Description
The four engravings illustrate the murder and its aftermath. Edward Wood is described in the texts as a delinquent youth from a respectable middle class family. His descent into “wickedness” culminated with ambushing his mother on a country road and slitting her throat, which are shown in the top two illustrations. The third picture shows a moment recounted in the poem where Wood, condemned to death, is moved to weeping by his father’s grief at the loss of both his wife and son; at that moment of extreme remorse his mother’s ghost appears and speaks to them. The final illustration shows him hanging from a gallows in chains as vultures approach.
A much more straightforward variant of this story appears on a broadside dated 1833 in the collection of the Harvard Law School Library by a publisher named Keys in Carlisle, England, that refers to the events as having taken place the preceding week. It has a small generic illustration of a man hanging at the top and while its account that has many of the same details of the crime and son’s eventual remorse, the son is named John Wood and the location given as Carlisle. Catnach’s version is considerably embellished and sensationalized, adding many melodramatic details including the ghost story and lurid illustrations. Crime and execution broadsides became popular in England in the early 19th century. This one follows a typical formula, which featured the convicts’ confessions of remorse after they awaited their execution, frequently in poetry, combined with graphic illustrations.
James (Jemmy) Catnach was the best-known printer of criminal broadside sheets in the Seven Dials neighborhood of London (presently Cambridge Circus). He was one of the most productive of the printers of these broadsides, a popular genre in England during the early 19th century. Criminal broadsides depicted murders and executions, describing sensational crimes, trials and the execution of the convicted killer, and often included verses in which the murderer expresses his remorse. Catnach also produced song sheets, ABC’s and stories and rhymes for children. Broadsides such as the ones produced by Catnach were sold by street vendors for a penny or less. Catnach operated the firm from 1813 until his death in 1842. Afterwards, his sister and her successors continued the business; the last of which, W. S. Fortey, died in 1890.
Full publication credit: J. Catnach, Printer, 2, Monmouth-court 7 [Dials].
Condition: Generally very good, recently professionally cleaned and deacidified, including tipping in a small blank section of margin on lower right, now with only remaining minor toning, handling, wear.
References:
“English Crime and Execution Broadisdes.” Harvard Law School Library. https://library.harvard.edu/collections/english-crime-and-execution-broadsides (21 October 2021).
“Execution of John Wood for murder…” Harvard Law School Library. https://curiosity.lib.harvard.edu/crime-broadsides/catalog/46-990149168460203941 (21 October 2021)
Landow, Geroge P. “James Catnach, ‘low-class jobbing printer.'” The Victorian Web. 24 October 2004. https://victorianweb.org/technology/print/catnatchery.html (21 October 2021).
Linderman, Eric. “Criminal Broadsides of 19th-Century England.” Kent State University Library. https://www.library.kent.edu/criminal-broadsides-19th-century-england (21 October 2021).
