Gypsy Lore Society Research Articles

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PHYSICAL CHARACTERS OF SERBIAN GYPSIES.-Dr. Viktor Lebzelter has recorded in the Journal of the Gypsy Lore Society, Ser. 3, vol. 3, Pt. 4, the results of anthropometric observations made in 1916 on forty-five Serbian gypsies who were prisoners of war. Gjargjevic has classified the gypsies of Serbia into three strata, of which the first and third are Moslems and the second Christian-Rumanian gypsies who with the other Rumanian inhabitants of Serbia entered the country in the seventeenth century. The subjects of Dr. Lebzelter's observations belonged to the Christian stratum, though only seven called themselves Rumanian gypsies. They came from northwest Serbia and all were sedentary. They were remarkably homogeneous. Their hair was thick, and smooth like that of Hungarian and Bosnian gypsies. In the majority of cases it was black, but ranged to light brown. The colour of the iris in eighteen cases was dark brown, but black-brown, brown, greenish-grey, brownish-grey, and greenish-brown also occurred. The average height was 1627 mm.; 24 per cent, were tall or very tall. The cephalic index ranged from 72.49 to 88.76, the average being 78.3. From an analysis of published measurements of Balkan gypsies, 952 individuals, Dr. Lebzelter concludes that the original type is dark, smooth-haired, moderately short, mesocephalic, moderately hypsicephalic, lepto-rhine, and perhaps leptoproscopic. The Serbian gypsies show this original element more clearly than the Hungarian gypsies.

Journal of the Gypsy Lore Society: 151 Iffley Road, Oxford. Third Series: Vol. II, Nos. 2 to 4.

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ENGLISH GYPSY BURIAL CUSTOMS.—Mr. T. W. Thompson continues his interesting study of gypsy burial customs in the Journal of the Gypsy Lore Society, Third Series, Vol. III., Pt. 2. Although burials in unconsecrated ground are recorded, the evidence does not on the whole support the view held by some that this was, at one time, the normal practice. In the Heron family, however, only one burial appears in parish registers between 1650 and 1830. The most characteristic funeral rite of the English gypsies was the sacrifice of all the belongings of the deceased which were not buried with the body. The tent and surplus clothes were burnt, possessions which could not be burnt were buried, and the horses and donkeys wTere sold to gorgios or, in earlier days, were killed. In some cases the living wagon was burnt, even when the deceased was not the owner but only a member of the family, or a child. The reason would appear to be fear that the dead would be restless and jealous at others using their property rather than a dread of pollution, though this may not be entirely absent. In like manner the objects buried with the dead and the offerings made at the grave, though possibly in some degree intended for his service, were primarily to protect the living by making him happy and contented. This dread of the return of the dead is also shown by the avoidance of the names of near relatives no longer living. If another relative or friend bears the same name, a fresh name or nickname is used. Although to swear by a dead relative is the most solemn oath a gypsy can use, a descriptive phrase is substituted for the name. Gypsies also avoid camping places used by the deceased, and, more commonly, abstain by vow or otherwise from his favourite drink, food, or amusement.

Research Items

GYPSY BURIAL CUSTOMS.—A detailed account of burial customs of the English gypsies is given by Mr. T. W. Thompson in the Journal of the Gypsy Lore Society, N.S. vol. hi. pt. i. These show marked signs of a fear of pollution. It is, for example, very unusual for a gypsy to take part in laying out a corpse, and any food in a tent when a death takes place is buried. A fast follows until the burial, and, with the Boswells, this takes the form of a red-meat tabu. The coffin is made specially large to hold a great part of the deceased's personal possessions. Anything not so included is burned. Among the objects usually placed in the coffin, in addition to clothes, are the watch and other jewellery, a knife, fork, and plate, a hammer, and sometimes grain and bread, the latter a potent influence against evil. Clothes are turned inside out. Some gypsies place a tuft of grass or sod on the breast, and in Scotland at one time a knot of red and blue ribbons was used. Annual gatherings at the grave were in some cases made the occasion of offerings, such as beer, poured on the soil, tobacco, sugar, and even, in one instance, a Christmas pudding.

Journal of the Gypsy Lore Society. Vol. II, Pts. II, III, and IV. Oxford: 151 Iffley Road.

Journal of the Gypsy Lore Society. Vol. II, Pts. II, III, and IV. Oxford: 151 Iffley Road.

Journal of the Gypsy Lore Society. Third Series; Vol. I, Nos. 2 and 3. Edited by E. O. Winstedt, 181 Iffley Road, Oxford. - Journal of the Gypsy Lore Society. Third Series; Vol. I, No. 4.

Journal of the Gypsy Lore Society. Third Series; Vol. I, Nos. 2 and 3. Edited by E. O. Winstedt, 181 Iffley Road, Oxford. - Journal of the Gypsy Lore Society. Third Series; Vol. I, No. 4. - Volume 55 Issue 3

Gypsy Lore Society Journal. Editor, E. O. Winstedt, 181 Iffley Road, Oxford.

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GYPSY FOLKLORE.—The new series of the Gypsy Lore Society's Journal is being actively conducted by its energetic secretary, Mr. T. W. Thompson. The last issue (Third Series, vol. i., part 3) contains an excellent article by him on the Gypsy Grays as tale-tellers, which describes the methods by which the incidents of their stories are manipulated. This has a much wider interest than is implied by its title, and students of folk tales will find that it throws much needed light on the construction of these narratives.

Reviews

The History of Human Marriage. Fifth Edition, re-written By E. Westermarck. Macmillan & Co., Ltd. 3 vols. Price £4 4s. By W. Crooke Dorsetshire Folk-Lore. By J. S. Udal : issued by subscription. Hertford: Stephen Austin & Sons. 1922. By W. Crooke Small Talk at Wreyland. By Cecil Torr. Second Series. Cambridge: The University Press. 1921. Price 9s.net Macbeth, King Lear and Contemporary History. By Lilian Winstanley. Cambridge University Press. 1922. Price 15s. net. The Tribes and Castes of Bombay. By R. E. Enthoven, C. I. E. Three volumes. Bombay. 1920-22. By W. Crooke Journal of the Gypsy Lore Society.

Journal of the Gypsy Lore Society. Third Series. Vol. I, Part I. 9¾ × 6, 48 pp. Printed privately for members.

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Journal of the Gypsy Lore Society

Journal Article Journal of the Gypsy Lore Society Get access Notes and Queries, Volume s11-IX, Issue 214, 31 January 1914, Pages 98–99, https://doi.org/10.1093/nq/s11-IX.214.98b Published: 31 January 1914