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Tramps


dougiedanger

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Talking traditional tramps of Sneck here, you don't seem to get them any more. Maybe it's harder to spot them when the town looks like a scene from Night of the Living Dead.

I think I remember seeing Forty Pockets in the early 80s or so. Hard to believe, but before Thatcher there were virtually no homeless people, and the idea of begging on the streets seemed like something out of medieval times.

So, what are your memories of the old time tramps?

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Forty Pockets? Wasnt he on the go in the early half of the 1900's? Are you not thinking of Sandy (Santa)?

Another old tramp was Mad Eddie who used to go about Dalneigh in the 70s and 80s

Edited by SMEE
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Forty Pockets lived until the late 50s according to this article http://www.invernessoldtownart.co.uk/news.asp?newsid=38 and is now commemorated on a mural

Mike-Inglis-and-Forty-Pockets.jpg

site link: http://northings.com/2011/04/05/mike-inglis-cathedral/

I remember "santa" too, but others who might get classed as tramps by some might be better called "worthies" in my mind ..... funny thing is, that most of these "tramps" occupy a place in our minds that is far more positive than modern day society's homeless persons, some of whom are undoubtedly "tramps" in the old school style, whereas others might not fit neatly into that category ........

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Forty Pockets lived until the late 50s according to this article http://www.inverness...s.asp?newsid=38 and is now commemorated on a mural

Mike-Inglis-and-Forty-Pockets.jpg

site link: http://northings.com...glis-cathedral/

I remember "santa" too, but others who might get classed as tramps by some might be better called "worthies" in my mind ..... funny thing is, that most of these "tramps" occupy a place in our minds that is far more positive than modern day society's homeless persons, some of whom are undoubtedly "tramps" in the old school style, whereas others might not fit neatly into that category ........

Must have been Santa I remember seeing then, it was outside the Town House.

That's a cool muriel, haven't been in town for a while, so hadn't seen it. I like its stylistic fusion of Art Nouveau, Comic Art and Graffiti, I must say.

I think you are right about old school tramps and their public perception--they seemed to be tolerated far more and seen as part of the fabric of the twon. Plus, they seemed happy with their lot, which may not have been the case, but they seemed quite carefree..

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http://www.ebay.co.u...71#ht_500wt_689

Found one on eBay danger an ex sneck tramp living somewhere in the bowels of Lancashire

Dougal

Quite good D, took me a while to get it. On his way to take the Staigo...

That's a quality tramp though, a classy vagrant from days gone by, puffing on his pipe and not giving the slightest f**k.

$%28KGrHqZ,%21jQE2IcVvDWuBNpy7ERr+g%7E%7E_12.JPG

Image not available

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Forty Pockets? Wasnt he on the go in the early half of the 1900's? Are you not thinking of Sandy (Santa)?

Another old tramp was Mad Eddie who used to go about Dalneigh in the 70s and 80s

Tell us more about Mad Eddie. Not sure if you can attain tramp status by sticking to one scheme though.

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Hard to believe, but before Thatcher there were virtually no homeless people, and the idea of begging on the streets seemed like something out of medieval times.

What utter nonsense. In the fifties, sixties and seventies before Thatcher the town had lots of homeless people. In fact I would say the numbers went down during the Thatcher years. I remember Stonyfield in the fifties and sixties was awash with homless people. "Tinker Camps" they were called. The children attended the local schools though. At least ten went to Crown School.

They were all eventually accomodated in housing down in the Merkinch from memory.

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Hard to believe, but before Thatcher there were virtually no homeless people, and the idea of begging on the streets seemed like something out of medieval times.

What utter nonsense. In the fifties, sixties and seventies before Thatcher the town had lots of homeless people. In fact I would say the numbers went down during the Thatcher years. I remember Stonyfield in the fifties and sixties was awash with homless people. "Tinker Camps" they were called. The children attended the local schools though. At least ten went to Crown School.

They were all eventually accomodated in housing down in the Merkinch from memory.

These were probably travelling people rather than those made homeless in the 80s as a result of tory government policies and forced to live on the streets.

