name The world e'er listed.-Kingdoms may decay, And Empires totter, change succeed to change, But here no change presents-uncoped with still Stands our immortal Shakspeare-he whose birth This day we celebrate.-O! be this day And long may we, my Brethren, though divided To the four winds of heaven, meet again, Around their necks their raven tresses twine; But chilling damps, and dews of night, impair Its soft sleek gloss, and tan the bosom bare. The pipe and bladder opes its screaking Then for their paramours the maddening brawl, Shrill, fierce, and frantic, echoes round the hall. No glimmering light to rage suppliesa mark, Save the red firebrand, hissing through the dark; And oft the beams of morn, the peasants say, The blood-stained turf, and new-formed graves display. Fell race, unworthy of the Scotian name! Your brutal deeds your barbarous line proclaim; With dreadful Gallas linked in kindred bands, The locust brood of Ethiopia's sands, Whose frantic shouts the thunder blue defy, And launch their arrows at the glowing sky. In barbarous pomp, they glut the inhuman feast With dismal viands man abhors to taste; And grimly smile, when red the goblets shine, When mantles red the shell-but not with LEYDEN. wine !" THE village of Kirk-Yetholm, in Roxburghshire, has long been remarkable as a favourite haunt of the Scottish Gypsies; and it still continues, in the present day, to be their most important settlement, and the head-quarters of their principal clans. The original causes of this preference may be readily traced to its local situation, which af forded peculiar facilities for the indulgence of their roaming and predatory habits, and for the evasion of legal restraints and penalties. Though remote from the principal public roads, they obtained, from this station, a ready access to the neighbouring districts of both kingdoms, by various wild and unfrethe days of the border forays, except quented by-paths, little known since to themselves and a few cattle-drovers. The hills and waters, also, teemed with game and fish, and the upland farms and hamlets required a constant supply of tinkering, crockery, and horn spoons, and abounded with good cheer, while magistrates and constables, and country-towns, were few and far between.-All these were advantages of no trivial nature to the vagrant community, and they seem, accordingly, to have been neither overlooked nor left unimproved by the colonists of Kirk-Yetholm. The village itself lies quite embosomed among the Cheviot hills, and besides its claims to celebrity as the modern metropolis of the " Lordis of Littil Egipt," it is not undeserving of Who wanton dance, or push the cups about ; some notice, also, on account of the throat, To aid the revels of the noisy rout, women loitering at their doors, or lazily busied among their carts and panniers and ragged children scrambling on the midden-steads (which rise before every cottage) in intimate and equal fellowship with pigs, poultry, dogs, and cuddies. This description, though brief and general, may perhaps appear to some readers more minute than the occasion requires; but some little indulgence, we trust, will be allowed,-if not on account of our own early partialities, simple and sequestered beauty of its scenery. It hangs upon the lower declivity of a steep rocky hill, called Stairroch, on the southern bank of the Bowmont, or as Leyden, in the elegant poem above quoted, has named it-the Yeta. This is a fine trouting stream, which issues, a few miles above, from the west side of Cheviot; and after winding through a narrow pastoral valley, unsheltered with wood, but bounded everywhere by smooth steep hills of the most beautiful verdure, flows down between the two vil--at least for the sake of the nowlages of Kirk and Town Yetholm. classical scenery of gypsey heroismThe Bowmont is here joined by a large the native haunts of Jean Gordon, brook from the bottom of a picturesque alias Meg Merrilies. recess among the neighbouring hills, which pours into it the superfluous waters of the little lake of Loch-Tower or Lochside. A short way below this it enters England, and afterwards falls into the Till near Flodden Field. Between the two villages is stretched a broad and level haugh, which the Bowmont occasionally overflows. At Fasten's Even this always forms the theatre for the toughest foot-ball match now played in the south of Scotland. Town-Yetholm lies rather low, and exhibits nothing remarkable either in the character of its inhabitants or its internal appearance; but a small conical hill, whose rocky summit retains the vestiges of some ancient entrenchments, rises between it and LochTower, and presents a very pleasing view on approaching from the north. It is cultivated on all sides quite to the top, and the small village-tenants, by whom it is chiefly occupied, have parcelled out its sloping declivities into parks, or little enclosures, of almost Chinese variety, each of which annually exhibits, on a small scale, the diversified operations and variegated vegetation of Scottish husbandry. The