decency and sobriety, for that was by no means the case. This happened
in the year 1783, or 1784, and the late Mr. Nisbet did not long
survive."[162]
[162] When Mr. Hoyland commenced making enquiries into the condition
of the Gipsies, he addressed circulars to the sheriffs, for
information. No less than thirteen Scotch sheriffs reported, "No
Gipsies within the county." A report of this kind was nearly as good
as would be that of a cockney, as to there being no _foxes_ in the
country; because, while riding through it, on the stage, he did not
_see_ any! Baillie Smith's report, although graphic, is superficial.
He states that the Gipsies "marry early in life, and in general have
many children;" yet "that their number _seems_ to be encreasing."--ED.
In addition to the above graphic report of Baillie Smith, I will now
give a few details from a MS., given to me by Mr. Blackwood, towards the
elucidation of the history of the Gipsies. This MS. bears the initials
of A. W., and appears to have been written by a gentleman who had ample
opportunities of observing the manners of the Border Gipsies.
"I am a native of Yetholm parish, and a residenter in it, with a little
exception, for upwards of fifty years. I well remember Kirk-Yetholm,
when the Faas and Youngs alone had a footing in it.[163] The Taits came
next, and latterly, at various periods, the Douglasses, Blyths,
Montgomerys, &c. Old William Faa, (with whom I was well acquainted, and
saw him married to his third wife,[164]) constantly claimed kindred with
the Falls of Dunbar; and persisted, to the last, that he himself was the
male descendant, in a direct line, from the Earl of Little Egypt. For
many years before his death, Mr. Nisbet of Dirlton, (the then laird of
Kirk-Yetholm,) gave him the charge of his house, at Marlfield, and all
its furniture, although he resided six miles distant from it. The key of
the principal door was regularly delivered to him, at the laird's
departure. I remember a sale of wood at Cherry-trees, belonging to the
late Sheriff Murray. William Faa was a purchaser at the roup, and the
sheriff proclaimed aloud to the clerk, that he would be Mr. Faa's
cautioner. All the Tinklers in the village, and even strangers resorting
thither, considered William Faa as the head and leader of the whole. His
corpse was escorted betwixt Coldstream and Yetholm by above three
hundred asses.
[163] The tribe of Young have preserved the following tradition
respecting their first settlement in Yetholm: At a siege of the city
of Namur, (date unknown,) the laird of Kirk-Yetholm, of the ancient
family of Bennets, of Grubit and Marlfield, in attempting to mount a
breach, at the head of his company, was struck to the ground, and all
his followers killed, or put to flight, except a Gipsy, the ancestor
of the Youngs, who resolutely defended his master till he recovered
his feet, and then, springing past him upon the rampart, seized a flag
which he put into his leader's hand. The besieged were struck with
panic--the assailants rushed again to the breach--Namur was taken, and
Captain Bennet had the glory of the capture. On returning to Scotland,
the laird, out of gratitude to his faithful follower, settled him and
his family, (who had formerly been travelling tinkers and
heckle-makers,) in Kirk-Yetholm; and conferred upon them, and the
Faas, a fen of their cottages, for the space of nineteen times
nineteen years; which they still hold from the Marquis of Tweed-dale,
the present proprietor of the estate.--_Blackwood's Magazine._--ED.
[164] On solemn occasions, Will Faa assumed, in his way, all the
stately deportment of sovereignty. He had twenty-four children, and at
each of their christenings he appeared, dressed in his original
wedding-robes. These christenings were celebrated with no small
parade. Twelve young handmaidens were always present, as part of the
family retinue, and for the purpose of waiting on the numerous guests,
who assembled to witness the ceremony, or partake of the subsequent
festivities. Besides Will's Gipsy associates, several of the
neighbouring farmers and lairds, with whom he was on terms of friendly
intercourse, (among others, the Murrays, of Cherry-trees,) used to
attend these christenings.--_Blackwood's Magazine._--ED.
