Bulgaria has the highest concentration of Romani people in Europe, with over 10% of its population identifying as Roma. The largest Roma community is located in the Stolipinovo district of Plovdiv, Bulgaria, which is considered the most populous, predominantly Romani-inhabited neighborhood in the Balkans, with a population estimated between 40,000 and 55,000.
While spread out across the continent, the biggest populations live in Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, and Slovakia. Together, the Roma people constitute a bigger European nation than the Czechs, Hungarians, or the Dutch — and yet have little political voice or cultural presence in the wider society.
Gypsy leaders. The Boswells were for centuries one of England's largest and most important Gypsy families. The Boswell clan were a large extended family of Travellers, and in old Nottinghamshire dialect the word bos'll was used as a term for Travellers and Roma in general.
London is the capital city of England and the United Kingdom. In 2024, it welcomed about 21 million international visitors, making it the most visited city in Europe.
Inside Britain’s Biggest Gypsy and Traveller Meet Up | 60 Days With The Gypsies | Channel 4 Docs
Who is the richest Gypsy family in the UK?
Born in a caravan on the side of the road, Alfie Best becomes the richest Gypsy in the world, tackling the biggest challenge of modern times. Born in a caravan on the side of the road, Alfie Best becomes the richest Gypsy in the world, tackling the biggest challenge of modern times.
Romanichal (commonly known as "English Gypsies") are a Romani subgroup in England. The first Romanies arrived in England in the 16th century. Romanichal predominantly live in England, but also in South Wales, Northeast Wales and the Scottish Borders. Most Romanichal speak English and Angloromani.
Doncaster is the permanent home to the UK's largest Gypsy Traveller populations. A large proportion who reside in Doncaster now live in bricks and mortar accommodation or privately owned sites.
Do Gypsies and Travellers pay Council Tax, Rent and Charges? Authorised Gypsy and Traveller sites are charged Council tax the same as other residential dwellings.
Some of the better known areas of work that Gypsies and Travellers are involved in include seasonal agricultural work, motor trading and tree-felling. Some are employed as academics, teachers and public servants and in this way they add to the local economy.
Some members of Gypsy/Traveller communities have told us that once children reach a certain age they are usually put in a separate caravan to sleep. Large families may also need to sleep in separate caravans.
“Appleby to the Gypsies and Travellers is unique and it is our Mecca,” says Billy Welch, the Shera Rom – or 'Head Gypsy' – who has been central to the organisation of the Cumbrian Appleby Horse Fair for decades.
Pikey (/ˈpaɪkiː/; also spelled pikie, pykie) is a derogatory slang term referring to Gypsy, Roma and Traveller people. It is used mainly in the United Kingdom and in Ireland to refer to people who belong to groups which had a traditional travelling lifestyle.
Romani (Gypsy), Roma and Irish Traveller people belong to minority ethnic groups that have contributed to British society for centuries. Their distinctive way of life and traditions manifest themselves in nomadism, the centrality of their extended family, unique languages and entrepreneurial economy.
New Travellers will also use public facilities - however New Traveller will seek sites near wooded areas or quiet private spots where they can dig latrines and bury faeces.
Some Gypsy Travellers still travel year-round, while some in the travelling community live in a house over winter and travel in their caravans the rest of the year.
If gypsies/travellers occupy council land, the local Council can recover possession of their land by either seeking a County Court Order, or by using powers in the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 to direct the occupants to leave. If they are on private land, it is usually the landowner's responsibility.
Clothes for the upper body such as shirts must never be washed or dried together with clothes worn on the lower body such as pants, underwear, and socks. Women's clothes and men's clothes are washed and dried separately. Clothes that become contaminated must be destroyed.
Although the term "Roma" was endorsed in place of "Gypsies" at the first World Roma Congress in London, many Romani people in Britain prefer to call themselves Gypsies, or names that include the term such as Romani Gypsies or Romany Gypsies. They also commonly refer to themselves as Romani or Romanies.
Rabbi Howell was born in 1867 in a Gypsy camp in Dore, and in 1895 made history as the first Romany footballer to play for England. Throughout his career, Howell was known in the newspa- pers as 'The Gypsy'.
White: Gypsy or Irish Traveller is an ethnicity classification used in the 2011 United Kingdom Census. In the 2011 census, the White: Gypsy or Irish Traveller population was 63,193 or about 0.1 percent of the total population of the country.
