Boswell Family 2

The BOSWELLs (BOSVILLE/BOSS) are one of the largest and most well-known of all the British Romany Gypsy families. The family has always been admired for their skills in wagon building and musicianship, and is especially known for their knowledge of horses and horse breeding. They are normally at all the major horse-fairs in Britain and one of the family, Gordon Sylvester BOSWELL (who wrote The Book of BOSWELL - Autobiography of a Gypsy), led the deputation to save the historical APPLEBY Horse Fair when it was threatened with closure by the local councils in 1965.

In the early nineteenth century, the surname BOSS was used instead of BOSWEll by one branch of the family, particularly the descendants of Jack BOSWELL and the Abel BOSWELL branch of the SHADRACK family. The nickname "Kak" or "Kaki" was also used to describe members of the Jack BOSWELL and Vaino BOSWELL family groupings for more than one generation. The Boswells have always given their children unusual and colorful Christian names. which according to various genealogies are male names Theophilus, Taiso, Wester, Anselo, Trafalgar and female ones include Tieni, Joni, Deloraifi, Louie and Dixie.

Robert Dawson has produced the excellent "The Genealogy of the Romany Boswells" Book and is a must- have if you have a Boswell in the family and even if you haven't its still a very good source for Romany Genealogy as I dont think theres many a Romany without a Boswell connection somewhere in the line!!(To be Continued)

Selected biography:

Axon, William Edward (1909) The BOSWELLs: two Gypsy kings in Journal of the GLS (new series), 3, pp 71-72 held at: SPEC Scott MACFIE J.1.9 BOSWELL, Silvester Gordon and Seymour, John (1973).

The book of Boswell: autobiography of a Gypsy Harmondsworth: Penguin held at: SPEC Scott Macfie F.1.21 (4)

Fraser, Angus (1970) Herons, BOSSes and BOSWELLs in the 1820s in Journal of the GLS (3rd series) 49 (3-4), p152 held at: SPEC Scott Macfie.

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IGI REFERENCES*

 GERVASE BOSWELL * Male

Christening: 23 APR 1756 Chesterfield, Derby,

Parents: Father: GERVASE BOSWELL

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Sinfoy Female

IGI REFERENCES*

Carolinda Boswell Female

 Birth: 23 JAN 1874

  Christening: 04 APR 1874 Mobberley, Cheshire, England

 Parents: Father: George Boswell Mother: Luirena

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Sarah Geiania Boswell Female

Christening: 19 AUG 1874 Lymm, Cheshire, England

Parents: Father: Samson Boswell Mother: Dinah

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MAGHELAS BOSWELL Male

Birth: 27 FEB 1861

Christening: 27 MAR 1861 Mobberley, Cheshire, England

Parents: Father: GEORGE BOSWELL Mother: LUIRENA

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Alga Boswell Female

Birth: 14 SEP 1892

Christening: 06 OCT 1892 Witton Cum Twambrooks, Cheshire, England

Parents: Father: Gilderide Boswell Mother: Anne Norah Boswell

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Snowey Boswell Female

 Christening: 23 JAN 1889 St George, Altrincham, Cheshire, England

Parents: Father: Sampson Boswell Mother: Dinah

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Dinah Boswell Female

 Christening: 16 NOV 1892 St George, Altrincham, Cheshire, England

 Parents: Father: Samson Boswell Mother: Dinah

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Gravolina Boswell Female

Christening: 08 JUN 1880 St George, Altrincham, Cheshire, England

 Parents: Father: Gilderi Boswell Mother: Annora

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