real time, gu library

whoa! there's a review of sarah harmer in the washington post online! okay, granted, the guy didn't like her, but *still*! spiffy. :)
and yes, i do in fact have two hours to write my play.

Profile of a Service Agency Within the British Welfare State: Glasgow Women's Library

I volunteer at the Glasgow Women’s Library in downtown Glasgow, which is a women-only space during working hours to provide a safe atmosphere. It was started as a project of ‘Women in Profile,' a now-defunct group, ten years ago. The Library’s collection, while primarily print sources, contains many different media. It has an extensive archive of newspaper cuttings on all topics relevant to women, dating back to the Library’s opening. There are records and catalogues of women’s interest groups within Glasgow and the UK as well as a few international groups; magazine back issues; and a few videos. The bulk of the material in the library is books both on topics relating to women, and ones written by women on all topics. Almost all of the Library’s collection is donated, either by individuals or other women’s groups. The most notable donated archive is the Lesbian Archive and Information Centre (LAIC), occupying all of the floor above the main library.
Women use the Library for a variety of reasons. The majority are doing academic research, with almost as many doing research for personal reasons. A number of people represent some form of public media, such as newspapers or radio. Not everyone actually visits the Library; a significant proportion of requests is either emailed or phoned. These requests are then researched by the volunteers.
Results always vary based on the topic being researched. While most women find exactly what they’re looking for, some don’t find anything, and others find more information on their topic than they ever knew existed. This is due to the nature of the Library; they’re dependant on donations for their material, and so may not have books relevant to certain topics.
It’s also difficult to find specific books because the only card catalogue is only for cross-referencing newspaper cuttings. Cataloguing the entire collection would be too big of a project for the amount of volunteers currently working there to handle. The most they can do at this point is attempt to keep books in the right section and in a roughly alphabetical order. Most of the volunteers’ time is taken up by filing and cross-referencing newspaper cuttings, which is never finished.
The LAIC also houses a new outreach project of the Library, Lesbians in Peer Support (LIPS). The project started in May, and is an attempt to provide a social and support group for lesbians under 25 years old. It is funded by a branch of Comic Relief -- best known for their ‘Red Nose Day’ fund-raiser – which focuses on social exclusion, and has a three year grant. It was started when the Library did a study showing that there were no resources for young lesbians in Scotland. The only place they could go was the bar scene, which is inappropriate for alcoholics and not an option for those with low finances. LIPS is for young lesbians from western Scotland, and meets fortnightly. Each meeting covers a different topic; some of the ones so far have been self defence, massage, poetry, and homophobia.
The LIPS program is unusual in that it has received outside funding. One of the Library’s biggest problem is that it has no money; the government hasn’t seen a need for a general women’s library. Some of the money the Library receives is raised through fund-raising, but even that is becoming more difficult. One of the primary ways they used to raise money was through holding discos. However, because the space the Library’s housed in is so small, they had to rent a venue in which to hold the disco. All the places they used to rent have recently raised their prices, so the Library can’t afford to use them any more. The Library’s primary source of funding is membership fees, and they depend on current members to spread the word.
There are some donors to the library, however; the example I was given was a lawyer who assisted people in writing their wills. If the client requests it, the lawyer will donate her fee to the Library. They’ve just received their first check, for £150. Also, the Glasgow Lesbian, Bisexual, and Gay Forum donates a small amount from the funds they have available for lesbian outreach groups.
Because word of mouth is so important in increasing the Library’s member base, they spend a lot of time getting the word out, whether it’s putting up posters at Bennett’s ‘Women on Top’ night, sponsoring a booth at events related to women or gays, or giving talks at colleges and interest groups. They also participated in the ‘Stop Section 28’ marches and protests, which were successful in their goals. The People’s Palace, a social history museum, has approached the Library about the possibility of a 10th anniversary exhibit about the Library’s history, which the museum would help fund.
There seems to be a backlash against women’s groups in general, which hopefully won’t affect the Library. They’re running out of space for books, because they keep receiving donations from groups that have folded. Only groups that cater to areas other than ‘general women’s interest’ are viewed as worthwhile for the government, such as women’s health groups. There could be a change in policy, though, with the newly devolved parliament in Scotland. Also, despite many women’s groups closing, one of the Library’s sister organisations in England has received £8 million from public funding, which gives a bit of hope.
The Library is currently in a good location (just ten minutes from St. Enoch’s station), but not in a good building, tucked into an alley and easy to miss. As the collection keeps growing, the space is rapidly becoming too small. Right now, there’s not much hope for general government funding, but there is a possibility of funding to lease a larger building. The current building they’re looking at isn’t far away from their current location, but is right next to the river, and is more convenient for women from the south side of the city. The Library hopes to find a new space large enough not only to house all the materials they have now, but with room to expand. They would like to offer more services, with a children’s library, a crèche, and a cafe. Also, a venue-type area would be invaluable, as it would provide space to hold fund-raisers like discos, and would also generate money by being available to rent out to other groups.

