'The Valliant Tinners of Cornwall, A New Song/Tune'. 'Good M...

Hammer

£400

'The Valliant Tinners of Cornwall, A New Song/Tune'. 'Good Morrow to your Night Cap' [N. D. and without imprint and possibly lacking a chorus], a poem of eight-line stanzas in two columns, 285mm x 185mm. Dated post-Guillotine, as text refers to the French having 'invented a Machine/..with which they've kill'd their King and Queen and many thousand more Sirs', with Louise XVI and Marie Antoinette being beheaded in Jan. and Oct 1793, 'The Cornish Boys' are said to be headed by 'Capt Nick [Nicholas Vivian] and Capt Fran [Francis Basset of Tehidy]', as well as a 'Capt Jo [Jos. Vivian] who makes 'Blood to flow/with Gwenap and Redruth Boys'. At the very latest, the sheet could date from 1798, this being the date of the so called Stannary Militia Act, 38. GEO. IIII of 21st June 1798, termed 'An Act for Raising a Body of Miners in Cornwall for the Defence of the Kingdom During the [French Penisular] War', this not in fact being repealed until 1874. Of Francis Basset, Boase & courtney's 'Bibliotheca Cornubiensis' record him 'created Baronet 24. Nov, 1779 for his spirited conduct in marching his Division of Cornish Miners' Militia to Plymouth, Aug. 1779 when that place was threated by the French and Spanish Fleets' (p.1052).