The Sorrow... and Last Farewell to the World of Charles Goodlad, for robbing his Master, of plate, to a great amount, Thomas Birmingham, Joseph Redgard, and William Kelly of highway robbery, who are Ordered for Execution on Tuesday next

Execution broadside printed with an account of the crimes, trial and sentencing of Charles Goodlad found guilty of robbing his master of plate and Thomas Birmingham, Joseph Redgard, and William Kelly found guilty of highway robbery and the assault of George Munro in Holborn. Although Goodlad was executed on 24th March 1829 the broadside notes that the other prisoners were reprieved by the King from execution. Printed by John Pitts, the broadside includes a woodcut engraving of a visibly upset group of people standing outside the jail and concludes with a moral poem. The full title of the broadside in not visible due to a tear in the paper. The broadside is also printed with the name of the seller or distributor F. Chaloner located at 54 Leman Street, Whitechapel.

Until 1868 public hangings were a popular form of entertainment for the London crowd. Such occasions provided an opportunity for cheap printers and street vendors to 'turn a penny on the street' by selling accounts of the crimes, trial and 'dying speeches' of executed criminals as souvenirs to the baying spectactors. As soon as the trap fell the street vendors began running amongst the crowd selling the broadsides. Execution broadsides were published by a small number of printers many of whom, such as Thomas Birt, James Catnach and James Pitts were based around the Seven Dials area of London. Spelling and grammar was often poor and the details not always accurate. Although ususally printed between the end of the trial and the date of the execution (usually a gap of a few weeks) they could be quickly changed to accomodate last minute information including, as in this case reprieves, and 'dying confessions'. The printers often used battered woodcuts, and, for the gallows scene used a stock block with a pierced central section to allow the sex and required number of hanging figures to be changed as required. Female criminals were depicted by using a block for a male figure, cut square at the knee to represent a skirt.