I have enjoyed my time at the Library. The staff members are very helpful in providing information and training volunteers. The atmosphere in the Library is one of camaraderie; there are many people who come in just to have a chat with the other women there. There are no other volunteers my age, but that doesn’t seem to matter. The library provides a place where women are accepted no matter what other characteristics they have. The fire is always burning, making the space warm and welcoming. The volunteers are all members of the Library, so they’re treated as women who come in to use the resources (whether printed or human) and occasionally help as well. I was told that if I ever needed to take a break from staying in the residence halls, that I could just show up at the library and read, or write, or be social.
It’s hard to consider volunteering at the library ‘work’ because it’s so much fun, and it’s such a relaxed atmosphere. I’m considered to be contributing just by being there; my presence and experiences provide new ideas for the rest of the women. For instance, I was talking with Pat, one of the staff members, about publicity, and was able to contribute a suggestion by virtue of having grown up in a different culture. In the states, juvenile delinquents are sometimes sentenced to a certain number of hours of community service; some high schools have a community service requirement to graduate, as well. Considering this, I thought that if women ever received such a sentence, volunteering at the Library would be a good alternative to the manual labour that is involved in most community service. One of the women volunteering knew someone who would know if such a thing were possible, and would be able to add the Library to any list of service organisations where women could be placed.
There are a variety of tasks to do at the library, and I’ve done most of them. One woman, Genny, is currently painting a table, but most people file and cross reference cuttings. The original cutting goes in a file box in the library, but there are people and organisations who subscribe to the library to have cuttings dealing with particular topics sent to them. These articles have to be photocopied and filed separately.
There are always cross-reference cards to file, and there are many cards dealing with specific people that are filed, but need to be cross referenced. Also, the books are never quite in order, and someone is always needed to check the shelves and put books back in the section where they belong. There is also computer work to do -- there is a database of magazines, but it has become out of date by several months, and needs to be updated. Also, a list is being compiled about what visitors are researching and how successful their search was. Included in this list is information about where visitors come from, which is invaluable when applying for government funds. Many libraries and museums have all the funding they need but initiate programs to encourage minorities to attend. The Women’s Library, however, has women of all races, creeds, and classes using their resources, and yet can’t receive any funding.
I’m glad that the atmosphere is so relaxed. I’ve been brought up in such a way that spending ten hours a week surrounded by books, without being able to read any of them, would be sheer torture. Luckily, most of the other people there feel the same way, so throughout the day, women will take a break to read a magazine or a book, or just talk with one another. Looking for and reading books in the Library also gives us a better idea of how things are arranged and where to find certain topics.
I feel very comfortable around the other volunteers, and we often spend time teasing each other and joking about various things. Genny often stops to read some of her poetry to the rest of us. Everyone who comes into the Library, for any reason, is immediately offered a cup of tea, or coffee, or a chocolate biscuit, or whatever else is available.
I’m glad I had the chance to work at the Library; I’ve learned a lot about women’s issues simply by being around the material. Helping people to find information they need is very gratifying. Becoming a part of the group of volunteers was a very valuable experience. I’ve come to know more about Scottish culture through talking to them, and have learned a thing or two about my own culture as well, by comparing it to theirs. The people I met here have become friends, and I will try to keep in touch when I go home. Working at the Library was a valuable experience, and I learned a lot, as well as contributing my time. The Glasgow Women’s Library is a good resource for women doing research, and I hope they are able to follow through on all their plans to expand and improve.

onion skins

SCENE I
(Setting: a bedroom, with two walls visible, meeting USC. The stage left wall has a door upstage and a small bookshelf against it down stage. The stage right wall has a window with a desk underneath it upstage, and a bed and small table downstage. There is a tree visible through the window, green and leafy. The head of the bed is against the wall; the side of the bed is against an invisible third wall of the room. The bed linens are green. There is a lamp on the small table, providing the only light. The desk is covered with piles of papers and small stuffed animals. The bookshelf is full of young adult fantasy, with some science fiction and children’s books as well. One shelf is full of knickknacks. There is a small GIRL, about 8 years old, in bed. Her MOTHER is sitting on the end of the bed and singing. The song is Tam Lin, collected by Bertrand Harris Bronson.)

MOTHER: (sings) As I went out one evening down by my father's lawn
A gentleman came up to me; these words to me did say:
"What makes you pull those branches? what makes you pull those boughs?
What makes you walk through these green fields without leave of me?"
"I have leave from my mother and from my father too.
Why can't I walk through these green fields without the leave of you?
And now, sir, as you prevent me, pray tell me what's your name?
That when I see my father I may tell him the same."
"My name is young Lord Robinson, did you ever hear tell of me?
I was stolen by the Queen of Fairies when I was a young babié.
Tomorrow will be the first of May, we'll all go out to ride,
If you come down to Crickmagh, there we all will pass by.
"Let the black steed pass you by, secondly the brown;
When a milk-white steed appears, pull the rider down.
Then hold me fast and fear me not,
I'm Lord Robinson's only child."
Early the next morning to Crickmagh she went,
And just as she had told her, she saw them as they went.
She let the black steed pass her by, and secondly the brown,
But when the milk-white steed appeared, she pulled the rider down.
"Hold me fast and fear me not," said Lord Robinson's only child.
Out spoke the Queen of the Fairies, in angry tones said she,
"Had I but known this story one hour before the day,
I'd taken out your false, false heart, and put in one of clay."
The first that they transformed him to was to a worm so long:
"Hold me fast and fear me not, I am a man so strong."
The next they transformed him to was to a fiery snake:
"Hold me fast and fear me not, I'm a child of God's own make."
The last that they transformed him to was to a bird so wild:
"You have me now; come take me home," said Lord Robinson's only child.

(the GIRL appears to be asleep. The MOTHER turns off the lamp and kisses the GIRL on the forehead.)

MOTHER: Sweet dreams….

(the MOTHER exits quietly, closing the door behind her. There is a pause for about five seconds, and the GIRL sits up in bed, listening. She turns on the lamp and takes a diary out from under her pillow, and a pencil from the lamp table. She begins to write in the diary, laboriously. She makes a mistake every once in a while and stops to erase.)

GIRL: Dear Diary. I don’t like school. …I don’t fit in. I don’t know why, but everyone else has friends and people they can talk to and I don’t have anybody. They all think I’m the quiet nerd who doesn’t talk to anyone and reads books all the time. But I read books so I can have something to do while they aren’t talking to me. I don’t have to be me when I read. I wish I lived in a world with magic and without Shannon Short. I wish I was the girl in that song Mommy sang, because she didn’t have to go to school and she saved the guy she loved.

(a footstep outside the door. The GIRL jumps, turns out the light, and pretends to be asleep, diary under the covers. The door opens a crack, MOTHER peers in, then closes the door and the lights go down on stage)

SCENE II
(lights come up on a blank area of stage left, in front of the room set. The lights suggest campfire or flashlights. The GIRL, a BOY (same age), and a few other people (unlit, should be shadowy figures) sit in a semicircle.)

BOY: The giant tried to stand up, but Jack hit him on the head with his pickaxe, which killed him at once. Jack then hurried back, to tell his friends the news of the giant's death. When the king heard of this valiant action, he sent for Jack, and declared that he should always be called Jack the Giant-Killer, and he also gave him a sword and belt which said in letters of gold, ‘This is the valiant Cornishman, who slew the giant Cormoran.’


