East European Gypsies

A group of East European Gypsies at Hazlewood, Creetown. These are Ursari or bear-leader Gypsies and the head of one of their performing bears can just be made out below the tree on the left. They toured Galloway in 1896. ‘Near Kirkcudbright I met a large troup of gypsies, of a type quite different from any I had met before. The first to appear round a corner was a tall, swarthy man leading a brown bear. My dog, a big, powerful beast, immediately made a rush for the bear but I managed to catch him in time. The man came up and, in very broken English, said the bear would not hurt the dog. I explained that my fears were not for the dog but for the bear, an under-sized, emaciated beast, and strongly muzzled.’ McCormick took this quote from F H Groome’s Gypsy Folk Tales. The photograph was taken by A McNeur.
Object no :
SRPG093n
Collection :
Galloway Travellers
Creator :
NA
Place of Production :
Newton Stewart area
Dimensions :
31/4" x 31/4" (82mm x 82mm)
Materials :
glass lantern slides
Location :
NA
Accession number :
N2000_02_21
Copyright :
The Artist's Family
2 Fmedia2 F208492 F10171

More objects in this Collection

2 Fmedia2 F209062 F10162
Pretty Partners
This photograph appears in the book with the caption ‘Pretty Partners’ but there is nothing in the t
2 Fmedia2 F209032 F10161
Couple with lino rolls
This couple are standing with their stock in trade - rolls of linoleum floor covering. Lino, made by
2 Fmedia2 F209002 F10160
Parliament Knowe
The Parliament Knowe camp at Newton Stewart. Parliament Knowe and the Traveller camp at Creetown wer
2 Fmedia2 F208972 F10159
A Stewart from the Highlands
McCormick met this woman, a Stewart from the Highlands, at Parliament Knowe. A poor old shrivelled
2 Fmedia2 F208942 F10158
On Guard
Isabella, one of the Galloway Stewarts, posing outside the family’s living wagon with a dog of very
2 Fmedia2 F208912 F10157
Breakfast Time
The Stewart family at Newton Stewart. The cast iron kettle and cooking pot are on the camp fire, wic
2 Fmedia2 F208882 F10156
The Wilson Family
The Wilson family. Like most Traveller communities, Galloway Travellers were quite superstitious.
2 Fmedia2 F208852 F10155
William Marshall, a Stewart & a Cambell
William Marshall, left, with two other Scottish Travellers. The woman is a Stewart from Perthshire a
2 Fmedia2 F208822 F10154
Four Traveller Families
A remarkable image of four Traveller families together at Newton Stewart. Here are Perthshire Stewar
2 Fmedia2 F208792 F10153
Leezie MacMillan
Another view of one of the Newton Stewart camps. Leezie MacMillan, who appears in a number of the ph
You must enable javascript to view this website