Broadside entitled 'Second List of the Indictments'

Commentary

This public announcement begins: '93 PERSONS / Persons?their Names and Crimes of all the Prisoners, belonging to the Counties of Lanark, Renfrew, Dumbarton, to stand Trial at the Court of the Justiciary, in Glasgow, on the 23d April 1823'. This sheet was published by Mayne and Co, Printers, in Glasgow.

Due to the increasing size of cities and the anonymity this brought, a niche was created in the publishing market for public announcements of this nature. The broadside audience was always avid for scandalous news which touched on their lives, unlike politicians or international affairs. Broadsides were intended to be viewed by a wide audience and were only printed on one side so they could be pasted to the wall. As a result many people would have consulted this information. Here the names of the 'panels' (the accused) and their crimes are listed.

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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