The Politics of Songs in Eighteenth-Century Britain, 1723-1795

273 Pages·2014·2.334 MB·English

by  Kate Horgan

THE POLITICS OF SONGS IN EIGHTEENTH-
CENTURY BRITAIN, 1723–1795
Poetry and Song in the Age of Revolution
Series Editors: Michael Brown
John Kirk
Andrew Noble
Titles in this Series
1 United Islands? Th e Languages of Resistance
John Kirk, Andrew Noble and Michael Brown (eds)
2 Literacy and Orality in Eighteenth-Century Irish Song
Julie Henigan
3 Cultures of Radicalism in Britain and Ireland
John Kirk, Michael Brown and Andrew Noble (eds)
Forthcoming Titles
James Orr, Poet and Irish Radical
Carol Baraniuk
Reading Robert Burns: Texts, Context, Transformations
Carol McGuirk
THE POLITICS OF SONGS IN EIGHTEENTH-
CENTURY BRITAIN, 1723–1795
by
Kate Horgan
First published 2014 by Pickering & Chatto (Publishers) Limited
Published 2016 by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017, USA
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© Taylor & Francis 2014
© Kate Horgan 2014
To the best of the Publisher’s knowledge every eff ort has been made to contact
relevant copyright holders and to clear any relevant copyright issues. 
Any omissions that come to their attention will be remedied in future editions.
All rights reserved, including those of translation into foreign languages. No part of this book
may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or
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british library cataloguing in publication data
Horgan, Kate, author.
Th e politics of songs in eighteenth-century Britain, 1723–1795. – (Poetry and
song in the age of revolution)
1. Political ballads and songs – Great Britain – 18th century – History and criti-
cism. 2. Great Britain – Politics and government – 1714 – 1820.
I. Title II. Series
782.4’2’0941’09033-dc23
ISBN-13: 978-1-84893-479-5 (hbk)
Typeset by Pickering & Chatto (Publishers) Limited
CONTENTS
Acknowledgements vii
List of Figures ix
Introduction 1
1 Th e Heart of the Lion: Th e ‘Princely Song’ and the Transmission of
Richard. 29
2 Th e Psalms that Bind: ‘Sternhold and Hopkins’, the ‘Old Hundredth’
and the Ballad. 61
3 Songs as Philippics: Th e ‘Harmodium Melos’ and the ‘Io Paean’ of
Revolution. 93
4 Song and Pikes in Sheffi eld: Th e Trial of James Montgomery. 129
Aft erword 171
Notes 175
Works Cited 221
Index 247
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to thank Professor Gillian Russell, who guided me through the PhD
upon which this book is based and has been an unfailing support. I cannot thank
Gillian enough for the knowledge and wisdom she has shared with me over the
years and for showing me a new way into the past that has been both illuminat-
ing and inspiring. Th ank you to Jon Mee, Nigel Leask and Kevin Gilmartin for
their thoughtful comments on my work and to the editors of this series, Michael
Brown, John Kirk and Andrew Noble. Special thanks to Glen Rose for her inval-
uable proofreading.
Sophie Horgan and Jonathan McCabe provided extraordinary assistance in
the preparation of the manuscript and I owe them both a huge debt of gratitude
for their good humour and fortitude. Put simply, I could not have done this
without you. My parents have always encouraged my educational endeavours
and I am immensely grateful for their unconditional love and support over the
years. Roger Ellis has always been an inspiration, with an uncanny knack for pop-
ping up when least expected! Together with Andrea MacIntyre, he showed me
immense kindness during my stay in Sheffi eld and beyond. Th anks to my aunts
– Allyson Strong for her regular brown paper parcels and cheering texts and
Lisa Gorringe for her interest and encouragement. Th e practical advice of Marty
Collins was also very much appreciated. My grandparents, though long gone,
continue to shape the things that I do, for which I am grateful.
Th ree dear friends in particular have played a very important role in my life
during the completion of this project: Annmarie Elijah, Vivien Silvey and Melody
Broome. I would also like to thank and acknowledge the support of Erica Wool-
man. Moglet and Angus, my darling feline friends, have their paw-prints all over
this work and have been constant companions. Also, to the many other friends
and colleagues that are too numerous to mention here, I off er my heartfelt thanks.
Finally, I would like to thank Pickering & Chatto for publishing this work.
– vii –
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LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES
Figure 2.1: Title page of the 1749 edition of Th e Whole Book of Psalms –
‘Sternhold and Hopkins’ 69
Figure 2.2: ‘God Save the King’ as printed in the Gentleman’s Magazine in
October 1745 87
Figure 3.1: ‘Homer singing his verses to the Greeks’. Print by James Gillray,
published by Hannah Humphrey, 1797 100
Figure 3.2: A Song Sung at the Anniversary of the Revolution of 1688 124
Figure 3.3: A New Song, Sung by Mr Dignum at the Anniversary of the
Revolution of 1688 125
Figure 4.1: Title page of the Patriot, 1792 132
Figure 4.2: Handbill of ‘A Serious Lecture’ and ‘Hymn’, 1794 146
Figure 4.3: Woodcut detail from the title page of the Patriot 167
Figure 4.4: Portrait of James Montgomery 170
Table 1.1: Historical Songs from Volume Th ree of A Collection of Old
Ballads (1725) 44
– ix –