Broadside entitled 'Electors of Arbroath'

Commentary

This public notice continues: 'In a few days will be published, a full Report of the Speeches of Mr Ross, and of Mr D.D. Cargill, Mr Canning, and of Mr Gibson'. The sheet ends with the cry: 'ROSS for Ever! / AND / Confusion to all Mob Orators!!'. There are no further details attached to this sheet.

There are many political broadsides contained in the National Library of Scotland's collection. Most of them, however, focus on larger general elections, whereas this sheet was published for the election of the town baillie and constable. If the other sheets in the collection, published in the Arbroath area, are any indication then this post was very important to the towns people and was off great interest to the local community.

This style of text, with its implicit political propaganda, would not only have made for compelling entertainment, but would also perhaps have stimulated political thought, reasoning and debate.

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