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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.

Gender - Masculinity   Couper, Victoria  

Showing 1 to 8 of 8

4 A lamentable Dittie composed upon the death of/ Robert Lord Devereux late Earle of Essex, who was beheaded in the/ Tower of London, upon Ashwednesday in the morning [Huntington Britwell 18290]
33 The most Rare and Excellent History,/ Of the Dutchess of Suffolks Callamity [Euing 228]
57 The Shepherd and the King, and of Gillian the Shepherds Wife, with her churlish Answer [Euing 332]
71 The Scotch Lasses Constancy/ OR/ Jenny's Lamentation for the loss of Jockey [Crawford 1217]
75 An Excellent New SONG,/ OF THE/ Two Happy LOVERS [Pepys 5.184]
85 A new Ballad, intituled, The stout Cripple of Cornwal [Euing 242]
91 A pleasant new Song, betwixt/ The Saylor and his Love [Pepys 1.422-23]
116 Love and Honour: Or,/ The Lovers Farewel to Calista [Roxburghe 2.306]

Top Fives

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Authors

  • Anonymous  (6)
  • D'Urfey, Thomas (1653?–...  (1)
  • Deloney, Thomas (d. in...  (1)
  • Dryden, John (1631-1700...  (1)

Publishers

  • Clark, John  (5)
  • Coles (aka Coules), Fra...  (5)
  • Passinger, Thomas  (5)
  • Thackeray, William  (5)
  • Vere, Thomas  (5)

Topics

  •   Gender - masculinity  (8)
  • Gender - femininity  (6)
  • Emotions - love  (4)
  • Places - travel/transpo...  (4)
  • Violence - interpersona...  (4)

Instruments

  • Cittern  (4)
  • Dulcimer (improvised)  (1)
  • Jew's harp  (1)

Performers

  •   Couper, Victoria  (8)
  • Lewin, Giles  (4)
  • Vitale, Steno  (4)
  • Burn, Emily  (1)
  • Franks, Clemmie  (1)
  • Watts, Andy  (1)

Tunes

  • Bonny sweet Robin  (1)
  • Chevy Chase  (1)
  • Dulcina  (1)
  • Fond boy  (1)
  • Sawney and Jockey  (1)
  • The blind beggar  (1)
  • Troy Town  (1)
  • Welladay  (1)

Woodcuts

  • Attack with keys  (1)
  • Country couple with lar...  (1)
  • Courtly garden  (1)
  • Fond boy notation  (1)
  • Little man on grass  (1)

Holding Libraries

  • Bodleian Library, Oxfor...  (7)
  • British Library  (7)
  • National Library of Sco...  (7)
  • Pepys Library, Magdalen...  (6)
  • Beinecke Library, Yale...  (5)

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