gangrel

1) A vagabond or wandering beggar; a word sometimes applied pejoratively to strangers.

In 1488, Edmond Mauleverer made several provisions in his will for poor people in the Bramham area but excluded euery gangrelle that goyth aboute. In York, in 1572, in the aftermath of rebellion, the movement of strangers was strictly controlled and all vagabonds and valiant gangrells were to be stayed and straitely examined. In this sense ‘valiant’ meant able-bodied and the term ‘valiant beggar’ was synonymous with ‘sturdy beggar’, both of which had legal implications. In Skipton, John Nicolson was referred to in the period 1682-5 as a Foranner … a Gangerell Fellow: his name suggests that he may have been from Scotland.

dates 1488 1572 1682-1685

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