Broadsides - An Introduction

The term ‘broadsheet’ in this context refers to a different type of literary publication than we in the 21st century understand the term. The Oxford English Dictionary, in the draft entry for February 2004, defines ‘broadsheet’ as ‘A newspaper consisting of large, folded sheets, printed on both sides; (in later use) esp. a type of newspaper with this format, considered to contain serious, in-depth journalism,’ but the term in the context of this site refers to the older meaning, which the OED defines as ‘a large sheet of paper printed on one side only.’ Sometimes, broadsheets were also referred to as ‘broadsides’, although there does not seem to be any reason for this differentiation.

The term ‘broadsheet’ in this sense refers to the printed texts which were sold among the general population. The OED records a mention of the word as far back as the 16th century, but their popularity grew during the 18th and 19th centuries as a means of conveying to the working class news and leisure in the form of ballads. Sometimes the two were combined, as can be seen in the ballad ‘A Shocking Murder’, which through prose and poetry tells of the murder of Amelia Phipps in 1873. But it was the use of military bands in the French or Napoleonic Wars (1793-1815) which Vic Gammon notes brought the ballad and broadsheet into general popularity. Throughout the nineteenth century, the broadsheet brought the working classes news (i.e. the Phipps murder, see ‘Shocking News’), commentary (i.e. Irish laments for an occupied homeland, see ‘Ireland for the Irish’), sentimentality (see ‘Little Jim, The Collier Boy), nationalism (see ‘England Forever’), and celebrations of British culture (see ‘John Barleycorn’).

The broadsheets on this web site have been reproduced with kind permission from Manchester Central Library. The following has been taken from the Library’s notes on the history of the ballads:

• ‘The majority of these ballads were printed by Thomas Pearson, of Chadderton […] who is listed in directories from 1861-3 to 1894, after which time the business passed to Agnes Pearson. He acquired the stock of “stereo and electro-type plates” of two earlier Manchester printers John C Babbington […] (listed from 1855 to 1861-3) and John Wrigley of Rochdale. Attempts were made to obliterate their imprints on many of the ballads so it is reasonable to assume that many ballads were set up in type much earlier than they were run off the presses. In addition there are some ballads with the imprint of Harkness of Preston. […] It is almost impossible to date ballads accurately. Many remained popular for decades and were constantly reprinted. Only a few can be ascribed to an author […] Historic events mentioned in the text are useful but by no means a sure guide. Ballads about great national events such as Waterloo and Trafalgar were reprinted well into the Victorian era. Minor local events such as royal visits are more reliable. […] None of these ballads date from later than 1873.

While acknowledging that the dating process is almost impossible, I would suggest that the ballad entitled ‘Ireland for the Irish’ may date from the early 20th century. The reference to the ‘martyred’ Irish patriots at Manchester refers to the Fenian liberation of their imprisoned leaders in 1867, but the reference to Stephen’s Green appears to refer to the Easter Uprising of 1916 which would date the broadsheet much later than the Manchester introduction would suggest.

The poor quality of the reproduction of these images is due mainly to the restoration and preservation techniques used on the ballad sheets. The sheets were coated in fine muslin by the Library to prevent the paper from disintegrating. Attempts to ‘clean up’ the images have given the best clarity possible, but this is still not always easy to read and so the text for the selected poems has been transcribed and overlaid so the reader can both decipher the text and see the position of the text and any accompanying illustrations in the original publication.