Gypsies

5 October 1728   A female Gypsie trick’d a servant maid at Canterbury of three pound twelve shillings, by making her believe that she wou’d have a legacy of ten times that sum before Christmas; and that on the Wednesday following, under the small-beer tap in the cellar, there wou’d rise up a brick, under which by digging she wou’d find an iron box full of jewels, and gold. This the silly girl kept as a secret, till the Gypsie had time to make her escape.

4 September 1735   On Wednesday last, in the road going from Bristow Causeway towards Dulwich, one of his Majesty’s Coasting Officers seiz’d from two Gipsies, a valuable quantity of foreign lace: For many years past great numbers of Gipsies have lived in Norwood near that place, and several of them having been observed of late to ride tolerable horses, the neighbourhood thought they followed some other business besides fortune-telling, but did not imagine them to be smuglers. [sic]. (The Old Whig)