John Faw, lord and earl of Little Egypt

[wolfinthewood]

Many people know that the ancestors of the Romany came originally from India, a point established long ago by philologists who studied the Romany language. However, I think it is rather less well known that when they first arrived in Western Europe their leaders were received by kings as visiting nobility and treated with respect and ceremony.

There exists a very interesting official letter of 1505 in which the King of Scotland writes to the King of Denmark to recommend to his hospitality Anthony Gagino, ‘a count from Little Egypt’ . I would love to post it here; unfortunately, it is in Latin, and I haven’t got time to translate it right now. Maybe some point in the future.

The ‘Egyptians’ had a chequered history in sixteenth-century Scotland. But as late as 1553, it was still possible for a gypsy leader to be named in a royal writ as ‘oure lovit Johne Faw, lord and erle of Litill Egept’: our beloved John Faw (or Faa), lord and earl of Little Egypt.

The letter was written in the name of Queen Mary, who was then a minor, on the authority of her regent, James Hamilton, earl of Arran:

Marie, be the grace of God Quene of Scottis, to oure Shireffis of Edinburgh principal and within the constabularie of Hadingtoun, Bervik, Roxburgh, Selkirk, Perth, Forfar, Fife, Clackmannane, Kinross, Kincardin, Abirdene, Banff, Elgin and Fores, Nairne, Inverness, Lynlithqw (sic), Peblis, Striviling, Lanark, Renfrew, Dumbertane, Air, Dumfreis, But and Wigtoun, Stewartis of Annanderdaill, Kirkcudbricht, Menteith and Stratherne, Baillies of Kile, Carrik, and Cunynghame, and thair Deputis; Provestis, Aldermen and Baillies, of oure Burrowis and Ceteis of Edinburgh, Hadingtoun, Laudar, Jedburgh, Selkirk, Peblis, Perth, Forfair, Cowpar, Sanctandrois, Bincardin, Abirdene, Banff, Elgin and Fores, Narne, Invernes, Lynlithqw, Striviling, Lanark, Glasgow, Rutherglen, Renfrew, Dumbertane, Air, Dumfreis, Wigtoun, Irwyne, Kirkcudbricht, Quhitterne; and to all utheris Shireffis, Stewartis, Provestis, Aldermen, and Baillies within oure realme, Greting:

fforsamekill as it is humblie menit and schewin to us and oure derrest cousing and tutour, James, Duke of Chettellarault, erle of Arrane, lord Hammiltoun, protectour and governour of oure realme, be oure lovit Johne Faw, lord and erle of Litill Egept, that quhair he obtenit umquhyIe oure derrest faderis letres of gude mynd, quham God assolze, under his grete seill direct to you all and sindry oure saidis shireffis, stewartis, baillies, provestis, baillies, and aldermen of oure burrowis, and to all and sindry uthiris havand auctorite within oure realme, to assist to him in executioun of justice upoun his cumpany and folkis conforme to the lawis of Egipt, and in punissing of all thame that rebellis agane him.

Nevirtheles as we ar informit, Sebastiane Lalow, Egiptiane, ane of the said Johneis cumpany, with his complices parttakaris undir writtin, that is to say, Anteane Donea, Satona Fingo, Nona Finco, Phillip Hatseygow, Towla Bailyou, Grasta Neyn, Gelyer Bailyow, Bernard Beige, Demeo Matskalla, Notfaw Lawlour, Martyne Femine, rebellis and conspiris aganis the said Johne Faw, and hes removit thame alluterlie out of his cumpany, and on na wys will pas hame with him howbeit he hes biddin and remanit
of langtyme upoun thame, and is bund and oblist to bring haute with him all thame of his cumpany that ar on lyve and ane testimoniall of thame that ar deid, And als the said Johne hes the said Sebastyanis obligatioun that he and his cumpany suld remane with him and on na wys depart fra him as the samin beris. In contrair the tennour of the quhilk the said Sebastiane and his complices forsaidis will nocht remane with the said Johne thar lord and maister, bot rebellis aganis him sua that he na wys can apprehend nor get thame to have thame hame agane within thair awin cuntre, eftir the tennour of the said band, to his dampnage and skaith and in grete perrell in tynsall of his heretage and expres aganis justice. Oure will is heirfor, and we charge you straitly and commandis that incontinent thir oure lettres sene ye and ilkane of you within the boundis of youre offices, command our leigis that nane of thame tak upoun hand to resett and assyn, fortyfe, suppley, and manteine, defend or tak part with the said Sebastyane and his complices for na buddis nor
uthirway aganis the said Johne Faw thair lord and maister, bot that thai and ye in likwys tak and lay handis on thame quhairevir thai may be apprehendit and bring thame to him to be punist for thair demeritis conforme to his lawis, and help and fortyfe him to punis and do justice upon thame for thair trespas, and to that effect len to him your presonis, stokkis, fettaris, and all uthir necessaris thingis thairto as ye and ilkane of you and all utheris oure liegis will answer to us thairupoun undir all hiest pane and charge that eftir may follow sua that the said Johne have na caus of complaint heirupoun in tymes cuming nor to refer agane to us to that effect nochtwithstanding ony uthir oure writtingis senisterlie purchest or to be purchest be the said Sebastyane in the contrair. And als chargis all oure liegis that nane of thame molest, vex, inquiet, or trouble the said Johne Faw and his cumpany in doing of thair lefull besynes or utherwyss within oure realme, and in thare passing remanying or awayganging furth of the samyn in maner abone writtin. And siclike that ye command and charge all skipparis, maisteris, and marynaris of all schippis within our realme at all portis and havingis quhair the said Johne and his cumpany salhappin to resort for furing of thame furth of oure realme to the partis beyond seyis as thai and ilkane of thame siclike will answer to us thairupoun under the pane forsaid. Subscrivit be oure said tutour and Gocernour and,gevin under our privie seill, at Hamiltoun the xxv of Aprile the yeir of God jmvc and fyfty thre yeris.

Subscriptam per Dominum Gubernatorem

published by David MacRitchie in the Journal of the Gypsy Lore Society, January 1891

[When reading sixteenth-century Scots it is useful to remember that English ‘wh’ becomes ‘quh’, as in ‘quhair’, ‘where’, and, a bit more obviously, English plural ‘s’ becomes ‘is’, as in ‘Shireffis’. Oh, and ‘quhilk’ means ‘which’.]


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