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Description: | Song about a baboon which, dressed in uniform, escapes from a menagerie at High Felling. The author of this song, William Armstrong was born in the Painter Heugh, Newcastle, about the year 1804. His father was a shoemaker, owning a business in Dean Street. After serving his apprenticeship as a painter Armstrong worked as a journeyman for a number of years. In addition to his popularity as a writer, Armstrong was also much admired as a singer. A member of the Stars of Friendship, Armstrong left his native town for London around 1834. Of his life after this time little is known. Gordon Hudson has recently produced an arrangement of the Baboon and has kindly allowed FARNE to reproduce this on our site.Similar to the cheap press of today these poorly printed books and broadsides catered for popular tastes, being sold by chapmen in the country and booksellers in the town. Usually sold for no more than a penny, the production of these little books and broadsides were extremely profitable for most printers. Sold in bulk the material required little proof-reading, was widely plagiarised, and badly printed.Newcastle was the second largest producer of chapbooks in the country at the time of this book's publication. This chapbook was printed in 1824 by J. Marshall, one of the most prominent chapbook printers in Newcastle during the early nineteenth century. Marshall issued numerous local song books including the 'Newcastle Songster' series, all of which proved extremely popular with the local population. The book contains some of the region's best known traditional songs. From 'The pitman's courtship' to 'The Sandgate lassie's lament', the book has offerings from well known Tyneside composers such William Mitford and William Watson. ; Popular Tyneside songs published in chapbook form. | Publisher: | J. Marshall Old Flesh Market, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear | Rights holder: | rights holder : South Shields Library | Subjects: | local characters and strange events animals & monkeys | Temporal: | start=1801;end=1840; | Source: | Folk Archive Resource North East | Identifier: | farne:E1201302 | Go to resource |
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