Memories of the Marsh: A Traveller Life in Kent

Description

By the late Betsy Stanley Edited by Janet Keet-Black

A5 paperback book 60 pages Black-and-white family photographs

Memories of the Marsh: A Traveller Life in Kent was first published by the RTFHS in 1998 and has long been out-of-print. It's the autobiography of Betsy Stanley née Cooper, describing her life growing up in the close-knit Belvedere Marsh Gypsy community in North Kent from the late 1930s to the 1950s and remembering earlier generations of her own family as well as her neighbours.

The book includes a sketch map of the streets on the Marsh plus a list of the names of the families who lived there, van by van and plot by plot. This list was recalled by the author after the book originally appeared. It’s been added to this edition to create a more complete picture.

A full list of the surnames referred to in the book can be found with its entry on this page of the RTFHS website: http://rtfhs.org.uk/publications/familyhistories/