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Broadsheet featuring the ballads 'Loss of the ALBION' and "Men of Kent'.
Broadsheet featuring the ballads 'Loss of the ALBION' and "Men of Kent'.

Broadsheet featuring the ballads 'Loss of the ALBION' and "Men of Kent'.

Printer
Date1822
Object number00017420
NameBroadsheet
MediumWoodcut engraving and printed text on paper mounted on card.
DimensionsOverall: 252 x 192 mm, 0.023 kg
ClassificationsEphemera
Credit LineANMM Collection
DescriptionBroadsheet featuring the ballads 'Loss of the ALBION' and 'Men of Kent'. The ballad "loss of the Albion' relates to the sinking of the packet ship ALBION off the Irish coast in April 1822, with the loss of 46 people. The ballad 'Men of Kent' is a patriotic English song referring to the invasion of Britain by William of Normandy. After the invasion, the people of Kent adopted the motto 'Invicta', meaning undefeated. The Normans reached London after passing through Kent from their arrival on the English coast. After this initial encounter, the east Kent region was relatively left to itself as the peasants were very hostile to the invaders and refused to be ruled by them.HistoryTHE LOSS OF THE ALBION. Come all ye jovial seamen bold. Come listen unto me, A dreadful story I will relate, That happened on the sea; It is of the ALBION ship, my boys, And all the crew and passengers, They were totally lost. It was the first of April, From New York we set sail, King Neptune did protect us, With a sweet and pleasant gale; It was until the twentieth, The storm began to rise, The raging billows loud did roar, And dreadful was the skies. It was on Sunday morning, When first we saw the land, At four o'clock we made cape Clear, And the sea ran mountains high, At six o'clock that evening, The dreadful storm came on, Which made our passengers to weep, And made our sailors mourn. All prudent sail we carried, To keep us clear from land, Expecting every moment, Our ship that she would strand, All night in this condition, We tossed to and fro, At four o'clock next morning, We were in the midst of woe. We had seven & twenty men on board, All with a broken heart, When the ALBION on the rocks she struck, And in midships she did part, In all we'd fifty-four on board, When from New York w set sail, Only three of them did escape, To tell the dreadful tale. MEN OF KENT WHEN Harold was invaded, and falling lost his crown, And Norman William waded through gore to pull him down, The country round with tears profound, To mend their sad condition, Their lands to save, they homage gave, Bold Kent made no submission. CHROUS Then sing in praise of the men of Kent, All loyal brave and free, Among Britain's race if one surpass, A man of Kent is he. The hardy stout Freeholders, who saw the tyrant near, With burdens on their shoulders a grove of oaks did bear, Who when he saw the battle draw And thought that he might need them, He ceas'd his arms, complied with terms, And granted noble freedom. Then sing in praise, &c. At hunting & the race too, they sprightly vigor shew, And at the female chase too, none beat the Kentish beau, Posset with health as well as wealth, By fortune's kind embraces, A yeoman here surpasess far, A knight in other places. Then sing in praise, &c. The promis'd land of blessing for our forefathers meant, Is now in right possessing, for Canaan sure is Kent, The dome at Knowle, by fame enroll'd, The church of Canterbury, The hops, the beer, the cherries here, Oft serve to make us merry. The sing in praise, &c. Augumented still in story our ancient fame shall rise, And Wolfe, in matchless gory, shall soaring reach the skies, Quebec shall own with great renown, And France with awful wonder, His deeds can tell how great he fell, Amidst his warlike thunder. The sing in praise, &c. Following the invasion of Britain by William of Normandy the people of Kent adopted the motto Invicta meaning undefeated and claiming that they had frightened the Normans away, as they merely used Kent to reach London. Once London was reached, the Normans ignored most of East Kent, due to the peasants attacking them at every turn. As a result, Kent became a semi-autonomous {wikipedia] SignificanceBroadsheets were designed as printed ephemera to be published and distributed rapidly. This also meant they were quickly disposed of with many of them not surviving the test of time. The museum's broadsheet collection is therefore a rare and valuable example of how maritime history was communicated to a wide audience, particularly in the 18th and 19th centuries. They vibrantly illustrate many of the themes and myths surrounding life at sea. Some of them also detail stories about transportation and migration.