Gaberlunzie facts for kids

A Gaberlunzie (pronounced like GAB-er-LUN-jee) is an old Scottish word for a special kind of beggar from the Middle Ages. These beggars were "licensed," meaning they had official permission to ask for money or food.

What is a Gaberlunzie?

The word "Gaberlunzie" might come from a small bag or wallet these beggars carried. Another idea is that it comes from two French words: 'gaban' (a type of cloak with tight sleeves and a hood) and 'laine' (meaning wool). This makes sense because gaberlunzies often wore rough woollen cloaks. Sometimes, people also called them 'bluegowns' because their cloaks were often blue. The spelling can also be gaberlunyie.

Gaberlunzies in Stories and History

The word "Gaberlunzie" appears in many famous books and stories.

Famous Books

• The Scottish writer Sir Walter Scott used the word in several of his books. He even wrote about the customs of these beggars in his book The Antiquary.
• Gaberlunzies were also known as King's Bedesmen or blue gouns. This is because they sometimes received charity, called alms, from the king.
• In Thomas Hardy's book The Mayor of Casterbridge, a Scottish character named Donald Farfrae uses the word.
• The word also shows up in Patrick O'Brian's adventure novels, like Treason's Harbour and The Hundred Days.

TV Shows and Music

• In the TV series Outlander, a character named Hugh Munro wears many tokens. These tokens show he had permission to beg in different parts of Scotland.
• There was also a Scottish folk music group called Gaberlunzie. They were popular from the late 1960s until 2018.

A King's Disguise

• King James V of Scotland loved the idea of this simple life. He would sometimes dress up like a gaberlunzie. He would travel around his kingdom in secret, singing songs for his supper and a place to sleep. This way, he could see what life was really like for his people.

Learn More

• You can learn more about these interesting figures by looking up the old song "The Jolly Beggar". It is also known as "The Gaberlunzieman".