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| Historical Background | ||
| To understand Gypsies and Travellers today, it is very important to understand their history; where they come from, their traditions, customs and beliefs and how they have been viewed and treated over the ages. Travellers are part of a tradition which we all have roots in. Humankind has only settled in permanent settlements for the last 5,000 years in Britain and maybe 8,000 years worldwide. Gypsy and Traveller heritage, is of over 100,000 years of nomadism. |  |  |
| Within Britain the roads have thronged with travellers of various sorts over the centuries, even before Romanies arrived about 600 years ago. All types and descriptions of Travellers moved around looking for work; selling, buying, spreading the gospels. There has always probably been friction between nomads and the sedentary population - partly from competition for resources and partly from the inherent fear of the free by the settled population. Traditionally Travellers integrated with the local rural economy via seasonal agricultural labour and also by supplying other needs of the rural population. With increasing mechanisation the need for seasonal labour slackened during the 1950's and many travellers forsook the rural for the urban and semi-urban environment. Increasingly employment opportunities centred around scrap dealing, car dealing and tarmac laying. Current accommodation sites for Travellers are diverse and some of them represent the worst examples of 'housing' to be seen in Britain. Although some Travellers live on well maintained, well run council sites there are many examples which are no more than ghettoes. These sites are usually fenced off from the rest of the population in places, usually next to the railway tracks where no one else would want to live and where they cannot be seen. Sites are often dangerously close to industrial premises and some have high tension power cables a few feet from the tops of the caravans which most traditional Travellers live in. However, at least these sites have access to some services - water and toilets are readily available, as is physical access to local schools. On unauthorised sites which can be in such diverse urban locations as yards of disused factories, underneath urban motorways (which have all the attendant health hazards from traffic fumes) access to normal facilities can be nonexistent. Water may have to be obtained from garages or churches, toilets in garages or public toilets used. For a bath many traditional Travellers used to resort to public baths but with their demise access to such facilities have become nonexistent. Since unauthorised sites can change frequently due to evictions, access to health, education and social services can be difficult or impossible for Travellers. | ||
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