Gypsy and Traveller Voices in Archives
About this resource
The English Folk Dance and Song Society’s Vaughan Williams Memorial Library’s archives contain many songs sung by Gypsies and Travellers. This resource makes these songs more accessible to the communities from which they came.
Romani Gypsy academic and poet Dr Jo Clement of Northumbria University created this resource in 2023 to make our Gypsy and Traveller collections more accessible, particularly for Gypsy and Traveller people seeking engagement with their cultural heritage.
The resource was developed as part of a project Gypsy and Traveller Voices in UK Music Archives led by Dr Hazel Marsh (University of East Anglia) together with Dr Esbjorn Wettermark (University of Sheffield) and Tiffany Hore, Director of Library and Archives at the English Folk Dance and Song Society. It was funded by the University of East Anglia’s AHRC Impact Acceleration Account.
Through collaboration we are highlighting the richness and importance of Gypsy and Traveller music collections – for communities themselves, supporting the cultural wellbeing of some of the UK’s most marginalised communities, and also for the wider English folk scene.
Suitable for: this resource may be suitable for use by educators working with young people 9 years plus (Year 5 and above) and adults of any age.
Please note: in the resource there are links to historical materials held by the VWML which may contain song lyrics or other content considered offensive by modern standards. Teachers are advised to check these links before sharing with students as materials may need contextualising.
What do we mean by ‘Gypsy and Traveller’?
Various ethnic groups feature under the umbrella term Gypsy and Traveller. The histories, terminologies, interconnections that relate to these groups are not straightforward. Individuals as well as groups prefer different terms and may subscribe to different discourses about their origins and history. However, current research suggests that Romani Gypsy people migrated from India into Europe in the middle ages, reaching Britain and Ireland in the early 16th century. Irish and some Scottish Travellers, on the other hand, represent indigenous nomadic ethnic groups, with continuous presence in Britain and Ireland. Neither of these groups should be confused with the Roma, mostly East European Romani people, who have arrived on Britain and Ireland in more recent times.
Image: Gypsy singer Priscilla Cooper, photographed by Cecil Sharp
