At the October meeting of the Stewartry U3A, Ivor Waddell gave a talk on Billy Marshall, gypsy and tinker, who is buried in Kirkcudbright cemetery and his connection with the Galloway Levellers.
He said that there was much myth and legend surrounding the life of Billy Marshall and especially concerning his age which is stated on his gravestone to be 120 years. There is no doubt that he lived to a great age and was something of a local celebrity such that there was some argument as to who would lay him to rest when he died in 1792. There was oral evidence from one family who said that he had been known to three generations and in the Old Statistical Account it is stated that he was of great age.
It was said that he fought for William of Orange but deserted from the army on many occasions possibly to be able to attend the annual fair at Kelton Hill like many other horse and cattle dealers, gypsies and tinkers. The many stories about Billy Marshall, elaborated over time, described him variously as a tinker, robber, smuggler and even murderer and that he had many wives and children. He was also thought to have been one of the leaders of the Galloway Levellers.
In the 1720s some landowners in Galloway stopped the rental of their land and enclosed it with dykes in order to breed cattle. The evicted farmers and farm workers protested against this change by pulling down the dykes. There were up to 1,000 levellers and various actions were taken against them, some being jailed and others deported. The revolt culminated with a confrontation with dragoons in 1724.
It is likely that the situation was aggravated by religious differences between the lairds, many of whom were Roman Catholic, and the farmworkers who were Protestant.
John Mcquistan thank Ivor for his talk on an intriguing account of local history.