The Horsieman : Memories of a Traveller 1928-58

Duncan Williamson was the son, grandson and great grandson of nomadic tinsmiths, basket makers, pipers and storytellers. In this book, he describes his life as a traveler with verve, candor and intimacy, recounting a childhood spent on the shores of Loch Fyne, work on the small hill farms in the summer, walking with barrows and prams and later with horse and cart, the length and breadth of Scotland. He recalls camping with hundreds of traveler families from the 1940s to the 1960s, his marriage to his cousin, Jeanie Townsley, and all the various traditional skills and arts which must be perfected for a man to maintain his family adequately.The Horsieman is the story of traditions long vanished - of traveler trades, of building tents, of routes traveled and traditional camping sites, of stories, songs, music and cures which have been the heritage and tradition of traveling people in Scotland through the ages. Set mainly in Argyll, Tayside and all stations in between, Duncan Williamson's story is told with great warmth and humor and in the inimitable style of one Scotland's master storytellers.