MORE than 300 mourners attended the funeral of a respected and well-known member of Gwent's gipsy community yesterday.

Brynmawr was brought to a standstill for the funeral of 70-year-old Edwin Smith, known as Eddie, as he was taken on his last journey in a black carriage from the service at Zion Church on Clarence Street to Brynmawr Cemetery.

The carriage was pulled by four Belgian black horses which had been brought from Derbyshire for the funeral. It was followed by nine cars carrying Mr Smith's family.

Mr Smith's own horse, Flower of Wales, was in the procession and pulled a carriage loaded with scrap metal which he requested before he died as a tribute to his life as a scrap metal merchant.

Mr Smith died after a long illness on September 20 at Prince Charles Hospital in Merthyr Tydfil. His funeral was led by his friend the Reverend Teify Ebenezer, who talked of Mr Smith's great love of horses and birds, saying his favourite bird was the goldfinch.

He also thanked the staff at Prince Charles Hospital and at TJ Brown and Sons, the funeral directors.

Mr Ebenezer spoke of Mr Smith's long life and said he was born in Pill, Newport, where his father Edward was a cutter and grinder. He worked as a rag and bone man, known as a 'tatter', before marrying Margaret Rose, whom he affectionately called Muggy.

The two lived in Upper Race, Pontypool, and had 11 children - five girls and six boys.

The family then travelled around the country, spending the winter potato picking in Pembrokeshire, and the summer fruit-picking in Herefordshire. After 22 years, they then settled in Nantyglo.

Margaret Rose, who was known as Queen of the Gypsies, died in 1988. As well as his 11 children Mr Smith had 33 grandchildren and 20 great-grandchildren. At the funeral, three of his granddaughters read a poem Of My Grandad.

Mr Ebenezer said Mr Smith had recently been reunited with his brother and sister, whom he had not seen in many years.

He said Mr Smith had told him "This should have happened 20 years ago" and had been very pleased to see his family back together. He spoke of Mr Smith's love for his large family and their grief at losing him.

He then read a poem, I Miss you so Much, and the hymns The Lord's My Shepherd and The Old Rugged Cross were sung.

As the coffin was carried out of the church the song One More Mile was played.