From the old Newspapers: The Leicester Chronicle and Leicester Mercury, Saturday, December 1, 1900. TWO HUNDRED GRANDCHILDREN. There has just died in the gipsy colony at Inkpen-common, an isolated locality on the borders of Berkshire and North Hampshire, at the foot of the grand range of downs which divides the two counties, a remarkable member of the gipsy community, named Mary Jane Black, better known in that part of the country as “Granny” Black. She was born at Southampton, and had attained the age of ninety years. Her maiden name was White, and, singular to say, she married in early life a fine-grown member of her own fraternity, named Amos Black, who obtained a livelihood as a dealer in horse-flesh and goods of various kinds, as is the wont of gipsies, being actively assisted by his wife, who up to quite recently was to be seen about the neighbourhood of Newbury and Hungerford. She had a family of 14 children, 10 of whom are living - strong and healthy men and women. Her sons and grandsons are mostly engaged in the horse-dealing business, and attending country fairs with swings, cocoanut stalls, and the like. Her grandchildren number something like 200. “Granny’s” husband predeceased her more than a quarter of a century since, his age being 74 years. The old lady’s funeral, which has taken place at Inkpen, drew together a large and sorrowing assemblage of her progeny.
Posted on: Wed, 10 Jul 2013 10:42:48 +0000
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