Romany Truths:

Lamb, Pearce, Scott and Wells families

of Thorney Hill (Hampshire), Holbury, nr Fawley, and Dibden (Hampshire)

by

Patricia Mary Wilson

Article by Ellen Stuart in ‘Romany Routes’ Vol 17, no. 6, March 2026

‘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.

Patricia (Trish) Wilson

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. The poem, ‘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’.’

To buy the book: click on Romany Truths

Alan Langford, New Forest equestrian artist, features in the Friends of the New Forest Association’s FOREST MATTERS Autumn/Winter 2023 publication.

Inspired by the New Forest

‘Alan Langford is a freelance artist and illustrator who specialises in equestrian subject matter.
As a native of the New Forest, he is familiar with its extensive landscapes of open heath and ancient woodland that are frequently depicted in his paintings.
A love of horses and riding, and the struggle to depict action in a convincing, predominantly aesthetic way, is the foremost objective in his paintings.
Alan was born in Hampshire, but went to Australia when his family decided to emigrate there under the popular immigration scheme after the Second World War.
They returned to England after three years and in much depleted circumstances lived in a caravan at Drapers Copse, Dibden, on the edge of the New Forest.
Alan writes, ‘It was there that I met my first Romani gypsies. They were a tough lot, and their toughness became most apparent during the winter of 1962-63. Everyone on that caravan camp had a hard time that winter.’ [extract from Alan’s book, WELGORA published by LittleKnollPress.com]
His close contact with the local Romani community, whose relationship with the Forest can be traced back for Centuries, has left an empathetic influence on his art. Images of the Romani Welgoras (horse fairs) and Atchin Tans (temporary camps) often feature in his paintings.
After a footloose career wandering from one unskilled job or another in Australia and the UK he finally embarked on a serious course of part-time study at Southampton College of Art. He qualified to study as a full-time student on the college’s Foundation Course, but had to let this opportunity pass because his absence from the UK while wandering in Australia exempted him from any grant entitlement.
He finally found work as a full time illustrator and since then has illustrated comics, encyclopaedias, history books and classical novels.’

Tag Archives: Hampshire

‘Romany Truths’ – “Is there Hope?”