Broadside entitled 'Horrible Murder'

Commentary

This crime report begins: 'A true account of that horrible murder that was committed at Kilsyth 12 miles from Glasgow on Saturday, 6th April, 1822; when a young man in a cruel manner murdered his own father, by stabbing him in the belly with a large knife.'

Due to the wide and varied audience which could be reached through the medium of the broadside, they were often used as forums for moral discussion. The men in this report are not named, suggesting that this was not the point of the report. This is further supported by the last two paragraphs on the evils of drink and lack of self-control. This broadside was published just before temperance movements became very popular during the 1830s, and indicates public feeling leading up to this period.

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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