Broadside entitled 'The Last Will and Testament of Evan Morgan, to his cousin Thom Andrew'

Commentary

This mock will begins: 'I Evan Morgan, being very sick, and Weak, but in perfect Health, do make this my last will & Testament, and do bequeath my Estate in manner and Form following.'

This broadside was definitely not written by a Welshman, for it is very derogatory. Written in the person of 'Evan Morgan', a typically Welsh name, the will is a catalogue of humourous incongruities and impossibilities. For example, he bequeaths Thom 'Two woolen Eel-skins', and 'Two pair of Wooden Scizzars', and the will was apparently witnessed by 'twenty Goates'. It is unusual to see the Welsh parodied in this way, as most commonly in broadsides this type of humour is directed against the Irish.

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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