Broadside ballad entitled 'Anither New Sang'

Commentary

Verse 1 begins: 'HE swears that he was cleck'd in Fife, / That he's lo'ed Scotland a' his life'. This song should be sung to the tune 'Wae Betide the Whig's o' Fife'. 'Cleck'd' in this instance means born and moulded. There are no further details attached to this song.

'The Whig's o' Fife' was and still is a fairly popular folksong, and the East Neuk of Fife had a reputation as a Whig stronghold. The 'Sir Thomas Dick Lauder' (1784-1848) referred to in the text was a famous author, publishing many books on the history of Scotland especially, and he was a renowned Whig politician. This particular sheet, however, seems to be a criticism of the disparity of being Scottish and a Scottish politician, but living and participating in London's political life. A further example of popular criticism of the Union of Parliaments.

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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