general aspect of the surrounding country, however, cannot be said to bear any striking analogy to the more dark and savage features of the gypsey character. Though the mountains of Cheviot can never fail to awaken in the breast of a Scotsman a thousand elevating emotions, there is little in their natural scenery that deserves the epithets of terrible or sublime. It is wild, indeed, but without ruggedness-and interesting rather than picturesque. Its chief characteristic is pastoral simplicitywith something of that homely and affecting bareness peculiar to Scottish landscape;-like the Border scenery in general, the green banks of Bowmont seem more calculated to sooth the fancy and soften the heart, than to exasperate the passions by exciting the imagination. To sources very different from the influences of external nature must be traced the strange peculiarities of these wild and wayward tribes. In the same Arcadian vallies, reside at the present moment a peasantry distinguished for superior intelligence, morality, and delicacy of feeling-whose moss-trooping ancesThe aspect of the opposite village, tors, little more than a hundred years to which the gypsey population is en- ago, were nevertheless sufficiently fatirely confined, is of a different char- miliar with stouthe reif and pykarie,' acter:-a mill and a church-yard ris- with feudal rancour and bloody revenge ing from the brink of the water-the-but the moral causes, which have church itself low and covered with thatch-beyond which appear the straggled houses of the village, built in the old Scottish style, many of them with their gable-ends, backs, or corners, turned to the street or toun gate -and still farther up, the TinklerRow, with its low, unequal, strawcovered roofs, and chimneys bound with rushes and hay-ropes-men and happily changed the Border reivers into a religious and industrious people, have scarcely yet begun to dawn upon the despised and degraded Gyp sies. Tradition affords no intelligence respecting the time when the first Gypsey colony fixed their residence at KirkYetholm. The clan of Faas are generally supposed to have established themselves there at a very remote period; and the pretensions of the present chieftain of that name to unmixed nobility of blood, as the lineal descendant of the renowned Erle Johnne,' are probably as well founded, at least if not so splendidly illustrated, as the proud genealogy of the famous Prince de Paz, which certain northern heralds, it is said, had lately the merit of tracing up to the ancient royal blood of Scotland! The tribe of Youngs are next to the Faas in honour and antiquity. They 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 Grubet 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 gypsey, 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 panicthe 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 wandering tinkers and heckle-makers) in Kirk-Yetholm, and conferred upon them and the Faas a feu of their cottages for the space of nineteen times nineteen years-which they still hold from the Marquis of Tweeddale, the present proprietor of the estate. The other families now resident in this village (as we shall afterwards see) are of more recent introduction. They seem to have gradually retreated to this as their last strong hold, on being successively extirpated from their other haunts and fastnesses upon the borders. We mentioned in our last Number, that Mr Hoyland, in the persecution of his meritorious design for ameliorating the condition of this unfortunate race, had addressed a circular to the chief provincial magistrates, with a list of queries respecting their present state, &c. These, being transmitted to the sheriffs of the different Scottish counties, produced replies, several of which Mr Hoyland has published. Of these notices by far the most interest→ ing are, a short report of Mr Walter Scott, sheriff of Selkirkshire, and an account of the Yetholm Gypsies by Bailie Smith of Kelso-which we shall extract in full; for though they relate, in some points, to particulars already detailed, they are altogether too graphí cal and curious to be subjected to any abridgment.-Mr Scott writes as follows: The men "A set of people possessing the same erratic habits, and practising the trade of tinkers, are well known in the borders; and have often fallen under the cognizance of the law. They are often called Gypsies, and pass through the county annually in small bands, with their carts and asses. are tinkers, poachers, and thieves upon a small scale. They also sell crockery, deal in old rags, in eggs, in salt, in tobacco, and such trifles; and manufacture horn into spoons. I believe most of those who come through Selkirkshire reside, during winter, in the villages of Horncliff and Spittal, in Northumberland, and in that of Kirk-Yetholm, Roxburghshire. "Mr Smith, the respectable Bailie* of Kelso, can give the most complete information concerning those who reside at Kirk-Yetholm. Formerly, I believe, they were much more desperate in their conduct than