GIRL: Oh, I know one! Once upon a time, there was a girl named Janet. One day, she went to Carter Wood to pick roses, but as soon as she picked one, a man appeared and said, ‘Janet, why are you picking roses without asking me?’ Janet said, ‘I don’t have to ask you, these roses belong to my father.’ Then she realised that he knew her name. ‘How did you know who I was? Who are you, anyway? Are you one of the fairies?’ she said. The man told her he was a human, the heir of Lord Murray. ‘My name is Tam Lin. I was stolen away by the Fairy Queen when she pulled me off my horse,’ he said. ‘I have been a knight in her service for the past seven years, but now I’m going to be a sacrifice, unless you help me.’ Janet had fallen in love at first sight, so she agreed, and he told her what to do. On Halloween, she went to Miles Cross, wearing a green cloak. She hid by the side of the road, and at midnight, she saw the fairy procession. The fairies were all in masks, and she couldn’t tell which one was Tam Lin. But she remembered what he told her, and let the knights on brown or black horses pass by, until she saw a white horse. She shouted ‘Tam Lin!’ and ran out of her hiding place. She pulled him off his horse, the same as the Fairy Queen had done seven years ago, and hugged him tight. The knights shouted, ‘Tam Lin is away! The girl has got him!’ The Queen was furious, and she turned Tam Lin into a bear, and he bit at Janet, but she held on tight. Next the Queen turned him into a snake, and he tried to slither out of Janet’s arms, but she still held on. The Queen made Tam Lin into a burning branch after that, but Janet knew what to do, and even though her hands were burning, she held on, and rolled into the stream by the road side. The branch sizzled, and finally Tam Lin turned back into himself, a naked man, and Janet wrapped him in her green cloak. The Fairy Queen said to Tam Lin, ‘If I’d known this would happen, I would have taken out your heart of flesh, and given you one of clay. And I would have taken out your grey eyes and given you eyes of wood, instead.’ And the fairies rode off without their sacrifice, and Janet and Tam Lin went home.’

(there is a pause of a second or two, then the sound of one of the people in the circle snoring. Stage lights go down.)

SCENE III
(lights come up on the bedroom. There are more books in the bookshelf and the children’s books are gone. The GIRL, around 14 years old, is sitting cross-legged on the unmade bed, reading aloud what she’s just written in her journal)

GIRL: Just for a moment, I felt like I belonged. And then, in the blink of an eye, three weeks were gone, and I had to leave all my friends behind and go back home to my lack of friends. Why can’t I feel like that in real life? Why can I only be happy when I’m away from home, at a summer camp? …Why does everyone remotely like me live elsewhere? I wish… I don’t know. I’m going to a different school this year, where no one knows me, so I get a chance to start over. I can be who I was at camp - who people liked at camp. I can be me. And hopefully, it’ll work. I just wish I could feel like I was in the right place and time and universe for more than three weeks at a time. (stops reading, sighs, makes a face) Words hate me.
If Thomas the Rhymer and Tam Lin are the same person, then… so he spends seven years with the Fairy Queen, who says he has to be silent the whole time he’s in Fairyland. When seven years are up, she gives him his voice back, and the gift - or curse, maybe - of true speech. And then he meets Janet, falls in love, and is rescued from the fairies. He gets to go back home. But… after being seven years in Fairyland, and not being able to talk, and now everything he says is true, and he’s back among ordinary people, was it home anymore? Or would he spend the rest of his life trying to find Fairyland again, even though it was never his home, just because the place he returned to wasn’t the way he left it? Or maybe it was, and it was him that changed. I’d hate to think that I was incapable of feeling at home somewhere. Two more years of summer camp, and then I can’t go back. Hopefully, I won’t end up wandering around the rest of my life trying to get that feeling of belonging back. But maybe I’ll get it at school.

(lights go down on the GIRL frowning thoughtfully at her journal.)

SCENE IV
(lights come up on the room, dimly lit with an orange glow from the street lamp. The tree in the window is bare. The GIRL is sitting in the middle of the floor in foetal position, wrapped in a blanket, and rocking back and forth. She’s been crying, and her breath still catches)

GIRL: Oh god. Why didn’t I… why didn’t he.. I should have pretended to be asleep. Or told him to go back to bed. Or gotten out of bed and gone upstairs. But… god. (She makes an effort to calm down, and tells the story as if trying to get the facts straight in her mind.)
so I was asleep. Dreaming. And he wakes me up. Asks me to tell him a story. The only thing I could think of was Tam Lin, so I told him that. (sings a verse) He took her by the milk-white hand / And there he laid her down / And there he asked no leave of her / As she lay on the ground. (speaking) I guess the version I knew before I heard that song was bowdlerised, ‘cause in most versions, he gets her pregnant. And it doesn’t seem like she’s too into it. (shudders) so yeah, I told him the story. The bowdlerised version. No sex. And he was cold, so I gave him some covers. I should have told him to go back to bed. And… god. I can’t close my eyes, because I’m back there again, and all the things I could have done instead, and I don’t do them. Why did it take me so long to figure out I wasn’t dreaming? …Because this sort of thing doesn’t happen to me. I’d never even been *kissed* before… and I guess I wanted it, in a way. But I didn’t, not like that. And… god, I can’t even say his name, I can’t *think* his name… and Tam Lin rapes Janet and she saves with him? I don’t get it anymore. I guess it’s a fairy tale, and doesn’t have to have any reality in it… But *I* have to have reality, and I don’t like it. Tam Lin must have been written by a guy, cause I don’t know how any girl could imagine that Janet would fall in love with her rapist. ..Heh. God. I hate this. …And I was happy, too. I have friends, and I fit in… And now I feel like I’m faking it. ‘Cause I am. Because nothing fits anymore; my body doesn’t even feel like it’s mine. I’m sure everyone will notice that I’m just pretending to fit in and stop liking me, and then I’ll be even more alone and I can’t deal with this. And.. gods. I don’t know what to do. Janet got pregnant, I *can’t*… I told Mother. I was afraid she’d be upset that I didn’t do anything, but… So yeah, she took me to a clinic, and I got all sorts of tests. So I’m okay. (half-laugh) I’m okay… like shit. God, I can’t deal with this. Why didn’t I just…. Whatever. Can’t change it now.

(the GIRL shudders, then slowly unfolds from her fetal position. She closes the curtain at the window, and the light fades. She climbs into bed and curls up facing the wall.)

