Broadside entitled 'Female Miser'

Commentary

This obituary notice begins: 'FULL AND PARTICULAR / ACCOUNT / OF A / Female Miser! / Who died at Stirling on the 26th of May last, 1820 ; to which is added, an Account of the numerous curious Articles found in her House after her Death.'

As with many broadsides, there is no further information available about Isobel Frazer or her life. Broadsides were produced to fulfil the need for cheap, momentary entertainment, and the stories were often of a local nature to give the sheet increased appeal. Despite these drawbacks, the information given in this story about Isobel's attitude towards work and possessions, plus the list of chattels themselves, are useful to today's readers.

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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