I never loved any, dear Mary but you

Songsheet printed with the words of the three verse romantic song entitled 'I never loved any, dear Mary but you' Printed by John Marshall on 17th September 1794 the broadside is illustrated with a shield shaped woodcut depicting 'Mary,' the subject of the song standing coyly beside a country boy who is attempting to 'woo' her. This was one in a series of similar songsheets printed by John Marshall in the 1790s.

Songsheets printed with the words of popular songs were often purchased by theatre goers to enable them to sing along during the performance. Printed primarily by small back street printers such as those based in the Seven Dials area of London they could be purchased from hawkers trading on London's streets. Illustrated songsheets, such as this, were often kept as souvenirs, framed and hung on walls to decorate homes.