(the bed is in a blue light indicating a dream, and a BOY, 16, walks to it)

BOY: I can’t sleep. Tell me a story.
GIRL:(still facing wall) No. Go to bed.
(BOY walks away, turns around and comes back)
BOY: I’m cold.
GIRL: Go to bed.
(BOY walks away, turns around and comes back)
BOY: I’m cold. (GIRL gives him some of the blankets, and he climbs in bed next to her, sitting up. He puts his hand on her hip. She flinches, curling up tighter.)
GIRL: Go to bed. (BOY grabs an arm and a leg and uncurls her, she jerks away.)
GIRL: (getting louder) Go to bed, go to bed, go away, let go of me GO AWAY LEAVE ME ALONE!
(blackout)

(lights come up on the GIRL thrashing in the bed)
GIRL: (muttering) Go away, go to bed, go… (alarm clock rings. The GIRL sits up, looks around, and starts crying. Lights fade.)

SCENE V
(setting: The room has been rearranged. The bed is under the window, with the head of the bed in the corner. The bookshelf is against the wall at the foot of the bed. The lamp table is between the bed and the door. The desk, still cluttered, is where the bed was, but farther downstage.)
(lights up on DSL, where the GIRL, now 17 years old and GIRL 2 (same age) are standing as if dancing. Steeleye Span’s version of Tam Lin plays in the background)

GIRL: (leans close as if the music is too loud to hear otherwise) You know, I really wish the RAs weren’t watching right now… (GIRL 2 pulls back and looks at the GIRL, tilting her head.)
GIRL 2: And what if they are? (She leans forward and kisses the GIRL. Lights go down)

(Lights come up on the room. The GIRL sits at her desk with a hand held tape recorder.)

GIRL: I was beginning to think I was broken. Thank god for summer camp… My last year. But I’m so glad of it… I might never see her again, but I’m glad we had those three weeks. I felt like me again, I didn’t feel self-conscious. Well, I did, but not in a way that bothered me. I know everyone was looking, but it didn’t matter. My body fits again… Gods, it’s the most uncomfortable feeling, that you’re wearing someone else’s skin, but I have mine back now. (laughs) Gods, I feel giddy. Happiness makes me pretend to be deep and meaningful, this is going to sound so funny when I listen to it later. But… wow. She… I never imagined that would happen. That *never* happens. We were dancing, just like everyone else, and I was creating a scene in my head… I say ‘you know, I wish the RAs weren’t watching right now,’ and she pulls back, looks at me with her head kinda sideways, and then she kisses me. So I think, whatever, it’s my last year here, if I screw things up I don’t have to see her again. So I say, ‘you know, I wish the RAs weren’t watching right now,’ and she pulls back, cocks her head sideways and looks at me, and says, ‘so what if they are?’ and kisses me. Gods… I almost forgot to kiss back, I was so surprised. And I won’t ever see her again… Backfire. But I wouldn’t do it any differently. That memory will let me deal with not going back to summer camp, I think. Knowing that I can feel like that, that other people can reach me like that… Even if I never feel like that again, knowing that I *can* will help. I’m changing so much… I’m not afraid of sex anymore. Someone told me that Tam Lin turning into a snake and Janet holding on represented her conquering her issues with sex… I was never afraid of snakes, though.
Geh, I’m being all philosophical, and I’ll just have to laugh at myself later, I’m sure. But I am changing, almost daily it seems I look back at myself and don’t know who I am. Like peeling an onion, only I hope there will actually be something in the middle, not just endless disguises. When will the Fairy Queen let me go? But I don’t have a Janet, really, and I’m the Faery Queen as well…
Okay, I’ve gotta stop before this gets too ridiculous. End.
(blackout with the click of the tape recorder stopping)

SCENE VI

(GIRL is sitting on the edge of her bed, in a night-shirt, with bed hair. She’s holding the tape recorder.)
GIRL: I dreamed last night that I was Tam Lin, but I was Janet, too, pulling myself off the horse. And Tam Lin-me bit Janet-me when I was a bear, and Janet-me got burned when I was a fire, but I just kept changing, and the bites and burns healed, but I kept getting more. And I kept changing form, I never turned into *me*. …This better not be prophetic. I would like to stop changing and figure out who I am at some point. My friends at school seem to have made me into some kind of hero. Everything I do is good, they think. I don’t think that, but I don’t want to tell them that I’m not who they say I am, for fear they’d go, ‘Oh, right, you’re not. Never mind, go away.’ It’s nice having something to live up to, in a way… I feel a bit like I’m Tam Lin back from Fairyland, and everyone praises me for my courage and adventure, but nothing seems right, and I don’t know why I’m there and why these people think I’m like them. I can relax and pretend I belong, but I know I don’t fit. …End.
(GIRL turns off the tape recorder and walks out of the room, leaving the door open. Lights fade.)

SCENE VII
(setting: the bed is on the downstage side of the door, but oriented the same, with the lamp table between the bed and the door again. The bookshelf is on the upstage side of the door. The tree in the window is flowering. Downstage of the window, there are two posters on the wall. One is ‘The Lady of Shallot’ and the other is a misty Scottish landscape. There is a laptop on the desk, with a camera and microphone setup beside it. The GIRL, now 20, sits at the desk. She begins speaking as the lights come up, implying that she’s in the middle of talking.)

GIRL: Just looking at it, I could tell where the stories of fairies came from. The mist, the streams, the rocks… It was gorgeous, but not like I imagined it. Because there weren’t any fairies, there were no romantic ballads. Just grass and dirt and water. And ruins. There were stories… but none of them were happening while I was there. Empty remains of crofts, filled with bracken and thistles… the stories were more sad than romantic. And they were all stories about things changing, old ways of life being replaced by new things. I hoped to find it exotic, magical, but instead I just found another place where the accents were different, and sad stories about progress and change and destruction. If Tam Lin returned from his seven years in Fairyland to *this* Scotland… I don’t know. He would have thought it a cruel trick, maybe. And it would have been, because this world doesn’t have room for Tam Lins and Janets anymore. I want to say that the magic has gone out of the world, but it hasn’t really, it’s just become… mundane. I couldn’t live there, because it’s so beautiful… One day I’d wake up and not be struck by the beauty and magic of it, and that would be a tragedy. So I went up a hill, splashing through the streams, up to a mound said to be an old fairy fort. I know it’s just for gullible tourists… But I wanted to be gullible, just once. I wanted to believe… So I went to the dun at night, and knocked on the grass covered side… Stared up at the stars. No one answered. No revelation came, so I went back inside. I’m me now, I think. I’ve stopped changing… The Fairy Queen has released her hold, and somehow even though I know who I am now, and I’m free… that’s one of the saddest things I know. I turn into a firebrand and fall into the burn, and turn into a naked woman. But I don’t have a Janet to cover me with her cloak… So I wrapped myself in my blanket and went to sleep. And then I came home, but I brought a little of Fairyland with me, I think. Maybe it’ll work. Maybe it’ll help some other changeling figure out who they’re supposed to be. Maybe home will stay for a while. (she makes a few keystrokes, turns off the laptop, and leaves the room, closing the door behind her. Lights fade slowly.)

