Broadside ballad entitled 'The Bloody Gardener's Cruelty' or 'The Shepherd's Daughter Betray'd'

Commentary

This ballad begins: 'COME all you constant lovers, and to me lend an ear, / And mind this sad relation, which I do give you here'. There are two woodcuts at the top of this sheet. One which represents a man and a woman, of a rustic nature, and some sort of activity being passed from the sky. The other is a dove of hope carrying an olive branch of peace.

Both woodcuts and the lyrics were often used to send a moral message to the populace and offer guidance and advice to the audience. Many authors, printers and distributors saw themselves as society's guardians and so took on a more community spirited role.

Broadsides are often crudely illustrated with woodcuts - the earliest form of printed illustration, first used in the mid-fifteenth century. Inclusion of an illustration on a broadside increased its perceived value, especially among the illiterate. To keep costs down, publishers would normally reuse their limited stock of generic woodcuts.

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