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Traditional Celtic Music, Scottish Songs & Border Ballads
Scots' musician, songwriter, & balladeer.
Hazel Whyte
Broadsheet Ballads
The Sale Of A
Wife
A simple brief
thought on Scottish
Independance.

Were the outdated
union not of some very
high value to England and
the English, why would
they fight so to try to
keep it?

There are only so many
slices to a pie, for one to
have more, another must
have less.

Lastly - to those Scottish
"Loyalists" - to whom are
you loyal?
Scots royalty died in the
1700's so it can be no
Scots crown - And
certainly not it appears to
those who came before,
that bled for Scotland
and her freedom !  
In the words
of Burns, as he
wrote from the heart.

Scots, wha hae wi' Wallace bled,
Scots, wham Bruce has aften led,
Welcome to your gory bed,
Or to victorie.

Now's the day, and now's the hour;
See the front o' battle lour;
See approach proud Edward's power,
Chains and slaverie.

Wha would be a traitor-knave?
Wha can fill a coward's grave?
Wha sae base as be a Slave?
Let him turn and flie:

Wha for Scotland's king and law,
Freedom's sword will strongly draw,
Free-man stand, or free-man fa',
Let him follow me.

By Oppression's woes and pains!
By your Sons in servile chains!
We will drain our dearest veins,
But they shall be free!

Lay the proud Usurpers low!
Tyrants fall in every foe!
Liberty's in every blow!
Let us Do - or Die!!!

Choose your destiny.
These are songs, ballads and rhymes taken straight from the old
"broadsheet press" which existed in Scotland between about 1550 and
1890. Where possible we have simply put direct scans in place.
Circa 1828
Commentary
This report begins: 'A full and particular Account of the
Sale of a Woman, named Mary Mackintosh, which took
place on Wednesday Evening, the 16th of July, 1828, in
the Grass Market of Edinburgh, accused by her Husband
of being a notorious Drunkard; with the Particulars of
the bloody Battle which took place afterwards.' It was
printed by W. Boag of Newcastle, and probably sold for
one penny.

This rather disturbing incident must have sparked
considerable interest for it to be picked up by a
Newcastle publisher. In most instances, local events
were largely reported by local publishers. It is
reassuring that people at the time, in particular women,
were shocked and outraged by these events and
attempted to halt the proceedings. As Mary MacKintosh
would have known only too well, a woman who entered
into marriage at this time automatically became the
property of her husband.

Broadsides are single sheets of paper, printed on one
side, to be read unfolded. They carried public
information such as proclamations as well as ballads
and news of the day. Cheaply available, they were sold
on the streets by pedlars and chapmen. Broadsides
offer a valuable insight into many aspects of the society
they were published in, and the National Library of
Scotland holds over 250,000 of them.