Broadside ballad entitled 'The Gallant Admiral'

Commentary

The first verse reads: 'Come awa, my gallant chield, / Ye canna come too early, / For Bruce o' Kennet's i' the field, / Keep back the Tory, Charlie.' The chorus begins: 'Come quickly hither, gang round & gather, / Try the canvassing fairly'. The song was to be sung to the tune, 'Wha'll be King but Charlie'.

As political broadsides often assumed a certain degree of knowledge amongst the readership, the subject matter can at times appear impenetrable to today's reader. The context of this highly-politicised ballad, however, is made clear by references to the corn laws, enslavement, the church and free trade. The National Library of Scotland's collection includes many political ballads, a large number of which date from the nineteenth century - a time many claim was infected by 'reform fever'.        

BRUCE, Robert (1795-1864), of Kennet House, nr. Alloa, Clackmannan. Bruce's grandfather, Lord Kennet, had married a sister of the military hero, Sir Ralph Abercromby? (1734-1801) of Tullibody, whose widow was created Baroness Abercromby. Her son, George Abercromby, who succeeded her in the peerage in 1821, may have had some responsibility for Bruce, his second cousin, during his minority. Bruce's brief military career included service at Waterloo, where he was wounded. At the general election of 1820 he was returned unopposed for Clackmannanshire on Abercromby's interest, as a locum for Abercomby's only son, a minor.

www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1820-1832/member/bruce-robert-1795-1864

By the Scottish Act, Clackmannanshire was united with Kinross-shire, together with the small portion of Perthshire which separated them. This created a constituency of 127 square miles with 878 registered electors at the 1832 general election, when the Liberal Sir Charles Adam of Blair Adam, Kinross, easily beat the Conservative Bruce, as he did more narrowly in 1835. Sir Charles Adam, KCB (6 October 1780 - 19 September 1853).        

Early ballads were dramatic or humorous narrative songs derived from folk culture that predated printing. Originally perpetuated by word of mouth, many ballads survive because they were recorded on broadsides. Musical notation was rarely printed, as tunes were usually established favourites. The term 'ballad' eventually applied more broadly to any kind of topical or popular verse.

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