Jess Smith BEM (born 1948) is a

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

writer and storyteller. Her work focuses on the experiences of

Scottish Travellers Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

. She has written seven books, including an autobiographical trilogy recalling her own childhood experiences, and a booklet on Traveller Dialects (with co-author Robert Dawson). In 2014 she led a campaign to save the Tinkers' Heart, a Scottish Travellers' monument in Argyll, Scotland. A well known storyteller and public speaker, Smith has raised awareness of Scottish Travellers at schools in

Perth & Kinross Perth and Kinross (; ) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and a lieutenancy area. It is bordered by Highland and Aberdeenshire to the north, Angus, Dundee, and Fife to the east, Clackmannanshire to the south, and Stirling and Argyll a ...

Lanarkshire Lanarkshire, also called the County of Lanark (; ), is a Counties of Scotland, historic county, Lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area and registration county in the Central Lowlands and Southern Uplands of Scotland. The county is no l ...

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

and

Lothians Lothian (; ; ) is a region of the Scottish Lowlands, lying between the southern shore of the Firth of Forth and the Lammermuir Hills and the Moorfoot Hills. The principal settlement is the Scottish capital, Edinburgh, while other signific ...

Leeds Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built aro ...

, the

Highlands and Islands The Highlands and Islands is an area of Scotland broadly covering the Scottish Highlands, plus Orkney, Shetland, and the Outer Hebrides (Western Isles). The Highlands and Islands are sometimes defined as the area to which the Crofters' Act o ...

Suffolk Suffolk ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Norfolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Essex to the south, and Cambridgeshire to the west. Ipswich is the largest settlement and the county ...

and

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, and at libraries, prisons, universities, clubs and Church groups. She has spoken at

Story Telling Storytelling is the social and cultural activity of sharing stories, sometimes with improvisation, theatrics or embellishment. Every culture has its own narratives, which are shared as a means of entertainment, education, cultural preservation ...

Festivals in

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

and

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

, and at Book Festivals throughout the UK in addition to leading writing, story telling and traditional singing workshops. She has been awarded the British Empire Medal (BEM) for services to the Traveller community.

Early life

Smith was born in Aberfeldy in 1948. From a Scottish Traveller family, she lived with her seven sisters and parents in a single decker blue Bedford bus from the ages of five to 15.

Career

Smith started writing seriously after the death of her father, Charles Riley. He had written unpublished memoirs and she had made a promise on his deathbed that she would tell the story of their culture. Her first poem, Scotia's Bairn, was inspired by a memory of sitting in a bus in

Kirkcaldy Kirkcaldy ( ; ; ) is a town and former royal burgh in Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. It is about north of Edinburgh and south-southwest of Dundee. The town had a recorded population of 49,460 in 2011, making it Fife's second-largest s ...

when another girl refused to take a seat next to her because she was a Traveller. She provided the inspiration for 'The Language of the Scottish Traveller: A Dictionary' when she sent the author, Pauline Cairns Speitel, a copy of 'The Scottish Traveller Dialects', which she co wrote with Robert Dawson. The hope was that the Dictionary would help break down some of the barriers which divide Travellers from the wider community. She has written seven books including an autobiographical trilogy recalling her own childhood experiences. Smith's most recent book, Button Bog (2025), includes some of the stories written by her father Charlie Riley, which had been thought lost but were rediscovered in the archives of Scottish folk collector

Hamish Henderson (James) Hamish Scott Henderson (11 November 1919 – 9 March 2002) was a Scotland, Scottish poet, songwriter, communist, intellectual and soldier. Henderson was a catalyst for the folk revival in Scotland. He was also an accomplished folk s ...

Tinkers' Heart campaign

In 2012

scheduled monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage, visu ...

status was proposed for the Tinkers' Heart of Argyll, the "Gypsy Wedding Place" where Scottish Travellers would go to get married and have their babies blessed. However the application was declined as

Historic Scotland Historic Scotland () was an executive agency of the Scottish Government, executive agency of the Scottish Office and later the Scottish Government from 1991 to 2015, responsible for safeguarding Scotland's built heritage and promoting its und ...

indicated that it did not meet the criteria for a monument of national importance. In 2014 Smith launched a campaign to have this decision overturned, and in June 2015 the Heart became a scheduled monument.

Personal life

Smith lives in

Perthshire Perthshire (Scottish English, locally: ; ), officially the County of Perth, is a Shires of Scotland, historic county and registration county in central Scotland. Geographically it extends from Strathmore, Angus and Perth & Kinross, Strathmore ...

and is married with three adult children; two sons and a daughter. She is patron of the young travellers' rights organisation Article 12.

Awards and Recognition

In 2012, Article 12 won the

Herald A herald, or a herald of arms, is an officer of arms, ranking between pursuivant and king of arms. The title is commonly applied more broadly to all officers of arms. Heralds were originally messengers sent by monarchs or noblemen ...

Society Equalities Project of the Year Award. Smith was shortlisted for a Scottish Heritage Angel Award in 2016 for her involvement in saving the Tinkers' Heart heritage site. Smith was awarded the British Empire Medal for services to the Traveller community in 2023, in King

Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''* ...

' first

New Years Honours The New Year Honours is a part of the British honours system, with New Year's Day, 1 January, being marked by naming new members of orders of chivalry and recipients of other official honours. A number of other Commonwealth realms also mark this ...

list.

Bibliography

The Scottish Traveller Dialects
(with Robert Dawson) 2002
Jessie's Journey
2002
Tales from the Tent
2003
Tears for a Tinker
2005
Bruar's Rest
2006
Sookin' Berries
2008
Way of the Wanderers
2012
Button Bog
2025

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Jess (writer) Scottish Travellers Scottish writers British storytellers Women storytellers 1948 births Living people Writers from Perth and Kinross People from Perthshire