Watercourse Bill

From Srafopedia

Gyptian leader John Faa cites this anti-gyptian legislation, a piece that was finally defeated in Parliament through Lord Asriel’s efforts, as an example of the gyptians’ debt to Lord Asriel and one of the many reasons why none among the Gyptains should turn his daughter, Lyra, over to the authorities for the bounty money or to protect themselves from harassment. Faa also cites Asriel’s willingness to allow the gyptians to navigate through canals on his property; likely the Watercourse Bill also had to do with protecting transit routes used by the gyptians between the Fens and neighboring towns.

In our world, the gyptians of England are referred to as travelers. While most live in caravans or trailer campers, there are still some boat dwellers, and their battles with governmental regulations concerning use of waterways continues. An example of such legislation is a proposal for “continuous cruising licenses” which requires boat dwellers without permanent mooring to travel a minimum of 120 lock miles every 3 months, which would interfere with children’s schooling and maintaining regular work. The alternative would be renting increasingly scarce and consequently expensive docking space. The website Gypsy Traveller [1], a virtual zaal, provides information of concern to travelers, including announcements of forthcoming horse fairs.