Broadside ballad entitled 'Answer for the Whigs To the Clamorous Song On Them'

Commentary

Verse 1: 'In truth, good sir, we gladly hear, / Good honest Ayton's praise; / But much we marvel at your jeer / On Whigs of our own days.' The woodcut included at the top of the page depicts a well-dressed gentleman who appears to be rather agitated. There is no further information attached to this broadside.

The picture at the top of the sheet, may have helped enhance the understanding of the sheet for those who had limited comprehension skills. The fact that it is a gentleman, as indicated by his clothes, and that he does appear agitated furthers the themes of political dissension contained in the text. The swings and roundabouts of Whig versus Tory politics dominated the power arena from the reign of Queen Anne (1702-14), until the rise of the Labour party in the early twentieth century. James Aytoun (or Ayton) (1797-1881) was prominent in Edinburgh local politics in the 1830s.

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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