The tinkler-gypsies . l fine types of the Tinkler,and help us to gather some idea of what BillyMarshall must have Oitdw. We have seen, asan illustration to a previous chapter, a specimenof Billys handicraft as a homer in the fine hornmug presented by him to tlie Earl of Selkirk,and we now give as a further illustration speci-mens of horn snuff mulls and horn divi-ders of Billys own workmanship. We arealso permitted by the kindness of Dr Trotter,the author of Gcilhnvav Gossip, to give as anillustration a specimen of a flat-iron made byBilly in 1759, and we now quote from GallowayGossip the Doct
The tinkler-gypsies . l fine types of the Tinkler,and help us to gather some idea of what BillyMarshall must have Oitdw. We have seen, asan illustration to a previous chapter, a specimenof Billys handicraft as a homer in the fine hornmug presented by him to tlie Earl of Selkirk,and we now give as a further illustration speci-mens of horn snuff mulls and horn divi-ders of Billys own workmanship. We arealso permitted by the kindness of Dr Trotter,the author of Gcilhnvav Gossip, to give as anillustration a specimen of a flat-iron made byBilly in 1759, and we now quote from GallowayGossip the Doctors apt description of Billysordinary avocations, and incidentally of the flat-iron : He uset tae make bagpipes, an horn-spunes, an flat-airns, an bress an sillerbrooches, forbye tins, an boosums, an bee-skeps, an orra thmgs o that kin. A hae aflat-aim in the hoose o Billys mak, wi thedate 1746 (1759?) on the upper side ot. Itsgettin faint noo, but its still heicher nor therest o the aim, an the aims lang an nairra an. s S Billx Commits Murder. .-)/ thin, but its a gran yin for dressing necks anbreasts. We are informed that, despite itsbeing a century and a half old, the ion is stillin daily use, and that Mrs Trotter cannot betempted to hang it on the drawing-room wallwith a nice blue silk ribbon to adorn it, as shecant find any iron of modern invention to aimnecks an breasts as well as it does. That Billy worked in various metals is con-firmed by the following tradition which showsBilly in a new guise—that of a counterfeitcoiner : In one of the old cottages at Lagwine,where the forebears of the MCuUochs—stillrepresented there—lived, he was busily engagedone day melting a copper or brass pan andmaking pennies. His wife—Judy on thisoccasion—was his helper keeping his blow pipegoing, and he was overheard shouting— Blaw,Jud\, woman I Blaw, or yell spile the folkscoppers ! Probably these coppers were similarto the old card pennies referred to by MrSampson at page 157 of
Size: 1260px × 1984px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, bookidtinkl, bookpublisheretcetc
