Hello Everyone
Would it be at all possible if some kind person would please look up on the census records the name of a supposed Lady.... S.A.COTTERILL. She was said to be from around the Selston ways, it is of the most importance. First i would like to explain this research. I am at present attempting to travel back from the year 1873, this as been an hard task, i acquaint this to the so-called, dark ages of Britain, the times after the Romans, yet before the Normans, evan the Angles and Saxons, they say these times are of the savage Vikings, yet now scholars write that the dark age of Britain possess-est day as well as night, much is being found from the research of Scholars of the present day, i to wish to find the truth if indeed there is a time before 1873 regarding the Epitaph and more the life of Daniel Boswell.
There are two main protagonists that at this time i have seen as "persons of interest", one is the eminent Journalist and Author, Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries and also Vise- President of the Thornton Society of Nottinghamshire. His name is one Cornelius Brown, he wrote the book "Notes about Notts" " A Collection of Singular Saying, Curious Customs, Eccentric Epitaphs and Interesting Items, Historical and Antiquarian. Edited by Cornelius Brown, Fellow of the Royal Historical Society Nottingham: T. Forman and Sons, Long Row 1874.
http://www.nottshistory.org.uk/Brown1896/brown.htmIf you now re-read my last post you will know that Cornelius was the Editor of the "Notes and Queries" columns in the Nottinghshire Guardian Newspaper, there he received a letter from a Lady telling of the Inscription Epitaph of Daniel Boswell, the person being S.A.COTTERILL 1873, this then intern found its way into Mr. Browns book, "Notes about Notts", 1874.
If you again re-read my last post you will see in the Bradford Observer Saturday 14 November 1874 under the title "Boswell the Gipsy King", ............ below are the words.
" The remarks in your issue of June 13 remind me that in Selstone Churchyard, Notts, the remains of Dan Boswell, the head of a well known gang of gipsies are interred. His epitaph runs as follows:-
" I've lodged in many a town,
i have traveled many a year,
but death at length hath brought me down,
To my last lodgings here". W.A.
I think you may agree that "W.A." may well have obtained his knowledge from either the Book above or evan from the letter sent to the Nottinghamshire Gardian 1873, this below is the writing in the book.
"Selstone Church yard is the burial place of Old Dan Boswell, the head of a well known gang of gipsies, who were frequently in the neighborhood. A lady tells us. She can remember the tribe encamping on the common, and also the marriage of one of his daughters in true gipsy fashion on the occasion of one of their visits, when her father the king of the gipsies, presented her with a quarten measure of either sovereigns or guineas as a marriage dowry".
The epitaph is as follows:
" I've lodged in many a town,
I've traveled many a year,
but death at length hath brought me down,
to my last lodging here".
I have a strong suspicion that W.A is the one and only William Andrews, Fellow of the Royal History Society, Secretary of the Hull Literary Club, Chief Librarian of the Hull Subscription Library, Honory Secretary of the press Postal League, and amongst other things "Member of the Derbyshire Archaelogical and Natural History Society".
He is a most prolific writer.
http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/webbin/book/lookupname?key=Andrews%2C%20William%2C%201848-1908I will show everyone in my next post, more perceived evidence of how i think these two great Writers link up in the story of the Epitaph, but first if someone would help in tracing S.A. COTTERILL, we must confirm the letter as genuine, does a S.A. COTTERILL exist from 1873 around Selston Nottinghamshire.
ps. remember if you are able to help, first you must know that S.A.COTTERILL may be the Ladys married name, and She may be writing about Selston of the times of when She was young, and Her maiden name is unknown, plus She may now be living in a different location, wow, Genealogy is not an easy task..... Good Luck, if there is no reply i will keep on trying
pps.... Dont forget in the pagers of the Derbyshire Times on 7th June 1873: W. A. was the first person......... "as of yet", who started all the talk of an Epitaph, he claimed then to be seeking it, on 14 November 1874 after S.A.COTTERILLS letter and the writings in the book he then spoke of the Epitaph in the Bradford Observer with the "Hath" wrote into the words, yet in the Derbyshire Times, on Saturday 27 June 1874, the writer said he was replying to a Mr. Andrews from 7th June 1873, yet the letter he was replying to was signed W.A. yet he referred to the writer as Mr. Andrews. there was also the letter in the same columns with the inscription "tis true ", wrote 25 April 1874, signed S.L. It is possible that the writer referring to a Mr. Andrews on 27 June 1874, , was referring to S.L. which would place S.L. as Andrews. In the present day on the Gypsy Genealogy web site of this very month it mentions Daniel Boswell, read the link below and learn all about His life plus check the dates against the dates i have researched...Its a very good website.
http://www.gypsygenealogy.com/showarticle.php?article_id=277 michael