Broadside report entitled 'Strange and Wonderfull Apparitions'

Commentary

This intriguing report begins: 'STRANGE AND WONDERFULL APPARITIONS That was seen in the Air, over the most Parts of Europe, on March Last, 1719, but more Particularly, in SCOTLAND, ENGLAND, FRANCE and SPAIN, with same Remarks thereon. No publication details are given.

During March and April 1719, it appears there were 'Great Lightnings' in the skies over Europe. This report gives the dates, times and locations of such 'apparitions', and vivid descriptions. The ocurrence in Glasgow seems to have been particularly spectacular, there was 'a Light of several Coulers, and immediately thereafter, there appeared as it were a large Flaming Sword'. The author concludes that the people should not ignore these 'signs from God', lest they suffer the fate of the 'misbelieving Jews, before the Destruction of Jerusalem'.

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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