A Caveat for Cut-Purses - A 17th Century English Broadside Ballad

This song dates from sometime between 1647 - 1665 and would have been sung on the streets of England. It is printed with this opening description.

'With a warning to all purse-carriers: Shewing the confi-dence of the first, and the carelesnesse of the last; With necessary admonitions for
them both, lest the Hangman get the one, and the Begger take the other.'

It warns of the common occurrence of thieves and pickpockets (cut purses) working amongst the unsuspecting crowds gathered to watch musicians and singers. These balladeers were often accused of working with the criminals, and were therefore often seen as less than reputable members of society. However, the ballad is sung from the point if view of the singer, complaining that this is unfair, and not true. He goes on to mention that anywhere there are crowds gathered, there are also pick-pockets, even in the halls of the government in Westminster!

The main refrain warns people not to become a cut-purse, indeed, it would have been better to be 'starved by thy nurse than live to be hanged for cutting a purse!'

This evocative song is known as a 'Broadside Ballad.' The spread of the printing press allowed these songs to be printed on one side of a single sheet of paper at low cost, hence the name 'Broadside.' They were affordable to most people and so became very popular. They were a form of early journalism and the subject matter told of political events and news of the time. They also covered love, religion, legends and drinking songs. These lyrics were set to famous tunes that most people of the time would have known, like Greensleeves for example.

The tune of this song is called 'Packington's Pound,' and is believed to date from the last quarter of the 16th Century. Evidence suggests that it was associated with more ballads than any others by 1700.