Broadside entitled 'Speech and Dying Words of John Dalgleish, Lock man alias Hang-man of Edinburgh'

Commentary

This sheet begins: 'WHEN Hangie saw Death drawing near, / The Carle grew in unko' Fear, / He sight and fab'd and shed a Tear'. No publication details are on the sheet.

John Dalgleish, or Daglees, replaced Sutherland as Edinburgh hangman in 1722. Dalgleish was a famous figure around the capital, and his name is used to ominous effect in other broadsides, for example, 'Panegyrick on Robert Cowan's Trip to the Tron'. The author of this piece is believed to be Alexander Pennecuik, who died in 1730, making it likely that it was published in the late 1720s.

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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