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

Commentary

This court report begins: 'An account of the Trials of the different Criminals, in the Circuit Court of Justiciary at Glasgow, which was opened on Tuesday the 2d of May, 1809'. The sheet was published by Thomas Duncan of 159 Saltmarket, Glasgow.

There is actually a variety of reports included on this sheet, which covers three days of proceedings in Glasgow, as well as the previous diets at Ayr (Air) and Dumfries. It was quite usual for many of these court sheets to contain the range of cases tried and to report other big or interesting cases from the surrounding area. This would have added to the perceived value of the sheet as the purchaser would have received more information for his or her money.

Reports recounting dark and salacious deeds were popular with the public, and, like today's sensationalist tabloids, sold in large numbers. Crimes could generate sequences of sheets covering descriptive accounts, court proceedings, last words, lamentations and executions as they occurred. As competition was fierce, immediacy was paramount, and these occasions provided an opportunity for printers and patterers to maximise sales.

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