gypsies in scotland until 1700

Note on Terminology:
The word ‘Gypsy’ is a somewhat pejorative term, and many modern scholars now prefer to use ‘Rom’ or ‘Romany.’ However, it has its problems, as ‘Rom’ refers to a specific branch of Gypsies; there are others, such as the Sinti and Cale, not included in this classification. (O Vurdon) Also, the word ‘Gypsy’, especially in the 1800s and earlier, sometimes included various groups of travellers not ethnically related to those thought of as Gypsies or Roma today. Using the word ‘Rom’ as a substitute for ‘Gypsy’ in these early sources is akin to substituting ‘Cherokee’ for ‘Red Indian’; while the latter is not an ideal term, the former is inaccurate. In the case of that example, there is an alternative - Native American - but there isn’t an analogous term for Gypsy. Despite the slightly pejorative connotation of the word, it is the best choice for this paper, and will be used throughout. Other word have come in and out of usage over time: ‘Tinker’ is another word referring to Gypsies, along with ‘traveller’, although both referred to any vagrant, not just Gypsies. Tinker referred to the occupation of most Gypsies, whereas Traveller referred to the lifestyle. Legally, Traveller is used to refer to Gypsies, but families calling themselves Travellers don’t consider themselves Gypsies.


The Gypsies have had a legend-filled and mysterious past. It is impossible to reconstruct their culture from surviving evidence, as misleading researchers is a much-loved tradition. It is possible to reconstruct public opinion, though, as well as Gypsy opinion of gadjé (non-Gypsies), to a certain extent.
When a group arrived in Paris in 1427, they claimed to be pilgrims from Little Egypt, to ensure a good reception. Little Egypt is a region of the Peloponnese, where according to the story, they were persecuted by Saracens and forced to reject Christianity. To atone for this rejection, the Gypsies travelled to the Pope, who imposed seven years of wandering the world as penance. This claim of Little Egypt as their homeland is the origin of the word ‘Gypsy’, as well as the Spanish word ‘Gitano,’ both of which are transformations of the word ‘Egyptian.’
The mysteriousness of the Gypsies’ origin made an impression on medieval society. People respected religious pilgrims and the authority of the church, making the Gypsies’ choice of background story a good one. Also, the teaching of St. Francis of Assisi and the popularity of the Franciscan order led to an idealisation of poverty; another point in favour of the poor, wandering Gypsies.
However, the good treatment they received only lasted a few decades in any given area before mainstream society became hostile to their different way of life. The Gypsy-pilgrim story wore thin on even the most pious of almsgivers after the first few Gypsy visits. Later, the Reformation contributed to the falling opinion of the Gypsies. While in 1500, most of Christendom was Catholic, recognising the authority of the pope and the holiness of pilgrims, the Reformation changed both religion and attitudes towards the Gypsies. By 1550, almost half of Europeans were Protestant, and neither the Papal letters of recommendation or the zeal with which the Gypsies carried out their ‘penance’ was viewed with much respect. (Fraser, 129) The increasing value placed on 'work ethic' brought about by the Reformation contrasted with the perception of Gypsies as vagrants who would rather beg than make an honest living. Their dark skin contributed to prejudice against them as well, as it was regarded to be a sign of inferiority and wickedness. Almost everywhere they went, the pattern of a few decades of toleration followed by distrust and persecution occurred.

The first definite evidence of Gypsies in Scotland is presented by a letter from James IV to the king of Denmark in 1506, in which he vouches for ‘Antonius Gawino, Earl of Little Egypt.’ There are earlier reports of ‘Saracens committing depredations’ in Scotland during the reign of James II, which ended in 1460. It is unlikely that these were actually Saracens; barring the possibility of these reports being a reference to Mediterranean corsairs (who raided the British coast almost until the reign of Charles I in 1625), it is more likely to be a reference to the Gypsies. The captain of these ‘Saracens from Ireland’ was killed by a McLellan who, awarded the barony of Bombie as a reward, took as his crest a Moor’s head. (Simson)
That the Saracens were supposed to be from Ireland lends credence to the theory that they were Gypsies. Modern scholars attempting to map Gypsy migration agree that, after being banished from Spain in 1499 (and again in 1519), Gypsies moved en masse to southern Ireland, and from there to Scotland and then England. Evidence suggests an influx of Gypsies in the 1520s (Fraser 113), but it is likely that some groups of Gypsies would have taken that route to Scotland before being banished, thus putting them in place to be hunted by the future baron of Bombie.

Most of what we know about Gypsies in this time period comes from one of two sources. Legends, such as the one regarding the baron of Bombie, are informative in that they give a picture of public opinion towards Gypsies. However, it’s unclear when these legends originated, and how much the legend has changed through the years; therefore, while it gives a picture of public opinion, it’s unclear when this view is from. Laws and letters, however, don’t change once they’re written down, and provide a fixed source from which to gain insight about the opinion and treatment of Gypsies. These also present problems, though, as such documents can only provide an idea of what the person who wrote them thought, not an overall picture of the society at the time.
It’s evident by the various record of such documents that not everyone had the same opinion regarding the Gypsies, and that even an individual’s opinion could change wildly in the space of a few years. Angus Fraser claims that if all the laws regarding Gypsies had been fully enacted, even for the space of a few years, all the Gypsies in Europe would have been eradicated. The continuing record of their existence, however, suggests that the common people didn’t see as much of a need for the extermination of Gypsies as did the lawmakers.

