Author with ‘sixth sense’ discovers family link to ‘gypsy queen’ who stars in his book

An author has discovered he shares a family link with a ‘gypsy queen’ he wrote a book about.

Chris Shields, 52, of Courtwood Lane, Croydon was surprised to find his own family link to the Norwood Gypsy Queen, the star of his book A Pictorial History of The Beulah Spa, published in 2018.

Mr Shields, born in Norwood, said he was always aware of his Romany gypsy heritage on his grandfather’s side, but it was only when writing his most recent book, 101 Romany Faces, that he finally made the connection.

He said: “This news is a bit of a shock – a pleasant one, though. I’ve always wondered what gave me the initial incentive to do all of this in the first place.”

While researching his Romany book, which features 101 photographs of real Romany gypsies, he discovered that Floriana Cooper, born in Beckenham in 1791 and who died at Gipsy Hill, near Crystal Palace, in 1855, was the fortune teller at the Beulah Spa in the 1830s.

She was known as the “Norwood Gypsy Queen” and her husband, Samuel Cooper, was the “Norwood Gypsy King”.

Their son, Vanslow Cooper, married Mr Shields’ first cousin five times removed, Urania Smith, who was born in Middlesex in 1828.

He said: “Part of me wonders if it’s a sixth sense – Romany gypsy blood type influence that had some sort of call to make me do it.

“My great aunt read the tea leaves and certainly had the Romany sixth sense about things.”

Pictured top: Mr Shields with his new book, 101 Romany Faces (Picture: Chris Shields)