Freedom and Liberty - Broadside ballad verse from the Enoch Wood scrapbook

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Date:1780 - 1830 (c.)

Description:An additional verse for a politically motivated song.

The song appears to be a call to support John Fenton Boughey in a parliamentary election.

We're told "we were nursed in Trentham's sweet Lap,
And all of us suckled by her golden Pap."
From "Snakes in the grass," now they ask no more votes,
A Tool of their own they would cram down our throats.

Boughey and Liberty,
Freedom and Liberty,

Let us give PLUMPERS to Boughey alone.

Huzza! Huzza! Huzza!


Plumpers

Staffordshire had two MPs representing the constituency.

When parliamentary elections took place those eligible to vote were given two votes to cast.

The elector could choose to cast a vote for each candidate or give a single candidate both of his votes.

If he chose to do the latter it was known as a plumper vote.

Broadside ballads

Broadsides or broadsheets were a popular way of distributing and publishing songs.

It was a practice that had been growing in popularity since the birth of the printing press in the 1500s and carried on until the early 1900s.

These ballads covered many different subjects including romance, nationalism, famous individuals, current affairs and, in this case, politics.

Ballad singing was not only used as a form of entertainment. In this period there was a high level of illiteracy amongst the working classes. Ballad singing became a good way to spread news, ideas or propaganda.

Broadsides were often sold by street hawkers who would also sing the songs.

About this document

This document was collected by Burslem pottery manufacturer Enoch Wood and is now among the collections of Stoke-on-Trent Museums.

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