Romany Nevi-Wesh – An Informal History of the New Forest Gypsies – Signed By The Author

Author: Smith, Len
Price: £125
Publisher: Nova Foresta Publishing, UK
Edition: First edition
Publication Date: 2004
Format: Original cloth gilt. Dustwrapper
Condition: Near fine in near fine dustwrapper
Pages: 190

Description:

Original red cloth gilt. Dustwrapper. Illustrated throughout. The scarce hardback edition. Inscribed by the author to the front free endpaper. A near fine, tight, clean copy in near fine, very slightly creased dustwrapper.

Romany Nevi-Wesh: A Brief Historical Account

Nevi-Wesh is the Romani name given to the New Forest, a historic woodland and heathland area in southern England. It reflects the deep connection between the Romani people—often referred to as Romany—and the unique landscape of the Forest.

Historical Presence in the New Forest

For centuries, Romany families have found a home in the New Forest, drawn by its untamed natural beauty, abundant fresh water sources, and rich supply of wild game and medicinal plants. The Forest suited their mobile way of life and self-sufficiency—practices that earned them both fascination and suspicion from local authorities.

In recognition of their longstanding presence, the Romany people referred to the region as Nevi-Wesh, signifying both place and identity within their oral traditions.

Community Life and Traditions

Romany groups in the New Forest established their own codes of conduct and customs. They celebrated life events—such as births, betrothals, marriages, and funerals—with music, dance, and community-wide gatherings. Family and tribal bonds were held sacred, and marriages outside the community were traditionally forbidden, under threat of being disowned.

Historically, their dwellings were simple but effective: the classic “bender” structure—crafted from hazel branches woven into a dome, covered with cloth or tarpaulin, and built around a central hearth. These structures embodied their resourcefulness and adaptability to their natural surroundings.

Food, Craft and Mobility

Their livelihoods were diverse and deeply connected to the land. Romany families harvested wild herbs and flowers, crafted and sold brooms, wickerwork, and beesoms, and provided services such as knife sharpening and horse trading. Seasonal migrations were part of the pattern—some families ventured to Kent for hop-picking in summer, while others remained in the Forest.

Encroaching Control and Resettlement

From as early as the sixteenth century, Romany people in the New Forest faced growing prejudice and legal restrictions. In the modern era, local authorities increasingly sought to regulate their presence:

• By 1926, designated enclosures (or “compounds”) were established to concentrate campsites in a handful of areas, profoundly altering traditional peripatetic life.
• In the post-war period, resettlement programmes further disrupted their way of life. Many families were moved into permanent housing, dispersing communities and concluding a centuries-old relationship with the Forest.

By the early 1960s, the traditional Romany presence in the New Forest had effectively ended.

Cultural Legacy

Although the once-common Nevi-Wesh encampments have vanished, the term Romany Nevi-Wesh and the stories it evokes remain vital—preserving a memory of a community whose life was shaped by the rhythms of the Forest. It endures in oral histories and specialised works that trace the cultural and historical significance of New Forest Gypsies as a distinctive chapter in Britain’s diverse heritage.

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