Description
Romany Truths
Quilt shown on the book cover ‘According to Nature’ by Trish Wilson.
ROMANY TRUTHS
Lamb, Pearce, Scott and Wells families of Thorney Hill (Hampshire), Holbury, nr Fawley, and Didben (Hampshire)
ISBN: 978-1-9164846-3-4
by Patricia Mary Wilson
Author, Patricia (Trish) Wilson, as well as being the author of the book is an inspired textile artist and poet.
Dear Reader
I am Trish Wilson, née Lamb.
My parents were from Romany families; my mother’s parents, Ellen and Henry Scott, lived in Thorney Hill, Hampshire, and my father’s parents, Granny Sue and Grandad George Lamb, lived in Dibden, Hampshire.
 Granddad Henry Scott |
 Granny Ellen Scott |
 Granny Susanna and Granddad George Lamb |
Granny Scott was the sister-in-law of Priscilla Wells. Granny could not read or write but people came for her to charm their warts away and every Easter without a pattern she made a new dress each for her girls.
In the 1950s we would get brown paper parcels that Granny Ellen sent from Thorney Hill Post Office, containing ‘rusty’ bacon and small bunches of primrose and violet flowers nestled in damp moss.
Granny Sue lived in an old cottage in Dibden. When I visited with Dad, she would put on the ‘kittle’ and we would drink tea from bone china teacups. The privy was not so grand, just a wooden seat over a bucket and squares of newspaper threaded on a string.
From these beginnings I became a textile artist, painter and poet. I have been married to Ken for nearly sixty years, and we have two children, Andy and Lorraine, aged 57 and 53 years respectively. My family home was in Long Copse, Holbury, and all our married life we have lived in Blackfield Village.
I believe keeping the stories of our social history is very important. The Romany people are very proud of their hardworking ancestors. We should make sure that they are not forgotten in today’s busy world.
Janet Langford –
What a lovely little book. I read it very quickly from cover to cover. It brought back memories of my childhood days living near the countryside in the early 1950s. A reflection of a time when people were more inclined to help each other.
LittleKnollPress –
Ellen Stuart – review in ‘Romany Routes – The journal of the Romany & Traveller Family History Society’
Vol 17, no. 6, March 2026
Romany Truths
Patricia Wilson has created something unique in this slim volume. It comprises personal memoir; commentary on the appalling treatment of the Romany people of the New Forest in Hampshire; original poetry and beautiful artwork. Remember, this is not an anthology of work from several different writers and artists. Each distinct element demonstrates a different skill from one talented individual.
In Chapters 1 to 4, Patricia’s storytelling skills are most evident. Full of detail and anecdotes, the writing is lively, natural and personal. It paints a vivid picture of her family from the point of view of a young daughter and granddaughter, the portraits as clear as the family photographs. These are happy childhood memories, and the Romany village and camp at Thorney Hill is described fondly as the place Patricia went on holiday to visit her grandparents.
The tone changes completely from page 50 when Patricia describes the Romany compounds with her adult voice and understanding. Her anger at the way the community was treated is evident. So too is her pride in her family and all the Romany people who ‘prevailed’ under very difficult conditions.
These different voices are also heard in Patricia’s poems, some focusing on her own memories and experiences, others tackling broader and darker themes such as racism and the Gypsy Holocaust. ‘Nevi Wesh Romany’ opens with a beautiful image of the ‘Laughter and conversation’ of the New Forest Romany people becoming absorbed into the physical geography of the Forest itself, preserved in this way. But fears are expressed that their way of life, their customs and language will be lost. The last line is a question: ‘But is there hope?’. By recording and sharing the history of her own people in Romany Truths, Patricia Wilson has answered that question with a resounding ‘Yes’.”