Description
Living in a Kenner – My New Forest Romani Gypsy Family by Heather Cooper 9781916484641
Living in a Kenner
My New Forest
Romani Gypsy Family
by Heather Cooper
ISBN: 978-1-9164846-4-1
Heather and Peter (Burt) Cooper, with granddaughter, Marnie.
I wrote this book to remember Mum and Dad and the stories they told us.
Mum (Harriet Witcher, née Saunders) was born on Shave Green compound in 1926. It was the year when the compounds were established and Romani/Romany Gypsies in the New Forest were no longer permitted to wander around the Forest and move from place to place to find work, food and shelter that suited the season.
On the compounds they were not allowed to lay down a floor or put up a shack, and so they lived in bender tents made of bent hazel sticks with tarpaulin stretched over the top. The nearest water tap was a mile away.
My dad’s name was Alfred (Alf) Witcher. He also grew up on Shave Green, and in WW2 he was sent to India and Burma where he served for 3 1/2 years.
After the war, Dad returned to Shave Green and my mum and him built their lives together. A few years later, the authorities started to move everyone out of the compounds. Mum and Dad, along with my older brothers and sister, were moved to a Nissen hut on Setley Plain, and then later to a house (a kenner) where I was born.
I’ve lived in caravans, a mobile home and house with my husband, Burt. We like to keep the traditional Romani ways alive and share them with others. This book is one way of doing that and I hope people will enjoy reading it and learning about our history.
A photo taken on Shave Green compound, probably 1932/1933. Left to right: Dosha (Theodosha, my granny), little girl Harriet (my mum), taller boy Billy (my uncle), and Priscilla Wells (my great granny Priss).
Steve Fogden –
I’ve just finished reading Heather Cooper’s book and found it a fascinating and poignant read. I especially liked her poetry, which accompanies and supplements the stories and text so well. Heather has quite a talent there. The New Forest is such a beautiful natural resource and one of my favourite places to visit, so to learn more about the Romani history of the area was most interesting indeed. A wonderful book.
Caroline Gradidge –
Absolutely loved reading this book which gives an amazing insight into gypsy life. Some pretty horrific things also happened. I would highly recommend it!!
Kara –
The best book ever thank you so much
Chloe Saunders (verified owner) –
I don’t know Heather Cooper personally, but I thoroughly enjoyed reading Living in a Kenner. Her story is heartfelt, and sad at times, whilst also sharing warmth and humour in places. The book reflects the lives of those who experienced significant and lasting systemic change and is written honestly throughout. Heather writes about my own grandfather, who was her uncle, which created a very personal connection for me. Thank you, Heather.
Sarah Smith –
Brought this book for my father to read, being a gypsy ourselves he said a lot of the things in this book resognated with his life. He enjoyed it and couldnt put it down. It was very good.
Chloe Amber (verified owner) –
I don’t know Heather Cooper personally, but I thoroughly enjoyed reading Living in a Kenner. Her story is heartfelt, and sad at times, whilst also sharing warmth and humour through her memories. The book reflects the lives of those who experienced profound and lasting systemic change and is written honestly throughout.
Heather writes about my own grandfather, who was her uncle, who I did not have the privilege to meet. This created a deeply personal connection for me. Thank you, Heather.
julia beaumont –
I brought heather’s book from her and what can I say first of all I couldn’t put it down,a real page turner,I actually got the book for my children as they are half gypsy (heather is their great aunt) but I had to read it first,I didn’t realise how hard they all had it but I got from the book they all had a happy and healthy life,there even helped out people with food and clothes but they got so much hate back and so judged,the children were well cared for but they had such sad times,the poetry in the book is lovely to, heather wrote her book with love,with sadness and letting others know how happy and hard her family had it,well done and I would love her to write another as I feel she has so much more to tell.
Chrissie –
We thoroughly enjoyed reading this book into the insight of this way of life thank you heather for sharing
Jayne Hogan –
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I am not a reader but this kept me reading to the end and it was lovely to hear about the history of Heather’s family and about Shave Green. I know Heather but did not know about her families life until reading the book. Well done Heather keeping your traditions and families stories alive for many more generations.
LittleKnollPress –
Best book around on the history of New Forest Romani Gypsy people.
Vikki Bramshaw –
Few books capture my attention from cover-to-cover, but ‘Living in a Kenner’ was one of them. Heather is a natural storyteller, and offers a moving window into her family, their way of life, and the landscape they love. It is also a fascinating insight into traditional Romani ways of making a living such as hawking, basket making, wreath making, dukker (fortune telling) and even trout tickling! For those with an enthusiasm for folklore and the supernatural, there are also a wealth of superstitions and ghost stories which Heather recalls from her childhood. The book also offers a unique chance to learn about the lives of some of those characters who have become household names in the Forest, such as Hannah Lakey and Priscilla Wells, ‘Queen of Shave Green (‘Granny Priss’). Importantly, the book offers a valuable local history from the point of view of a community so often both under-represented and underestimated. There are more than several examples in this book of the persecution faced by the Romani community in the New Forest, particularly their children. That said, the book vividly conveys the community’s remarkable lust for life, resilience, positive attitude, and a way of life which only a Romani could truly describe.
heather cooper –
heart and soul went into this book