GYPSY, ROMA AND TRAVELLER If you have tried to learn more about the diversity and histories of Gypsy,
If you have tried to learn more about the diversity and histories of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller
communities, you wouldn’t be alone in finding that there’s just not much out there.
PEOPLE THROUGH HISTORY
Ancient laws in Scotland recognise Roma people in the territories of modern day Romany Gypsies first recorded in
People with Roma heritage travelled from England were incorrectly thought to
northwest India as prisoners, slaves and a community of people called Romania were taken as slaves and forced to
‘tinklers’ from their occupation work in monasteries, mines and in fields. have travelled from Egypt.
soldiers.
as tinsmiths.
Slaves were the property of their owners, bought In 1530, Henry VIII’s ‘Egyptians Act’
Theories suggest 60,000 Roma people were expelled Romany Gypsies in England.
forcibly enlisted to the army of Mahmud of They are viewed differently to and sold in their hundreds. It was not until 1856
mainstream society, seen to have that the Moldovian and Wallachian Assemblies In 1554, Queen Mary ruled that being
Ghazni and after his death, were expelled from a Gypsy was punishable by death.
Indian territories and driven to nomadism.1 their own customs and dialect.2 abolished slavery within their principalities.3
998AD 1100S 1200S 1500S
General adoption of amechanised caravan, rather than a horsedrawn wagon.
Roma and Sinti people, sometimes called the
‘forgotten victims’ of the Holocaust were de- Last Romany people historically Irish people began to split from
ported to concentration camps, subject to travelled with elaborately made Last known hanging for the general population around 12
mass murder and horrific medical experimen- ‘bender tents’. the crime of being a Gypsy generations ago in the 1600s -
tation by Nazi soldiers. in Suffolk, England.6 ‘an lucht siúil’ (the walking people)
From 1850 onwards, Gypsy Wagons became known for storytelling and
Over 200,000 Roma and Sinti were murdere- are used to travel, with bender tents sharing songs from city to city.
dor died as a result of starvation or disease. used alongside.
1940S 1850 1600S 1600S
The Report of the Commission on Irish Travellers recognised in British Following expansions of the
Itinerancy is the first systematic law as an ethnic group, following a European Union, there is an Scottish Gypsy Travellers
attempt by the Irish government to legal challenge in court brought by increase in migration of Roma recognised as an indigenous
settle Travellers in Ireland, aiming eight individuals refused service at people to the UK from across minority ethnic group in Britain.12
to force families off the road, into five pubs in London. Europe.
bricks and mortar accommodation.9
1963 2000 2004 - 2007 2008
The Police, Crime, Sentencing and The High Court rules that Local Authorities
Courts (PCSC) Act becomes law. The are no longer able to issue blanket bans on Irish Travellers are recognised as
new law means nomadic Gypsy and Gypsies and Travellers stopping on parcels Eileen Flynn becomes a distinct ethnic group in Ireland,
Traveller people are at risk of having of land, recognising that ‘the Gypsy and the first Irish Traveller to and recognised as Ireland’s only
vehicles (homes) confiscated, fines Traveller community have an enshrined become a senator in Ireland. indigenous community.13
and imprisonment. freedom not to stay in one place but to
move from one place to another’.14
2020 2020 2020 2017
The planning definition of ‘Traveller’, 2021 Census has for the first time ever Supreme Court rules ‘Anti-Traveller’ wide New powers brought in by the
which states anyone not travelling for The Equality and Human Rights
included ‘Roma’ as an ethnic category, injunctions have a negative impact on Police, Crime, Sentencing and Commission finds Pontins Holiday
more than 12 months, even if due to with the official population declared at Gypsies’ and Travellers’ ability to pursue a Courts Act 2022 challenged
old age or ill-health, is not considered Park acted ‘unlawfully’ against Irish
over 100,000 people. nomadic way of life, but rejected an appeal at the High Court by Wendy Travellers, following an investigation
a ‘Traveller’, is declared ‘discriminatory’ lodged by FFT, London Gypsies and Trav- Smith, a Romany Gypsy, with
by the Court of Appeal, in a case into the holiday park’s blacklist of
Population increases are also seen ellers (LGT) and Derbyshire Gypsy Liaison FFT and Liberty acting as Irish-sounding names.
supported by Friends, Families and for Romany Gypsy and Irish Traveller Group (DGLG), against the granting of wide Interveners.
Travellers (FFT). people. injunctions against ‘Persons Unknown’.
2022 2022 2023 2024 2024
1. https://kopachi.com/articles/a-new-look-at-our-romani-origins-and-diaspora-by-ronald-lee/ | 2. https://www.iriss.org.uk/sites/default/files/2017-06/gt-timeline-A4-web.pdf | 3. https://romediafoundation.wordpress.com/2014/04/18/roma-slavery-in-the-romanian-territories-a-catch-22-of-history-and-recognition/# | 4. https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/z2b36fr/revision/2 | 5. https://www.nature.com/articles/srep42187 | 6. https://www.historytoday.com/reviews/gyp-
sies-england | 7. https://www.hmd.org.uk/learn-about-the-holocaust-and-genocides/nazi-persecution/the-porrajmos/ | 8. https://www.salford.gov.uk/schools-and-learning/info-for-parents-students-and-teachers/ethnic-minorities-andtravellers/traveller-wagon-project/history-of-wagons-and-wagon-building/ | 9. http://www.paveepoint.ie/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/AssimilationPolicies.pdf | 10. https://minorityrights.org/minorities/romagypsiestravellers/# | 11. https://www.
romarchive.eu/en/roma-civil-rights-movement/sinti-and-roma-federal-republic-germany/ | 12. https://bemis.org.uk/docs/gypsy_travellers_in_contemporary_scotland.pdf | 13. https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/oireachtas/travellers-formally-recognised-as-an-ethnic-minority-1.2994309 | 14. https://ukhumanrightsblog.com/2020/01/27/court-of-appeal-upholds-the-right-to-roam-of-romany-and-travellers/ | Photograph of Eileen Flynn: “Creative Commons Seanad
Éireann - First Sitting of the 26th Seanad - 29 June 2020” by Houses of the Oireachtasis licensed under CC by 2.0