James V maintained the good treatment of Gypsies started by his predecessor’s letter of recommendation, at least for the first 29 years of his reign. While he was still a minor (he became king at the age of 1), he issued a safe-conduct to Gypsies led by ‘Count Martin of Lesser Egypt’, as well as rewarding a group of Gypsy dancers with 40 shillings. (Fraser 118) A portrait from northern France of a Gypsy woman in traditonal dress, captioned (in French) ‘the Egyptian woman who by medical art restored health to the King of Scotland, given up by the physicians,’ probably refers to James V, who was married in France and remained there for 8 months from 1536-7. No dramatic cure as is suggested by the caption is recorded in history, but James V is the most likely candidate. (Fraser 120) Such an incident would help to explain the royal attitude towards Gypsies, as well. While James V was continuing in earlier Scottish kings’ footsteps, other monarchs were becoming much less tolerant.
In 1540, he entered a treaty with ‘John Faw, Lord and Earl of Little Egypt’ allowing the Gypsies to live under the ‘laws of Egypt’, in effect giving them their own government, and allowing them to retain their customs and lifestyle. Later in the year, he issued a writ allowing John Faw to stay in the country until the Gypsies who robbed him of all his possessions were brought to justice. The story behind this robbery is a legend, but a verifiable one, given the evidence of the king’s writ. James Simson, who edited A History of the Gipsies, quotes it in reference to the writ:
John Faw had evidently been importuned by the Scottish Court, (at which he appears to have been a man of no small consequence,) to bring his so-called ‘pilgrimage,’ which he had undertaken ‘by command of the Pope’, to an end, so far, at least, as remaining in Scotland was concerned. Being pressed upon the point, he evidently, as a last resource, formed a plan with Sebastian Lalow, and the other ‘rebels,’ to leave him, and carry off, (as he said,) his property. To give the action an air of importance, and make it appear as a real rebellion, they brought the question into court. Then, John could turn round, and reply to the king: ‘May it please your majesty! I can’t return to my own country. My company and folk have conspired, rebelled, robbed, and left me. I can’t lay my hands upon them; I don’t even know where to find them. I must take them home with me, or a testimony of them that are dead, under the great peril of losing my heritage, at the hands of my lord, the Duke of Egypt. However, if your majesty will help me to catch them, I will not be long in taking leave of your kingdom, with all my company. In the meantime, your majesty will be pleased to issue your commands to all the shipowners and mariners in the kingdom, to be ready, when I gather together my folk to further our passage to Egypt, for which I will pay them handsomely.’ (Simson, n103)
It is uncertain whether this shows James’s favour towards the ‘Duke of Egypt’, as some commentators have claimed, or whether the king was attempting to get rid of the Gypsies, and was foiled by John Faw’s tricks.
However, James V’s (slightly naive) favour towards the Gypsies didn’t last long much longer. By 1541, he had issued an edict banishing them, with all those disobeying the order to be put to death. The legend behind this change of heart claims that James V would travel the country disguised as a beggar or Gaberlunzie-man who was referred to as the ‘Guid-man of Ballangiegh.’ On this particular occasion, he fell in with a kumpania of Gypsies, who assert that the king attempted to ‘take his liberties’ with a Gypsy woman, and was promptly hit over the head with a bottle. He was then forced to carry their packs for several miles, before he either collapsed and was left by the Gypsies or (according to another story) he was rescued by his nobles. The resulting edict was the first one banishing the Gypsies as a whole - men, women and children - from Scotland.
This banishment didn’t last long, however, as James V died the next year and his successors didn’t have the supposed personal antipathy towards the Gypsies. In 1553, the Regent (while Queen Mary was a minor) renewed the treaty with John Faw, as well as pardoning a group of Gypsies of murder, in favour of them being punished by their own laws. This leniency towards the Gypsies lasted from their arrival in Scotland (with the exception of 1541) until James VI took the throne in 1579. In this year, he sentenced the Gypsies (as well as ‘strong beggars’ and ‘strolling rhymers’) to having an ear cut off and being subsequently banished, with hanging as the punishment for those who didn’t obey. Another act, on similar lines, was issued in 1592. It’s an indication of how seriously the public took these acts that in 1600, yet another act was ratified mentioning:
And how the said acts have received little or no effect or execution, by the oversight and negligence of the persons who were nominated justices and commissioners, for putting of the said acts to full and due executions, so that the strong and idle beggars ... are suffered to ... wander throughout the whole country. (Simson 111)
In 1609 the 1600 act was made into perpetual law, with a section referring specifically to ‘Egyptians’, revoking protection they had purchased from the government, condemning them to banishment, and death if they stayed, as well as providing a punishment for those who helped the Gypsies. It would seem that the general populace did not dislike Gypsies quite as much as the king and his nobles, if a punishment was proscribed for people who sheltered them. Whatever popular sentiment may have been, this law started the steady downhill trend of official treatment towards Gypsies.

As shown by the previous acts, royal attitude towards Gypsies didn’t always match that of local authorities. During the rule of James V, there were several cases of Gypsies in Aberdeen being accused of theft, in 1539-40. The sentences they received were mild, especially compared to later trials, but the fact that they were accused at all shows that the local Councillors didn’t have the same view of Gypsies as did their monarch. As royal favour declined, the king and the local authorities changed positions, with laws being passed but not strictly enforced. Obviously, neither the head of state nor the bureaucrats are an accurate gauge of public opinion.
It’s unclear when the Gypsies lost favour with the mainstream society. Certainly by 1815 it was unusual for Sir Walter Scott to portray a Gypsy (Meg Merrilees in Guy Mannering, based on Jean Gordon) so favourably. Lewis Grassic Gibbon, writing a century later, uses ‘tink’ as a common insult in most of his fiction.
There were four trials held on the basis of the 1609 act, the last of which was in 1636. In this case, a resident of Haddington turned in several Gypsies (the only case which specifically mentions such an act), and the sheriff of the town was authorised to carry out the death sentence, as ‘the keeping of them longer ... is troublesome and burdensome to the town, and fosters said thieves in an opinion of impugnity.’ (Simson 119) This would imply that public opinion had turned against the Gypsies; however, in two later trials, 1698 and 1699, merely being a Gypsy was not cause for death: proof of some other crime - in these cases thievery - was needed.
Presumably there are only a few such cases because the Scots of the time were too concerned with the state of the nation (and what religion that nation was) to be worried about wandering pickpockets. By 1780, anti-Gypsy laws in the UK had started to be repealed. These were replaced gradually by more subtle forms of persecution, such as most recently the Caravan Sites act of 1968, which requires Gypsies to camp only on official sites - without requiring that there be any official sites, of course.
Based on attitudes towards Gypsies today, and the attitudes of the Gypsies themselves towards gadjé, it seems likely that the intolerance towards Gypsies manifested in a cultural way, rather than a legal way. By the time Simson talked to Gypsies in the 1840s, they would go to great lengths to keep gadjé from realising they were Gypsies. The stories he recounts of farmers who shelter Gypsies are notable because it is unusual for a Gypsy to receive such good treatment.
The attitude of Scotland towards the Gypsies remained cordial for a remarkably long time. England, on the other hand, had banished Gypsies by 1530, and the sentence was carried out with zeal. The act that banished Gypsies from England also removed the right of foreigners to a jury made up of half Englishmen and half of the foreigner’s countrymen. As Henry VIII spent more money on wars in France, the enactment of the laws against Gypsies became more lenient, as harshness gave way to greed. In 1544, the king approved releasing Gypsies who could pay a fine. However, by 1547, Edward VI had passed severe laws punishing vagrancy with branding and two years of enslavement; this didn’t refer only to Gypsies, but they were in violation of it as a group. The logistics of that law made it difficult to carry out, but similar, if less harsh, measures were put in its place. Scots as a group seemed to be more sympathetic to the Gypsies than the English; there are more cases of Gypsies being tried, as well as more being condemned, in England. This suggests that the English population was turning in offenders, or even searching them out, something that didn’t appear to happen in Scotland.