As I recall, homeless people were never seen on the streets of Inverness before the 80s.

Anyway, this thread is about bigging up the tramps, so stay on topic please.

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Forty Pockets? Wasnt he on the go in the early half of the 1900's? Are you not thinking of Sandy (Santa)?

Another old tramp was Mad Eddie who used to go about Dalneigh in the 70s and 80s

Mad Eddie was a convicted paedophile that used to hang about the Bught and Dalneigh .

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Ooh.....i didnt know Mad Eddie was a peado. I just remember being scaared of him (just as well really in the circumstances).

Didint he live in an old barn type thing just off trafford road, near the canal?

I just thought of another person i would have classed as a tramp, again...i think she frequented the Dalneigh area, and she was Maggie Bins. I THINK i recall her pushing abouot a shopping trolley everywhere...full of bags of rubbish

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I just thought of another person i would have classed as a tramp, again...i think she frequented the Dalneigh area, and she was Maggie Bins. I THINK i recall her pushing abouot a shopping trolley everywhere...full of bags of rubbish

Yes I remember her in Dalneigh in the 60s and by God she STANK! I have the most awful memory of her coming on to a bus absolutely minging! She also had the most ghastly, swollen lower legs with "Tinkers' Tartan" from sitting beside a fire for too long. And I also think I remember the trolley or in fact I think it was a pram in the pre supermarket days. She used to go round the doors asking for rubbish but my mum wouldn't let me answer it.

I also remember the camp at Stoneyfield, quite close to the old A96 but indeed I think that was travellers before they moved down beside the dump at the Longman when you could take a car right up there to dump stuff (count your wheels both before and after.)

Quite a thought some of these kids going to Crown School. I wonder what the "canapes and Chardonnay" brigade thought about that? :lol: Bet all the future Kaddy Rats from the big posh houses got taken home and were thoroughly checked for nits... or worse!

Does Granville count as a tramp?

Edited by Charles Bannerman
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Charles - The camps were permanent and were not travelling folk. I knew some of the kids from there that went to the Crown School. Mostly from the MacPhee and Williamson clans. By the late sixties they were being housed over at the Merkinch.

Believe it or not they were pretty well accepted at the school and their presence made us 'better situated' children really appreciate what we had.

The were great fighters to have or your side during the gang game we played at Crown school.

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Thanks for that informed update Culduthel. I had always juast assumed that the Stoneyfield "tinks" were itinerants. Interesting also to track their migration to the Merkinch. And yes, I can imagine it was useful to have them on your side if it came to fisticuffs!

Scotty... agreed! Granville was definitely a worthy out of the same stable (OOPS - sorry for the spontaneous pun :snigger: ) as Suzie and Willie. Presumably his abode was also fairly fixed as well.

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Back in the late forties when I was at the Central School there were three names that most struck fear into our minds that was Bunnoes, Fortypockets and Clayuck cant say i ever met any of them and thought in latter years they were fictitious

Now it's got me thinking was IHE .... no..... or could it be.... surely not.... got to think about this will post again later!!

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In one of these "Old Inverness" type books there's a classic photo of Forty Pockets, I think outside Castle Tolmie (razed in the early 60s to make way for the Shapla or whatever it's called now.(*) Certainly my granny, who lived in Inverness from 1899 until 1932, used to talk about Forty Pockets.

"Hill 60", the tenement block off Grant Street, with all its World war 1 connotations, was another departed Inverness institution she used to talk about.

(*) what was the Shapla called for years before it was the Shapla? It's on the tip of my tongue!!! You could get an under age drink in there is the late 60s.

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(*) what was the Shapla called for years before it was the Shapla? It's on the tip of my tongue!!! You could get an under age drink in there is the late 60s.

The Tryst ... and they were still doing underage drinking in the 80s !

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(*) what was the Shapla called for years before it was the Shapla? It's on the tip of my tongue!!! You could get an under age drink in there is the late 60s.

The Tryst ... and they were still doing underage drinking in the 80s !

Was it not also known as Treetops for a while, possibly AFTER it was the Tryst?

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