"He was succeeded by his eldest son William, one of the cleverest
fellows upon the Border. For agility of person, and dexterity in every
athletic exercise, he had rarely met with a competitor. He had a younger
brother impressed, when almost a boy. He deserted from his ship, in
India; enlisted as a soldier, and, by dint of merit, acquired a
commission in a regular regiment of foot, and died a lieutenant, within
these thirty years, at London. He was an officer under Governor Wall, at
Goree, when he committed the crime for which he suffered, twenty years
after, in England.
"It was the present William Faa that the 'Earl of Hell' contended with;
not for sovereignty, but to revenge some ancient animosity.[165] His
lordship lives at New Coldstream, and was the only person in
Berwickshire that durst encounter, in single combat, the renowned
Bully-More. Young fought three successive battles with Faa, and one
desperate engagement with More, midway between Dunse and Coldstream; and
was defeated in all of them. He is a younger son of William Young, of
Yetholm, the cotemporary chieftain of old William Faa. It was still a
younger brother that migrated to Kelso, where he supported a good
character till he died. Charles Young, the eldest brother, is still
alive, and chief of the name. The following anecdote of him will serve
to establish his activity.
[165] This is in contradiction to the assertion, in Blackwood's
Magazine, that, on the death of his father, a sort of civil war broke
out among the Yetholm Gipsies; and that the usurper of the regal
office was dispossessed, after a battle, by the subjects who adhered
to the legitimate heir.--ED.
"Mr. Walker, of Thirkstane, the only residing heritor in Yetholm parish,
missed a valuable mare, upon a Sunday morning. After many fruitless
enquiries, at the adjacent kirks and neighbourhood, he dispatched a
servant for Charles, in the evening. He privately communicated to him
his loss, and added, that he was fully persuaded he could be the means
of recovering the mare. Charles boldly answered, 'If she was betwixt the
Tyne and the Forth, she should be restored.' On the Thursday after, at
sunrise, the mare was found standing at the stable door, much jaded, and
very warm.
"When the Kirk-Yetholm families differed among themselves, (and
terrible conflicts at times they had,) this same Mr. Walker was often
chosen sole arbitrator, to decide their differences. He has often been
locked up in their houses for twenty-four hours together, but carefully
concealed their secrets.[166]
[166] There would appear to be something remarkable in the position
which this Mr. Walker held with the Gipsies. I know, from the best of
authority, that most of the people living in and about Yetholm are
Gipsies, settled or unsettled, civilized or uncivilized, educated or
uneducated; and of one in particular, who went under the title of
"Lord Mayor of Yetholm." He is now dead. The above mentioned Mr.
Walker was probably a relation of Dr. Walker, mentioned by Baillie
Smith, as the baron-baillie of Yetholm. I notice in Blackwood's
Magazine, that one William Walker, a Gipsy, in company with various
Yetholm Gipsies, was indicted at Jedburgh, in 1714, for fire-raising,
but was acquitted. The Walkers alluded to in the text are very
probably of the same family, settled, and raised in the world. As I
have just said, most of the people in and about Yetholm are Gipsies.
Gipsydom has even eaten its way in among the population round about
Yetholm. The Rev. Mr. Baird, in conducting the Scottish Church Mission
among the _travelling_ Gipsies, hailing from Yetholm, doubtless
encountered many of them incog. But all this will be better understood
by the reader after he peruses the Disquisition on the Gipsies.--ED.
"The Yetholm Tinklers keep up an intercourse with their friends at
Horncliff, Spittal, Rothbury, Hexam, and Harbottle. They go frequently
to Newcastle, and even to Staffordshire, for earthenware, and the whole
family embark in every expedition.
"I was at school with most of the present generation of Tinklers. I mean
the males; for, to speak truth, I never heard of a female Gipsy being
educated at all.
"None of this colony have been either impeached or tried for a crime for
fifty years past. Two Tinklers have been executed at Jedburgh, in my
remembrance, named Keith and Clark, for murder and horse-stealing. They
were strangers, from a distance."