at present. But some of the most atrocious families have been extirpated; I allude particularly to the Winters, a Northumberland clan, who, I fancy, are all buried by this time. "Mr Riddel, Justice of Peace for Roxburghshire, with my assistance and concurrence, cleared this country of the last of them, about eight or nine years ago. They were thorough desperadoes, of the worst class of vagabonds. Those who now travel through this country give offence chiefly by poaching and small thefts. They are divided into clans, the principal names being Faa, Baillie, Young, Ruthven, and Gordon. "All of them are perfectly ignorant of religion, and few of their children receive any education. They marry and cohabit amongst each other, and are held in a sort of horror by the common people. "Bailie is a magisterial designation in Scotland, agreeing in rank with that of Alderman in England." "I do not conceive them to be the proper Oriental Egyptian race, at least they are much intermingled with our own national outlaws and vagabonds. They are said to keep up a communication with each other throughout Scotland, and to have some internal government and regulation as to the districts which each family travels. "I cannot help again referring to Mr Smith of Kelso, a gentleman who can give the most accurate information respecting the habits of those itinerants, as their winter-quarters of Yetholm are upon an estate of which he has long had the management." In consequence of this reference, Mr Hoyland applied to Bailie Smith, and was furnished by that gentleman with an interesting report, dated November 1815, from which he has given the following extracts: "A considerable time having elapsed since I had an opportunity or occasion to attend to the situation of the colony of gypsies in our neighbourhood, I was obliged to delay my answer to your inquiries, 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 transactions, they never deceived me, nor forfeited their promise. I am sorry to say, however, that when checked in their licentious appropriations, &c. they are 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 sub joined 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 cha racter." "Query 1st. What number of gypsies are in the county? "A. 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 on the estate of Mr Wauchope of Niddry; the latter on that of the Marquis of Tweeddale. The number of the gypsey colony at present in KirkYetholm 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 increasing." Query 2d. In what do the men and women mostly employ themselves? "B. 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 populous 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 Muggers, or, what pleases them better, Potters. They purchase, at a cheap rate, the cast or faulty articles at the different manufactories 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. "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. "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. 66 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 to time, place, or mode of destruction. "I do not see that the women are any otherwise employed, than attending the young children, and assisting to sell the pottery, when carried through the country." "Query 3d. Have they any settled abode in winter, and where? "C. Their residence, with the exception of a single family, who some years ago came to Kelso, is at KirkYetholm, and chiefly confined to one row of houses, or street of that town, which goes by the name of TinklerRow. 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 gypsies 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 Grubet; the last of whom was Sir David Bennet, who died about sixty years ago. The late Mr Nisbet of Dirleton then succeeded to the estate, comprehending the baronies of Kirk-Yetholm and Grubet. He died about the year 1783; and not long after, the property was acquired by the late Lord Tweeddale'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 gypsies, 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 increasing, 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 again driven into their habitations by the approach of winter. 66 Seeming to pride themselves as a separate tribe, they very seldom intermarry out of the colony; and in rare instances where that happens, the gypsey, 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 gypsey parent, whether father or mother. "So strongly remarkable is the gypsey 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 wherever he meets with 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 to 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 gypsies from a distance; and those meetings, or lyke wakes, are by no means conducted with sobriety or decency. "Query 4th. Are any of their children taught to read, and what proportion of them? With any anecdotes respecting their customs and conduct. "D. Education being obtained at a cheap rate, the gypsies 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 clergy |