I hope that you all had a great Christmas.
We went to Kirkcudbright a couple of days before, and I visited the cemetery as recommended.
It did not take me too long to find the William Marshall plot ...
... for one thing ...
... it was the only grave that had money placed on top of the headstone - I donated 20p.
I bought a guide book of the area and in it there is this piece about William Marshall:
... Of all the many extraordinary characters associated over the centuries with Kirkcudbright, perhaps the most remarkable was Billy Marshall. Dubbed 'King of the Gypsies', he is now best remembered for the age he is thought to have been when he died in 1792 - one hundred and twenty!
Billy's gang of vagabonds, heavily involved in the smuggling trade, held sway over the area of Galloway. In 1724 he was also among the leaders of the short lived Levellers revolt against the landowners' enclosure of common land.
According to Sir Walter Scott, he was lawfully married seventeen times, and even after reaching the century he was said to have sired at least another four illegitimate children. Some man! An obituarist wrote that of all the thievish rogues operating in the country, 'he was by far the most honourable of his profession'...
I also found this online:
... William "Billy" Marshall (reputedly born in Ayrshire around 1672 and lasting until 1792) was of gypsy (tinker) stock, who became famous as a boxer - and a bandit. He became "king" of the tinkers in Galloway and proceeded to terrorise much of the countryside. His legendary exploits also include deserting from the army no less than seven times and from the navy three times. He is reputed to have married on 17 occasions, had countless children (both in and out of wedlock) and fathered at least four children after the age of 100. His gravestone stands in the cemetery of St Cuthbert's in Kircudbright ...
I wish you all the very best for 2009, hope to see you sometime during the year - bus pass permitting!
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