When I visited Yetholm, I fell in with a gentleman who resided at that
time in Town-Yetholm. I chanced to mention to him that I was sure all
the Gipsies had a method of their own in handling the cudgel, but he
would not believe it. At my request, he took me into some of their
houses, and, observing an old, rusty sword lying upon the joists of an
apartment in which we were sitting, I took it down, and, under pretence
of handling it, in their fashion, gave some of the guards of the
Hungarian sword-exercise. An old Gipsy, of the name of Blyth, shook his
head, and observed: "Ay, that is an art easily carried about with you;
it may be of service to you some day." My friend was then convinced of
his mistake.
William Faa, when I was in his house, showed me the mark of a stroke of
a sword on his right wrist, by which he had nearly lost his hand. With
others of his clan, he had been engaged in a smuggling speculation, on
the coast of Northumberland, when they were overtaken by a party of
dragoons, one of whom singled out and attempted to take Faa prisoner.
William was armed with a stick only, but, with his stick in his
dexterous hand, he, for a long time, set the dragoon, with all his arms,
at defiance. The horseman, now galloping round and round him, attempting
to capture him, became exasperated at the resistance of a man on foot,
armed with a cudgel only, and struck with such vigour that the cudgel
became shattered, and cut in pieces, till nothing but a few inches of it
remained. Still holding up the stump, to meet the stroke of his
antagonist's sword, William was cut to the bone, and compelled to yield
himself a prisoner. A person, present at the scuffle, informed me that
the only remark the brave Tinkler made to the dragoon was, "Ye've
spoiled a good fiddler."
William Faa, the lineal descendant of John Faw, "Lord and Earl of Little
Egypt," when I saw him, appeared about sixty years of age, and was tall
and genteel-looking, with grey hair, and dark eyes. He is the individual
who fought the three battles with Young, between Dunse and Coldstream.
The following notice of his death I have extracted from the "Scotsman"
newspaper, of the 20th October, 1847:
"A LAMENT FOR WILL FAA,
"The Deceased King of Little Egypt.
"The daisy has faded, the yellow leaf drops;
The cold sky looks grey o'er the shrivelled tree-tops;
And many around us, since Summer's glad birth,
Have dropt, like the old leaves, into the cold earth.
And one worth remembering hath gone to the home
Where the king and the kaiser must both at last come,
The King of the Gipsies--the last of a name[167]
Which in Scotland's old story is rung on by fame.
The cold clod ne'er pressed down a manlier breast
Than that of the old man now gone to his rest.
"It is meet we remember him; never again
Will such foot as old Will's kick a ball o'er the plain,
Or such hand as his, warm with the warmth of the soul,
Bid us welcome to Yetholm, to bicker and bowl.
Oh, the voice that could make the air tremble and ring
With the great-hearted gladness becoming a king,
Is silent, is silent; oh, wail for the day
When Death took the Border King, brave Willie Faa.
"No dark Jeddart prison e'er closed upon him,
The last lord of Egypt ne'er wore gyve on limb.
Though his grey locks were crownless, the light of his eye
Was kingly--his bearing majestic and high.
Though his hand held no sceptre, the stranger can tell
That the full bowl of welcome became it as well;
The fisher or rambler, by river or brae,
Ne'er from old Willie's hallan went empty away.
"In the old house of Yetholm we've sat at the board,
The guest, highly honoured, of Egypt's old lord,
And mark'd his eye glisten as oft as he told
Of his feats on the Border, his prowess of old.
It is meet, when that dark eye in death hath grown dim,
That we sing a last strain in remembrance of him.
The fame of the Gipsy hath faded away
With the breath from the brave heart of gallant Will Faa."
[167] Will Faa had a brother, a house-carpenter, in New York, who
survived him a few years. He was considered a fine old man by those
who knew him. He left a family in an humble, but respectable, way of
doing. The Scottish Gipsy throne was occupied by another family of
Gipsies, in consequence of this family being "forth of Scotland."
There are a great many Faas, under one name or other, scattered over
the world.--ED.