The Keith Chandler Collection of Romany and Traveller Biographies
Keith Chandler’s Collection of Romany and Traveller Biographies was first inspired by his fascination for travelling people who gave their occupation as musician in historic documents. He is, after all, a musician himself and an acknowledged expert in traditional music and the history of Morris dancing. But as he gathered those references, Keith couldn’t resist also collecting the many other itinerant people he came across, ranging from Romany Gypsies and Fairground folk to hawkers and pedlars.
From the single name of an individual, Keith then went on to create a mini-biography for each one,
complete – where possible – with birth-to-death details of their own lives and those of their families
together with full transcriptions of the information found. Source references are included too. These range from parish registers and census returns to newspaper reports and brushes with the law. And it has now been kindly donated to the RTFHS by Keith. He was a former RTFHS Committee Member and also Editor of the RTFHS journal Romany Routes for a number of years.
Below are links to the first phase release of the Collection, surnames A to B. Letter C and D will be added in early May 2024. The other letters of the alphabet will be released in batches about once every four weeks.
Each link takes you to a separate PDF containing references to the surname in the file name. Some are single page documents. Others can be over 20 pages long. You’ll find it useful to read the first document in the list – “Guide to the format of the Collection” – before you start browsing. This explains how the entries are arranged, the abbreviations used and how to search the documents. Happy searching!
GUIDE TO THE FORMAT OF THE COLLECTION
SURNAMES STARTING WITH A
ABBOTT
ABRAHAMS
ADAMS
ALCOCK
ALDERMAN
ALDRIDGE
ALEXANDER
ALFORD
ALLEN
AMOS
ANCORN
ANDERSON
ANDREWS
ANGELL
ANSLOW
ANSTEY
ANTHONY
APPLETON
ARMSTRONG
ARNOLD
ARROWSMITH
ASHBY
ASHLEY
ASHTON
ASKINS
ASLETT
ATKINS
ATKINSON
ATTEWELL
ATTWOOD
AUSTIN
AVERY
AYLING
AYRES to 1845
AYRES to 1875
AYRES to 1950
SURNAMES STARTING WITH B
B – MISCELLANEOUS
BACHELOR
BACON
BADCOCK
BAGLEY
BAILEY
BAKER
BALCHIN
BALDING
BALEN
BALL
BANKS
BANNISTER
BARBER
BARKER
BARKER
BARNARD
BARNES
BARNETT
BARNEY
BARR
BARRETT
BARRINGTON
BARRON
BARTHOLOMEW
BARTLETT
BASSETT
BASTON
BATEMAN
BATES
BATH
BATTEN
BAXTER
BAYLISS
BEADLES
BEANEY
BEARD
BEARDMORE
BECK
BECKETT
BEDFORD
BEECH
BEESLEY
BELCHER
BELDAM
BELFOUND
BELL
BENDER
BENHAM
BENNETT
BENSON
BENT
BENTLEY
BERRIMAN
BERRY
BETTS
BEVAN
BEVIS
BEWES
BIBBY
BIDDLE
BIGGS
BIGNALL
BINFOLD
BINNS
BIRCH
BIRD
BISHOP
BLACK
BLACKHAM
BLACKWELL
BLAIR
BLAIR
BLAKEMAN
BLANCH
BLANCHARD
BLAND
BLENCOWE
BLEWITT to 1830
BLEWITT to 1920
BLUNDON
BODY
BOLTON
BOND
BONNER
BOON
BOOTH
BOSWELL to 1750
BOSWELL to 1800
BOSWELL to 1815
BOSWELL to 1825
BOSWELL to 1831
BOSWELL to 1835
BOSWELL to 1846
BOSWELL to 1850
BOSWELL to 1856
BOSWELL to 1860
BOSWELL to 1866
BOSWELL to 1872
BOSWELL to 1885
BOSWELL to 1895
BOSWELL to 1941
BOTTON
BOUCHER
BOWEN
BOWERS
BOWLES
BOWMAN
BOYD
BOYLING
BRADBURY
BRADFORD
BRADLEY
BRADSHAW
BRAIN
BRAKESPEARE
BRAND
BRATT
BRAY
BRAZIL
BREWER
BRICE
BRIDGEMAN
BRIDGES
BRIGGS
BRIGHTON
BRINKLEY to 1857
BRINKLEY to 1883
BRINKLEY to 1934
BRISTOW
BRITTON
BROAD
BROADWAY
BROMLEY
BROOKER
BROOKS
BROOM
BROWN to 1859
BROWN to 1912
BRYANT
BUCK
BUCKLAND to 1810
BUCKLAND to 1830
BUCKLAND to 1849
BUCKLAND to 1860
BUCKLAND to 1875
BUCKLAND to 1890
BUCKLAND to 1933
BUDD
BUGGIE
BULL
BULLEN
BULLOCK
BUNCE
BUNTING
BURBIDGE
BURCHALL
BURGESS
BURKE
BURKETT
BURNE
BURNELL
BURR
BURRELL
BURROUGHS
BURTON
BURY
BUSBY.
BUSH
BUSHNELL
BUTCHER
BUTLER
BUTTERIS
BUTTERWORTH
BYLES
BYRNE
COMING SOON! SURNAMES STARTING WITH C
C – MISCELLANEOUS
CADEL
CALDICOTT
CAMMEL
CAMPBELL
CANNAN
CAREY
CARPENTER
CARR
CARTER
CASE
CASTLE
CAATER
CATON
CAVE
CHALLEN
CHAMBERLAIN
CHAMBERS
CHANCE
CHANDLER
CHAPMAN
CHARLOTTE
CHERRY
CHESTER
CHICK
CHILCOTT
CHILD
CHILTON
CHIPPERFIELD
CHIVERS
CHURCH
CLARK
CLAYTON to 1830
CLAYTON to 1865
CLAYTON to 1911
CLEMENTS
CLEW
CLIFFORD
CLIFTON
CLUB
COATES
COBB
COCKERILL
COFFEE
COLBURN
COLE
COLEMAN
COLLIER
COLLINS
COLLISON
COLTMAN
COMPTON
CONNER
CONNOLLY
COODE
COOK
COOPER to 1835
COOPER to 1853
COOPER to 1876
COOPER to 1950
CORBETT
CORK
CORNISH
CORNWALL
COSIN
COTTEN
COTTEREL
COULING
COURT
COWARD
COWLEY
COX
CRAFT
CRAVEN
CRAWLEY
CRIPPS
CRISP
CROCKER
CROMWELL
CROOK
CRUTCHER
CUMMINS
CUNNINGHAM
CURRELL
CURTIS
COMING SOON! SURNAMES STARTING WITH D
D – MISCELLANEOUS
DALLEY
DANIEL
DARBY
DARLING
DAVIE
DAVIS to 1850
DAVIS to 1915
DAVISON
DAWES
DAWSON
DAY
DEACON
DEADMAN
DEE
DEIGHTON to 1866
DEIGHTON to 1910
DELL
DENNARD
DENNIS
DIMMOCK
DIX
DIXEY
DIXON
DOBBINS
DODD
DODSON
DOE to 1870
DOE to 1920
DOLLOWAY
DOLTON
DONNELLY
DONOVAN
DOUGHTIE
DOUGLAS
DOWDEN
DOWLAND
DRAPER to 1800
DRAPER to 1850
DRAPER to 1870
DRAPER to 1958
DREWETT
DRUMMOND
DRURY
DUCKETT
DUDLEY
DUMPER
DUNN
DUNSCOMB
DURRANT
DYER
This page last updated: 22 April 2024.
