Charlotte's Lamentation for the loss of her Light Horseman

'Sweetheart' broadside ballad entitled 'Charlotte's Lamentation for the loss of her Light Horseman'. The five verses are printed below a shield shaped woodcut engraving depicting Charlotte & her soldier lover about to depart for war with his regiment. Published on 22nd September 1793 this was one in a series of illustrated ballads and songsheets published by John Marshall in the 1790s.

Sweetheart ballads were particularly popular during the Napoleonic Wars as many young British men left the UK to fight in Europe. Often printed by small back street printers located in areas such as Seven Dials in London the ballads were then sold as souvenirs by street hawkers and travelling pedlars. The ballad writers would receive little reward from the printers for their efforts, reportedly sometimes only a few pints of ale. Illustrated broadside ballads such as this would often have been framed and hung to decorate walls of homes and taverns.