Broadside entitled 'Court Circular, From the Penny Satirist'

Commentary

This political notice begins: '"What's your opinion of the Corn Laws, Albert?" said the Queen, to her spouse : "you ought to be a counsellor to me, in governing affairs of this mighty Empire"'. It was published by Sanderson of the High Street, Edinburgh.

Corn laws were introduced into Britain in 1815 to try and protect the extortionate price of grain. The demand for grain was high, as imports were blocked by the Napoleonic Wars and so producers could charge pretty much what they wanted. The poor and those who lived in industrial areas, and so were forced to buy food rather than grow their own, found this particularly restrictive. The laws were repealed in 1846 by Robert Peel, but only after violent opposition and many failed potato and corn harvests.

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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