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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.

Anonymous   Gilbertson, William   Watts, Andy  

Showing 1 to 9 of 9

1 A proper new Ballad, intituled, The wandring Prince of Troy [Pepys 1.84-85]
14 A Godly Warning for all Maidens, by the exam/ple of Gods Judgement shewed on one Jermans Wife of Clifton [Pepys 1.504-05]
24 An Excellent Ballad, intituled, The Constancy of/ Susanna [Bodleian Douce 1 (30a)]
29 A Lamentable ballad of the tragical end of a Gallant Lord,/ and a Vertuous Lady [Euing 197]
45 A pleasant new Ballad of the Miller of Mansfield, in Sherwood and of King Henry the second [Roxburghe 1.228-29]
61 The Wandring Jew,/ OR, The Shoo-maker of Jerusalem [Pepys 1.524-25]
63 A most godly and comfortable Ballad of the glorious/ Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ [Roxburghe 1.258-59]
76 Saint Georges commendation to all Souldiers [Pepys 1.87]
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]

Top Fives

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Authors

  •   Anonymous  (9)

Publishers

  • Clark, John  (9)
  • Coles (aka Coules), Fra...  (9)
  •   Gilbertson, William  (9)
  • Vere, Thomas  (9)
  • Wright, John III  (9)

Topics

  • History - ancient/mytho...  (6)
  • Bodies - looks/physique  (5)
  • Emotions - fear  (5)
  • Environment - buildings  (5)
  • Gender - femininity  (5)

Instruments

  • Cittern  (3)
  • Fiddle  (3)
  • Curtal  (2)
  • Drum  (1)
  • Jew's harp  (1)

Performers

  •   Watts, Andy  (9)
  • Lewin, Giles  (8)
  • Davis, Jub  (3)
  • Vitale, Steno  (3)
  • Banks, Steve  (2)

Tunes

  • In peascod time  (3)
  • Fortune my foe  (1)
  • King Solomon  (1)
  • Rogero  (1)
  • St. George for England  (1)
  • The French levalto  (1)
  • Troy Town  (1)

Woodcuts

  • Barefoot giant  (1)
  • Christ's Resurrection  (1)
  • Devil abducting woman  (1)
  • Naked man awakening  (1)
  • Pedlar in woods  (1)

Holding Libraries

  • British Library  (9)
  • National Library of Sco...  (9)
  • No known copy  (9)
  • Pepys Library, Magdalen...  (9)
  • Bodleian Library, Oxfor...  (7)

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