Scope and Contents Song beginning 'A drum a du a du a de' [A Diddle for a Tinker's Wedding] and accompanying note probably collected from Margaret Campbell nee Stewart or her husband Andrew Campbell, Easter Bohespic or Over Bohespic, Siorrachd Pheairt/Perthshire. The song is composed of a four line chorus and four verses of four lines each. A vocabulary note explains the final line of the chorus 'Hurra the naikains waddin O' as 'Naikin = Tinker'. The additional note states that Andrew Campbell is a grandson of...

Scope and Contents Song entitled 'Gipsy Song In Gipsy Language' collected from 'a band of "tinners" working in a cart shed at Bailemartin, N[orth] Uist' [Baile Mhàrtainn/Balmartin, Uibhist a Tuath/North Uist] beginning 'Dheirc gearradh agus glomhach, Misealac leth blainteag' with a translation into Gaelic beginning 'Chunnaig/Chunnas bean agus duine, Falbh le bo'. At the top of the page in two different inks Carmichael has written 'Gailig Nan ceard' and 'Cainnt Nan Ceard' to indicate that the language of the...

Scope and Contents Story about a cow's illness being transferred to a woman probably collected in Barraigh/Isle of Barra, in which a girl herding cows notices that one of her cows is swollen. A passing traveller advises her to put a sample of the cow's urine in a bottle, to put a cork in the bottle and never remove it. She did this. A woman was seeking help for her mother who was swollen and likely to die and was only cured of her illness once the bottle was uncorked. The cow got better after this too. The...

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Story probably collected from a traveller in Isle of Barra [Barraigh] about being given 'salt tobacco and a fine comb' by a shopkeeper In Stornoway [Steòrnabhagh, Eilean Leòdhais/Isle of Lewis] and vocabulary note. Text has been scored through as if transcribed elsewhere.

Scope and Contents Story about Calum Gobha who was on Bernary [Berneray/Bearnaraigh nera Barra/Barraigh] during the storm of 3 October 1860. The storm was so fierce that the people were very afraid and sent Calum to get the holy water for prayers. Calum found a bottle of whisky next to the holy water, he took a swig of the whisky and then went out and sprinkled it on the people and cattle, he repeated this and the storm abated. In the morning bean Dhonuil Iain (Macintire) [Mrs Donald John MacIntyre] wanted to...

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Story in which Mac Uistean was too old to go seal hunting on Haisgeir [Theisgeir/Heisker] and in the stormy weather walked around the house repeating 'Slainri gun fheum an taobh taigh Mhic Uist[ean] an nochd Slanri & noc'. Also, a band of tinkers accustomed to seal-hunting had not had success for several seasons but after a ball on St Michael's Night they left and got 80 seals that night.

Scope and Contents Story about the 'iolair charm' collected from Isabella Macdonald nèe Stewart 'from the Chisholms. Grandaughter of Hanna Chisholm and grandniece to Isabella Chisholm'. The story tells how her mother used the iolair charm and dogs to get her children, including Isabella, from among the deer at a place called Garbhath mhor between Lochaber and Badenoch. It also states that her husband nearly married again but that she got home in time to stop him. Carmichael describes Isabella Macdonald as 'a...

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Story about tinkers and seal hunting on Hasgeir [Theisgeir/Heisker/Monach Isles] describing how once tinkers came from Leothas [Eilean Leodhais/Isle of Lewis] and stayed on Heisker for the summer. As long as they were there there were no seals but as soon as they went the seals returned.

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Story entitled 'Christ on the Cross' collected from Catherine MacLean, crofter, Naast, Gairloch, Ross and Cromarty [Nàst, Geàrr Loch, Ros is Cromba]. The story tells of how a female tinker [bana-cheard] fanned the flames of the fire which forged the nails used to nail Christ to the cross for which Christ cursed her and her descendants to travel for generations without finding peace or rest. Text has been scored through as if transcribed elsewhere.

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Story of the origin of the ceard [traveller] that it was because a smith refused to make the nails to crucify Christ that he was the originator of tinkers 'all over the world' [the word ceard meaning both blacksmith and traveller]. The text has been scored through as if transcribed elsewhere.