The Regency Roma

I'm often asked why I write about the Romany in Regency England. Well, we have history.

Austen did it first:

In Chapter 39 of Jane Austen's Emma, Harriet Smith, Emma’s close friend and a young woman of uncertain parentage, encounters a “group of gypsies” while out walking. The illustration below by C.E. Brock captures this moment (Source: Mollands.net).

For contemporary readers, the danger Harriet faced might not be immediately apparent. However, in Regency England, merely associating with “such a set of people” could be considered a serious crime. Since the 1500s, the British Crown had sought to remove these ‘other’ residents from their lands, resorting to measures like deportation to the colonies and harsh legislation aimed at eradicating their presence. 

By Austen's time, even consorting with ‘gypsies’ was criminalised, potentially leading to imprisonment - or worse. A harrowing case in 1782 saw a fourteen-year-old girl hanged simply for being acquainted with them, under orders from a local magistrate.

In Emma, Harriet interacts with the gypsies by speaking to them, offering money, and pleading with them. Each of these actions could have landed her in legal trouble. Although Highbury's local magistrate (the novel’s hero, Mr. Knightley) would likely not have sentenced Harriet to death (not even Austen could redeem a hero who condemns his friend’s companion to the gallows), Miss Smith’s actions technically violated the laws of her time. This moment offers readers a rare glimpse into an aspect of Regency England that is not often portrayed in contemporary literature.

Austen’s England: A Construct

Austen's depiction of England is notably specific, populated almost exclusively by the English themselves. It's intriguing that one of the few instances where Austen’s readers see the framework supporting this homogeneity is in a novel where the protagonist is described as ‘an imaginist’. The idea of a homogenous England is indeed a creation of imagination, especially considering the cultural and commercial reach of the British Empire during Austen's time.

Hints of this façade - and Austen’s awareness of it - also surface in Mansfield Park. Sir Thomas Bertram’s reference to the slave trade in Jamaica underscores the economic foundation of his wealth. His suggestion about bringing some of his ‘stock’ to Mansfield Park is not taken seriously, reflecting a belief that colonial matters belong far away in the colonies. England, in Sir Thomas’s mind, is solely for the English.

Rethinking Regency England:

The British Empire, at its height, spanned a quarter of the world. Yet, those born in the colonies were rarely considered truly ‘English’ because they did not reside in England. But what if these ‘non-English’ individuals were not just in far-off lands? What if they lived in England, alongside families like the Bertrams, Woodhouses, Dashwoods, and Bennets?

Regency Roma:

This leads us to the Romany people of England. Their presence in Austen's narratives is as rare as it was in Regency England, yet they existed. They lived, loved, and mattered in the same spaces as Emma Woodhouse and Harriet Smith. 

Despite being a part of the same geographical reality, their experiences are often omitted from the historical narrative. Regency Romany were as vibrant and real as the Regency English, and although their stories, rooted in an oral tradition, are seldom found in print, they too witnessed and lived through this period.

The Dominant Narrative:

Austen’s portrayal of England is supported by every major institution of her time. The English could rely on the Crown, the military, the law, and the Church - all playing crucial roles in shaping the dominant narrative. Even divine favour seemed to side with the English in Austen’s world, a reflection perhaps of her upbringing as the daughter of a clergyman.

In the scene from Emma, Austen does not explicitly label the Romany as heathens, but they are depicted as outsiders - dark, dangerous, criminal, and existing beyond the boundaries of Highbury. 

They do not belong in Austen’s England, and they are quickly dismissed from the narrative once they have served their limited purpose:

“The Gypsies did not wait for the operations of justice: they took themselves off in a hurry.”

Effectively, Austen removes them from her whitewashed portrayal of England. This exclusion, despite the presence of non-English people in the real Regency England, overlooks voices that have their own perspectives and stories, equally deserving of attention.

The Pain of Marginalisation

Being born into a society that refuses to accept you without a struggle, a plea, or an attempt to conform by erasing parts of your identity can be profoundly painful and damaging. The term ‘marginalisation’ itself reflects the lack of narrative ‘space’ allocated to voices that are often overlooked or ignored in literature.

The word ‘marginal’ is uncomfortable, almost (but not quite) pejorative, which is why I use single quotes around it. The same goes for the term ‘gypsy’. Both terms are not universally seen as offensive, and ongoing debates about their usage are a positive sign.

Unromantic Realities:

Real history is often unromantic, yet we continue to romanticise it. There is beauty in storytelling, in recounting tales of lovers and imagined worlds from long ago. While I love re-reading Austen’s works, I find myself searching for traces within her narratives. Traces of those whose stories have been overlooked - stories that are equally worthy of being told and celebrated.

Which brings me to my Clifton Hall series, and the creation of my debut heroine, Syeira Brishen, from Always a Princess: