Top pop from seventeenth-century England. Broadside ballads were single-sheet songs that sold for a penny a piece. This website concentrates on over 100 resoundingly successful examples that you can investigate through recordings, images and a wealth of other materials. Whether you are interested in music, art, love, gender, tragedy, politics, family life, crime, history, humour or death, you will find something to engage you here. See also User’s Guide.

Thackeray, William   Recreation - Music   Pepys Library, Magdalene College, Cambridge University   National Library Of Scotland  

Showing 1 to 18 of 18

5 The Ballad of the CLOAK:/ Or, The Cloaks Knavery [Pepys 2.218]
13 The rarest Ballad that ever was seen,/ Of the Blind beggers daughter of Bednall-green [Euing 293]
17 The Merchants Daughter of Bristow [Euing 210]
48 A pretty Ballad of the Lord of Lorn, and the false Steward [Pepys 1.494-95]
53 The Dead Mans Song,/ Whose dwelling was neere unto Bassings Hall in London [Roxburghe 1.72-73]
57 The Shepherd and the King, and of Gillian the Shepherds Wife, with her churlish Answer [Euing 332]
68 Poor Robin's Dream, commonly call'd, Poor Charity [Euing 285]
70 The wofull complaint, and lamentable death of a forsaken Lover [Pepys 1.354-55]
72 A Lamentable Ballad of Fair Rosamond, King Henry the Second’s Concubine,/ Who was put to death by Queen Elinor, in Woodstock Bower near Oxford [Pepys 1.498-99]
83 The dying tears of a true Lover forsaken,/ Made on his Death=bed [Euing 64]
84 A very godly Song, intituled, The earnest petition of a/ faithfull Christian, being Clarke of Bodnam, made upon his/ Death-bed [Pepys 1.48-49]
87 New Mad Tom of Bedlam / OR,/ The Man in the Moon drinks Clarret [Pepys 1.502-03]
91 A pleasant new Song, betwixt/ The Saylor and his Love [Pepys 1.422-23]
98 The Nightingales Song; Or The Souldiers rare Musick,/ and Maids Recreation [Pepys 4.41]
101 Saint Bernards Vision./ OR,/ A briefe Discourse (Dialogue-wise) betweene the Soule and the Body of a dam/ned man newly deceased [Roxburghe 1.376-77]
104 The Careless Gallant: Or, A farewel to Sorrow [Pepys 4.241]
110 The doleful Dance, and Song of Death; Intituled, Dance after my Pipe [Pepys 2.62]
112 Rebellion given over House-keeping:/ OR,/ A General Sale of Rebellious Houshould stuff [Pepys 2.209]

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