A new report commissioned by the Scottish Government has shed light on 20th-century policies that targeted Gypsy and Traveller communities, revealing a dark history marked by forced housing, child removals, and cultural erasure. The extensive archival research confirms that the so-called “Tinker Experiments” involved systematic efforts by government agencies, local authorities, churches, charities, and even policing bodies to forcibly settle, segregate, and assimilate Gypsy/Traveller families. Spanning from the late 19th century through the 1980s, these policies were driven by dehumanizing attitudes and a desire for control.
Key findings of the report highlight a disturbingly close connection between state housing policies and the removal of children from Gypsy/Traveller families. Records demonstrate that children were frequently taken from their families and placed in industrial schools, military training or adopted both domestically and abroad—all under the guise of child welfare but with the ulterior motive of eradicating cultural identity.
Archival evidence reveals that government legislation, such as the 1865 Trespass Act and the 1908 Children Act, laid the groundwork for restricting Gypsy/Traveller mobility by mandating school attendance and other controls. Committees convened by the Scottish Office during the late 19th and early 20th centuries often used dehumanizing language, referring to these communities as “immigrant races” or comparing them to cattle and openly calling for their “eradication” or “extinction.”
Local authorities implemented discriminatory housing policies that forced families into substandard accommodations—from military barracks to temporary huts without basic amenities—and isolated sites designed to segregate Gypsy/Traveller communities from settled populations. These sites were often located in remote or environmentally hazardous areas, effectively creating ghettos that endured for decades.
Churches, most notably the Church of Scotland, also played a crucial role. The 19th-century Kirk Yetholm Experiment, for example, aimed to settle Gypsy/Traveller children in structured school environments—a move intended to “civilize” and assimilate these communities through education and housing. Church-led initiatives continued well into the 20th century, frequently aligning with government strategies to enforce “respectable” settlement.
Charitable organizations such as Barnardo’s, Quarriers, and the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children participated in child welfare programs that led to forced removals and institutional placements, sometimes supporting child migration schemes abroad. Although records specific to Gypsy/Traveller children are limited, the evidence indicates that these children were disproportionately represented in state care and industrial schools.
Policing agencies were complicit in the repression of these communities. Archives document extensive police monitoring and surveillance of Gypsy/Traveller camps and families, with law enforcement enforcing discriminatory legislation and sometimes actively supporting forced removals. Police attitudes often mirrored the dehumanizing rhetoric prevalent in wider society, referring to these communities in terms that likened them to “cattle” and describing their camps as “infested.”
In response to the release of this research, First Minister John Swinney addressed Parliament with a formal apology. Speaking on behalf of Scotland, Mr. Swinney acknowledged that, while these policies no longer exist and predate the Scottish Parliament, the lasting trauma inflicted on Gypsy/Traveller families is undeniable. “It seems clear to me that stark prejudice and lack of cultural awareness led to a series of unfair and unjust policies. Policies that resulted in children being removed from families, and families being forced to live in substandard accommodation and degrading conditions,” he stated. “The trauma that this has caused to individuals, families and groups, including those who regard themselves as ‘victims of Tinker Experiments’, is significant and lasting. So, as First Minister, I want to say this directly to Gypsy/Traveller communities: The ‘Tinker Experiments’ should not have happened. It was wrong. And we recognise how much it is still hurting so many. And more than anything else I want to say this. On behalf of Scotland, we are sorry.”
The report concludes that these historical actions amount to a form of cultural genocide—a systematic attempt to erase Gypsy/Traveller identities, languages, and cultural practices by enforcing assimilation and segregation. In emphasizing the absence of survivor voices, the research calls for further investigation and for gathering personal testimonies to fully understand the enduring impacts.
The Scottish Government’s acknowledgment of this troubled past marks an important step toward accountability and reconciliation. By formally apologising and pledging to learn from the mistakes of history, the government has committed itself to ensuring that such injustice is never repeated. The ongoing process of reckoning and reparations aims to pave the way for genuine cultural recognition and a more inclusive future for Gypsy and Traveller communities in Scotland.