大象传媒

Damian Le Bas combines a family memoir with broader historical context as he tells a story of the British traveller community, a people who have been on the margins since their presence and language was first noted down in the mid-16th century, in a pub in Sussex.

Damian inhabits an awkward middle ground between the non-gypsy world and his own heritage. He grew up in West Sussex in a house built by his
grandfather on land the family owned, surrounded by a field that was half car-breaking business, half farmyard. Scattered bits of engines lay alongside bales of hay, brand new trucks were surrounded by geese and terriers. But twice a week they drove an hour each way to their family pitch in the market square of Petersfield where they sold flowers.

Along the way, his elders would nod towards lay-bys and verges, naming them as they passed. These were the 'atchin tans' or stopping places. His great grandmother, Nan, explained to him that they were diverse places where she and her family used to live in the days of wagons and bender tents. Sometimes they would stop for a few days, other times for a few years.

Damian's parents both had faith in education and, when they saw that he was bright, he applied for for a scholarship at the nearby boarding school, leading to ten grade A O-Levels, A Levels and theology at Oxford.

Damian was now firmly an outsider in both worlds. But having plundered the Bodleian Library for histories of gypsies, he felt the need to get out into the world and discover the topography of his ancestors. So he got himself a van and set out to visit the stopping places - from Devon to Northumbria via London and Wales. As we
follow his journey, we also learn about the history of antagonism that has followed gypsies and the movement to reclaim their identity with pride.

Written and read by Damian Le Bas
Abridged and produced by Jill Waters

A Waters Company production for 大象传媒 Radio 4.