Somehow those contradictory views from England and Scotland ended up in the prejudice that is shown against Gypsies today. Most people seem to view Gypsies as romantic, mysterious strangers (with a habit of stealing things), but use terms like ‘gypped’ without thinking twice. This is probably a result of the romanticization of the ‘true Gypsy,’ most notably put forth by George Borrow and the Gypsy Lore Society beginning in the latter half of the 1800s. They believed that Gypsy culture - language and legends - was in danger of dying out. However, they weren’t interested in most Gypsies, only the ‘true Gypsy’ - and anyone who didn’t fit that category was nothing more than a filthy beggar. The ‘true Gypsies’ were, of course, those who were clean and polite, didn’t steal or beg, and were respectful of gadzé. Those who had chosen the travelling life, as opposed to having been born Gypsies, and those Gypsies who chose to settle down, were regarded as scum by Borrow and the Gypsy Lorists. They seem to have been unconsciously making judgements based on how an individual maintained the barrier between settled and nomadic life. Those who were obviously ‘other’ were easy to categorise and didn’t make the Gypsiologists feel threatened - not that they said it in so many words, of course. The only instance where a non-pure Gypsy was praised was in the case of caucasian-looking Gypsies, who Simson says speak Romani better than their darker cousins. (Simson 210) It’s not clear whether this is true and is a case of Gypsies making up for their skin colour by being more Gypsy in other ways, or if it is merely a bias of the author, reflecting the prejudice against dark skin that he himself mentions earlier in the book.
It occupied the Gypsy Lorists, and is also prominent in today’s legislation: only the ‘true Gypsies’ are allowed to camp on the official caravan sites - but what makes someone a ‘true Gypsy’? It could be racial background, but to what extent? Gypsiologists disagree on whether one Gypsy ancestor makes one a Gypsy, or if one gadjé ancestor makes one not a ‘true Gypsy’. Despite their tendency to secrecy and their distrust of outsiders, it isn’t unheard of for a Gypsy to marry a gadjé, and while the gadjé in the couple never becomes a Gypsy, their children are automatically Gypsies, as long as they’re raised in the kumpania. Thus, not long after the Gypsies arrived in Scotland, blue eyed and light-skinned Gypsies were born - probably the origins of claims that Gypsies were baby-stealers. The Gypsy Loreists would say these Caucasian-looking Gypsies weren’t ‘true Gypsies’. Their claim doesn’t have much weight however - by way of example: originally all Spaniards had dark hair, but we cast no aspersions on the Spanishness of one born with blond hair.
If appearance can’t be counted on to determine who is a true Gypsy, what can? The Romani language, possibly - but when Gypsies were being persecuted, speaking Romani could give them away. Accordingly, there are people, indubitably Gypsies, who can’t speak Romani.
The only remaining way to judge Gypsiness is by culture, and even that isn’t fail-safe any more. In the first centuries that the Gypsies were in Scotland, however, it was a good determiner. Gypsies travelled in kumpanias, slept in bender tents, and had traditional occupations such as scrap collectors, tinsmiths, and fortune tellers. The stereotypical Gypsies were just as likely to be thieves as non-traditional ones, or gadjé. The Gypsy Lorists, with their insistence on the preservation of ‘true Gypsy’ culture, almost did more harm than good, by making them into people of legends, and not people being systematically disenfranchised.
Scotland was originally much more lenient than its neighbors, but public opinion soon changed, and Gypsies are still warned against - and legislated against - today. For all our cultural advances, public opinion (and persecution of) Gypsies has remained functionally the same. The Gypsies of the 1500s, being hunted to win a barony, have become the Gypsies of today, being hunted in a more subtle fashion, but still discriminated against.

Bibliography

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____. The Patrin Web Journal. ‘Timeline of Romani (Gypsy) History.’ http://www.geocities.com/Paris/5121/timeline.htm, 2000
Clébert, Jean-Paul. The Gypsies. London: Cox and Wyman, Ltd, 1963. Translated by Charles Duff.
Franzese, Sergio. O Vurdón. ‘Introduction to Romani History and Culture’. http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Bridge/5847/english.htm, 2000.
Fraser, Angus. The Gypsies. Cambridge: Blackwell, 1992.
Mayall, David. Gypsy-travellers in nineteenth-century society. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1988.
Rehfish, Farnham et al. Gypsies, Tinkers, and other Travellers. London: Academic Press, 1975.
Simson, Walter. A History of the Gipsies. London: Sampson Low, Son, and Marston, 1865. Edited by James Simson.
Willems, Wim. In search of the true Gypsy: from enlightenment to final solution. London: Frank Cass, 1997.









