Stirling

Old News in Stirling

All of the information from these pages is from "The Word on the Street" from the National :Library of Scotland Website in Scotland.

Each piece of information will have a link to the relevant page on the nls site where you can view extracts from original documents and much more..

300 years until the mid-19th century, broadsides filled the place occupied today by the tabloid press.

Originally they were single sheets of paper, printed on one side only, designed to be read unfolded and posted up in public places.

At first they were used for the printing of royal proclamations, acts, and official notices. Later they became a vehicle for political agitation and what is now known as ‘popular culture’, such as ballads and scaffold speeches.

By the 1850s, the penny used previously to purchase a broadside ballad could buy a part issue of a novel or a cheap newspaper or weekly magazine.

These are exact copies and some of the language is in old Scottish and there are many mis-spellings

Acknowledgement: 'The Trustees of the National Library of Scotland'