janet isaac

Everyday Life, Other

1870 – 1974  

Suggested by Helen Thomas

“Janet Isaac was a prominent and respected elder in the Romani community, she was described as the last gypsy queen of Cornwall. She supported her family as the main breadwinner as her husband was blind and often suffered prejudice.

Elizabeth Dale has written about Janet on her blog, The Cornish Bird. Her piece is partly based on oral interviews with Janet’s great grandson, Tom. It’s a fascinating read shining a light on the Romani community in Cornwall whose story is seldom told.”

We recommend you read about Cornish Gypsies on Elizabeth’s blog. Here’s an edited extract:

“In the 2021 census 0.2% of the Cornish population identified as gypsy, Roma or traveller. For hundreds of years they have been a misunderstood, and at times persecuted group in our society. With the help of Nessa and Tom Isaac I have started to discover a cohort with strong family bonds and values and a complex cultural heritage; a hidden community with surprisingly strong roots binding them to Cornwall.

Janet was born at a camp on Gypsy Lane in Helston. She and her husband, Joseph, may have had as many as seventeen children. With many to support and unable to work in the traditional sense, Joseph made paper flowers, clothes pegs and wooden sculptures for the family to sell. Janet made lace, a delicate and highly skilled profession, and went door to door selling it by the yard, as well as the other wares the family produced. Selling door to door was something she had done since age 11 and her children helped too, especially around Christmas, making holly wreaths to sell. For a few extra pennies Janet was also known to tell the fortunes of the housewives that she called upon on her rounds. On one occasion however this got her into trouble…”

cornishbirdblog.com