Hancock, Ian. The Pariah Syndrome: An Account of Gypsy Slavery and Persecution. Ann Arbor: Karoma, 1987.
Liegeois, Jean-Paul. Gypsies, an Illustrated History. London: Al Saqi Books, 1986. Abridged English translation.
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The Standing Stones in Sunset Song

The Standing Stones of Blawearie in Lewis Grassic Gibbon’s Sunset Song are a symbol drawing together several themes in the book. Upon first reading, they seem to be merely a literary prop, providing a place for Chris reflect and introduce events not described in the rest of the narrative. However, upon closer examination, the Stones have much more meaning, and have significance to all the characters in the book.
Our first introduction to the Standing Stones is from the narrator’s point of view. The narrator doesn’t make a value judgement of them, merely says that ‘they seemed to listen and wait.’ (p 27) The other characters seem to share his view, although most are not conscious of it. Those who dislike the Stones seem to do so partly because the listening aspect of them makes people uncomfortable.
Chris’s father, John Guthrie, is a prime example of this. He calls the Stones ‘coarse, foul things’ (p 60), expressing a religious opposition to them because of their Druidic origins. The narrator implies that John is afraid of the Stones, because of the power they seem to hold. Less directly hinted at is the idea that perhaps he is afraid of the stones because of their mystery and distance from everyday life. John fears things he can’t control, which is why he never raised a hand to Will once Will asserted himself. He doesn’t know what the stones are for, and can’t fit them in a category of ‘things to plow’ or ‘things to burn’, and as such they aren’t useful to him. By being separate from the everyday life of Kinraddie, they become associated with wild, untamed nature, which can nurture or ruin crops without warning. It’s possible that he also realises the influence they have on Chris, which serves to make her harder to manipulate, and dislikes the Stones for that reason.
The Stones have many meanings to Chris. Part of the reason for this is that there are several Chrises - Chris Guthrie, English Chris, and Chris Tavendale - who react differently and attach importance to different things. When she goes to Edzell Castle with Ewan, her feelings towards the ruins seem similar to those towards the Stones; her interest in the history of the ruins and Stones separates her from Ewan, and she ascribes both the interest and the separation to her books. This shows English Chris’s connection to the Stones. Although English Chris has a connection to learning and books rather than the land, the folk of Kinraddie don’t seem to connect the Standing Stones to the earth - or at least the farming of it - and her interest in the Stones is an example of her disinterest in the land.
Chris’s interaction with the Stones is usually in the form of escape from her troubles, whether that problem is her father, Ewan, or the community in general. She generally spends her time there reflecting on important events, which reveals both her character and sometimes the event itself to the reader. For example, the first time we hear of her mother’s death is when Chris is thinking about it while at the Stones. Sometimes the Stones are used to reveal things to Chris as well as to the audience, as when she sees Ewan’s ghost; here they are used as a reconciling force.
For the majority of the people in Kinraddie, their only thoughts on the subject are religion-based. They disapprove of the Stones because they’re pagan and therefore evil. The narrator implies that people use the fact that the Standing Stones are the only remnants of the culture that produced them as a validation of modern culture, which must be better because it still exists. It’s interesting that Long Rob, who is opposed to religion and the Kirk, never presents his view on the Standing Stones. This is especially odd when one considers how quick he was to give his opinion of other things, and approve of those things of which religion disapproved. One imagines he would have a positive conneciton to the stones and have a similar - although less bookish - view of them as Chris.
In a more abstract sense, the Stones seem to represent the cycles of nature. This seems to contradict the view of them as separate from nature, but perhaps the case is one of civilised, modern nature versus wild, barbaric nature. Many times the Stones are associated with endings, drawing a parallel to the Stones as a representative of the extinct Druidic culture. This is shown to a certain extent in the different aspects of Chris and the way they interact with the Stones, but is more explicit when the Stones are made into a war memorial. The way the memorial is described associates it with the Covenanting memorial that Chris and Ewan visited. The Covenanters represent a way of life that isn’t feasible anymore, and this is carried through to the memorial service. Reverend Colquohoun refers to those who died as the ‘last of the peasants’ (p 285) and representative of the ‘old Scotland’.
The association of ancient history with the end of a modern age is reminiscent of Sue Glover’s play, The Bondagers. Tottie, a daftie who is represented as having an affinity for the earth, often visits the ‘lang syne rigs’ and sees ghostly plowmen in them, remnants of a distant past. However, at one point she goes to the rigs and doesn’t see a ghost of the past, but one of the future:
There was a man there, but it wasnae him. Twixt me and the sun. Just the one man. He was stood in the rigs, the lang syne rigs. ‘A week’s work done in a day,’ he cries. ‘We don’t need you now! We don’t need folk. We don’t need horses. Machines without horses. We’ve plenty bread now,’ he cries. ‘Too much bread.’ He was pleased. He was laughing. But I wasnae feared. For he wasnae the ghost. I was! I was the ghost! (Glover, Bondagers & The Straw Chair, p 45)
While this sort of reversal of who is in the past isn’t explicit in Sunset Song, it is a valid comparison. The Stones, ancient history, are associated with the end of ‘old Scotland’ - an age to which Tottie belongs (along with Chae, Long Rob, and Ewan) and recognises as passing. Neither the play and the book seem to know whether this change is a good or bad; Tottie is mistreated by the bondager system, but the rise of machines makes it harder for her to find work. Chris dislikes the land, and her love of Colquohoun represents a shift from the earth to the mind, but this loss of connection to the land brings its own problems in Cloud Howe. The Standing Stones are central to the symbolism of the passing age, though.
While the Standing Stones have significance in many different ways, the main image associated with them is of untamed nature’s cycles and contradictions. For John Guthrie, they remind him of his impermanence and his inability to control everything in his life. For Chris, they represent the changes that she herself goes through. Chris loved their mystery and her father hated it.
The most insightful image, however, occurs at the end, during the memorial service. The stones are being made into a monument of those who died, and a reminder that everything passes. The reappearance of McIvor, who hasn’t been seen since Chris’s marriage - an event that seems long ago - reinforces the sense of time passing. His rendition of ‘Flowers of the Forest’ brings to mind the battle of Flodden, another time when Scots died and an era ended.
This image of death is balanced, however, by the presence of Chris with young Ewan, and Chris and Colquohoun’s new love - symbols of rebirth and hope in the future. McIvor himself represents this as well, because while he is from the past and has been all but forgotten in the intervening years, he is still alive and well. While Kinraddie Castle is a crumbling ruin and the world is changing in front of our eyes, the Standing Stones are still there, a reminder that nothing disappears without a trace, and things long gone can be reclaimed and made meaningful again. The Stones represent both permanence and inevitable change.