The History of the Catnach Press: at Berwick-Upon-Tweed, Alnwick and Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, in Northumberland, and Seven Dials, LondonHindley, Charles
History
The History of the Catnach Press: at Berwick-Upon-Tweed, Alnwick and Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, in Northumberland, and Seven Dials, London
Hindley, Charles
Ballads -- Publishing -- England -- History -- 19th century; Ballads, English -- England -- Bibliography; Catnach, James, 1792-1841; Chapbooks -- Publishing -- England -- History -- 19th century; Children's literature -- Publishing -- England -- History -- 19th century; England -- Imprints; Printing
CIRCULATING FALSE NEWS.--At Bow-street, on Wednesday, Thomas Love and
Thomas Howlett, were brought to the office by one of the patrole,
charged with making a disturbance in Chelsea, in the morning, by
blowing of horns, with a tremendous noise, and each of them after
blowing his horn, was heard to announce with all the vociferation the
strength of his lungs would admit of:--"The full, true, and particular
account of the most cruel and barbarous murder of Mr. Ellis, of
Sloane-street, which took place, last night, in the Five Fields,
Chelsea." The patrole, knowing that no such horrid event had taken
place, had them taken up. The papers in their possession, which they
had been selling at a halfpenny each, were seized and brought to the
office with the prisoners. But what is most extraordinary, the
contents of the papers had no reference whatever to Mr. Ellis! They
were headed in large letters, "A HORRID MURDER," and the murder was
stated to have been committed at South-green, near Dartford, on the
bodies of Thomas Lane, his wife, three children, and his mother. The
murderer's conduct was stated very particularly, although, in fact, no
such event occurred. The magistrate severely censured the conduct of
the whole parties. He ordered the prisoners to be detained, and
considered them to be very proper subjects to be made an example of.
On Thursday these parties were again brought before the magistrate,
together with Mrs. Catnach [the mother] the printer of the bills,
which gave a fictitious statement of the horrid murder said to be
committed at Dartford. She was severely reprimanded. The two
hornblowers were also reprimanded and then discharged.
The busy year of 1820 was a very important one to Catnach, in fact the
turning point in his life. The Duke of Kent, fourth son of George III.,
and father to Queen Victoria, died on the 23rd of January--the event was
of sufficient consequence to produce several "Full Particulars," for
street sale. Just six days after his death, viz., on the 29th of January,
1820, George III. died, and that event set the "Catnach Press" going night
and day to supply the street papers, containing "Latest particulars," &c.
"Mourn, Britons mourn! Your sons deplore,
Our Royal Sovereign is now no more,"
was the commencement of a ballad written, printed, and published by J.
Catnach, 2, Monmouth-court, 7 Dials. Battledores, Lotteries, and Primers
sold cheap. Sold by Marshall, Bristol, and Hook, Brighton.
The royal body was committed to the family vault in St. George's Chapel at
Windsor, on the 16th of February, amidst a concourse of the great and the
noble of the land. The usual ceremony of proclamation and salutation
announced the accession of George IV. and another important era commenced.
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