Corlinda Lee was the daughter of Charles Lee and Union Chilcott. The Lees were a very prominent Gypsy family. In 1856, at the age of 25, Corlinda married George Smith. Like the Lees, the Smiths were also a very important Gypsy family. The marriage of Corlinda and George merged two very important gypsy dynasties, making the couple the King and Queen of the Gypsies.
George was, in fact, head of 10 different gypsy families. He was also a bit of an entrepreneur and decided to use the country’s intrigue about gypsies to the benefit of his families. He and the families toured Great Britain, holding “shows” where the public could pay to see inside the caravans, or have their fortunes read. One such customer was none other than Queen Victoria, who is purported to have had her fortune read by Corlinda herself. Of course, this set about a frenzy for all of the socialites to want to follow suit, much to George’s benefit.
Corlinda died
while in Glasgow and is buried at the Glasgow Necropolis. Corlinda was 68 years
old at the time of her death. George had a gravestone erected in her honour. At
one time, the stone had a bronze relief in the likeness of Corlinda, but as
with many bronze insets, it has been lost to time (likely stolen). However, a
faint silhouette still remains. One of the fascinating things about her
tombstone is the number of coins that have been left by people who have come to
pay their respects.
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