Placed on the outside of the South Porch of St. Mary's church are three faded and weathered panels. One showing a horse within a wreath...
The tale goes that Inverto Boswell, King of the Gypsies is buried in the churchyard here. His burial place once adorned by an elaborate tomb, eventually destroyed by an uncaring vicar when renovating the church.
Is Calne the resting place of a King of the Gypsies? What is inscribed on the weathered panels? Finally, was Boswell's tomb trashed by an unsympathetic vicar or for another reason entirely?
Read on to discover what I've been able to uncover...
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| The Tomb of Inverto Boswell. Image adapted from Crowquill & Palmer, 1846. |
Inverto Boswell, was from a family of gypsies from the Vale of the Horse, more specifically, Uffington in Oxfordshire. He was born to Henry Boswell (d.1760), the previous King and Elizabeth Boswell.
The following anecdote comes to us from a book entitled 'The wanderings of a pen and pencil' by Palmer and Crowquill. An un-named, and perhaps unreliable, deputy clerk of the church, tells the tale, triggered by a 'contribution'.
By way of hearsay, he tells us that the family seemed very poor and unclean. When Inverto suffered his smallpox-induced decline, he revealed that he was desperately in love with a farmer's daughter.
The farmer had forbidden his daughter to enter a church with a 'Heathen' gypsy, as the whole lot were 'born rogues and common thieves'.
Here the fortunes seemed to have vastly improved for the poor Boswell family, as the retelling continues:
'The gipsy offered to count guinea for guinea with the girl's father,
as long as he liked to go at it , provided he should say yea to the match if
Boswell laid down the most of the gold on his own side the kitchen table.
Now ! the game began, for the farmer loved money , they say, and put his
whole soul in it at all times. The farmer's bag was soon emptied. Boswell
matched the sum, and his wife popped into his fist a second bag, to carry on
the bargain ; so they all shook hands round, and the girl was won .'
This fortune reinvigorated Inverto, but for just a single week. The girl died of 'inflammation'. Boswell emotionally distraught was moved to Studley around Christmas, dying of smallpox as 'the sheep began to drop their lambs' early 1774.
Inverto, said to be named for his breech birth position, died on 8 February 1774. He was buried at the south side of the St. Mary's churchyard two days later.
The beautiful altar tomb (shown in previous illustration) was adorned with stones inscribed with, 'Under this Tomb lieth the body of Inverto Boswell, Son of Henry and Elizabeth Boswell, who departed this life the 8th day of February 1774, aged 36.'
Followed by,
'The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away: blessed be the Name of the Lord'
At one end of the tomb is a beautiful horse, on its hind legs, within a wreath. The horse connects to the Vale of the Horse near Uffington, Inverto's original home.
While the sources offer conflicting information about whether Inverto was a king, a prince, or purely the son of a king, it is accepted that for many years after this young man's death, gypsies would assemble in Calne. Along with taking care of the tomb, it is said that perhaps commemorative or religious rites were held here. Unfortunately, the word 'heathenish' occurs as a derogatory slur in the sources.
Tombs erected in the memory of gypsies are said to be rare. There are two primary reasons for such a memorial: the deceased wished it so, or it is erected due to the person displaying deeds of heroic distinction during his lifetime. In my mind, I would like it to be the second reason, however we just don't know enough about Inverto's life to make that claim.
In 1864, 90 years after Inverto's untimely death, a £4000 (£25,000 adjusted for inflation) restoration of St. Mary's church was completed. No mention is made of the tomb in the celebratory descriptions of the restored and renewed church. However, the tomb was dismantled at the same time the South Porch was being restored. But why?
The rector at the time was Vicar Rev. Duncan. He and his wife Caroline were a real force for good in Calne. Whether as a couple or individuals, they opened a Children's hospital at The Pippin, started a juvenile school, and trained girls to be servants. However, sources state that Duncan disliked gypsies. He would actively discourage any rites being performed at the tomb.
To counter this position I would like to put forward a hypothesis, formed from a source. Perhaps after 90 years, the tomb was disintegrating. Perhaps there was no money to restore the tomb. Perhaps installing the most important pieces into the wall of the South Porch was actually a way of ensuring their preservation. As part of the physical building, Inverto's memory is safe from the ravages of the weather that have brought so many box tombs tumbling to the ground.
It may well have been that while Duncan did not like gypsies, he respected the value of the memorial. He both destroyed and protected that memorial with his actions.
Whatever the circumstance, it would seem that Inverto won the day. His tomb may have been destroyed, but it seems that he was still visiting the site of his burial in the early 1900s, as this account by Marsh attests:
' It is an article of faith with some of the present-day gipsies of the neighbourhood that the shade of Inverto Boswell visits at times the place of burial. Indeed, one of them has confidently asserted to me that he has seen the ghostly visitant, but how he recognised it as Inverto's ghost he does not appear to know.'
Perhaps you've felt this unexpected shade when you've been in the churchyard? Perhaps you'd like to visit the ground before the South Porch to pay your respects, aware that a shade may join you, proving that you are not alone. If you do, take a moment to think of your loved ones. As this is the shade of a man that died not only of smallpox, but of a truly broken heart.
Sources:
'The wanderings of a pen and pencil' by Palmer and Crowquill
'Our Gipsies in City, Tent, and Van' by Vernon S. Morwood
'The History of the Borough and Town of Calne' by A.E.W Marsh
