Gaberlunzie
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Gaberlunzie [gabər'lun(j)i] is a medieval Scots word for a licensed beggar. The name may derive from the wallet that such people carry, but there is no other known derivation. The word appears in several of Sir Walter Scott's books. It can be spelled gaberlunyie, since the z was originally a yogh.
Gaberlunzies were also known as King's Bedesmen or blue gowns (the gowns were part of the alms given by the monarch). Scott gives an account of the customs and of particular Bedesmen he knew in the introduction to The Antiquary.
Gaberlunzie is also the name of a Scottish folk duo. Featuring Gordon Menzies and Robin Watson, they have now been on the scene for over thirty years. Both were former Glasgow policemen, and together they have recorded many albums of traditional and original Scottish folk songs.
[edit] External links
- The Antiquary, available at Project Gutenberg.
- Traditional poem: The Gaberlunyie Man
This article incorporates text from the public domain 1907 edition of The Nuttall Encyclopædia.
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