Broadside concerning the proceedings of the Circuit Court of Justiciary, Glasgow

Commentary

This broadside begins: 'Trials & Sentences Of all the different Prisoners who have stood their Trials at the Circuit Court of Justiciary, which opened at Glasgow on Monday the 16th September, 1822, when one young man was sentenced to be Executed at Glasgow on Wednesday the 23d of October next, for Housebreaking and Theft.' It was published by John Muir of Glasgow, and probably sold for one penny.

John Muir was one of three Glasgow printers, the others being Thomas Duncan and William Carse, who specialised in publishing trial accounts, last speeches or lamentations, and the trial lists of the Circuit Court. Between 1821 and 1824 he had premises at 53 Princes Street, before moving to number 30 in 1825 - where he remained until 1839. Following his death, Mrs Muir ran the family business from 49 Trongate Street until 1844.

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.

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