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Description: | Song by the widow of Joseph Reed of the Custom House.Written in protest of the behaviour of local resident 'Mustard John', this broadside is made especially interesting by John Bell's accompanying manuscript notes. 'Mustard John', having a foul tempered nature, succeeds in offending most of the residents he encounters in the song. After killing one of Mrs. Reed's hens, he subsequently beats a local girl and walls up the house of a poor Newcastle man.Bell's notes reveal that 'Mustard John' was infact one John Taylor, one of the Committee of Stewards for the Free Companies of Newcastle. Taylor's drinking hole 'Stephens' is noted to be Stephen Johnson's 'Scotch Arms' on the Town Moor near Barras Bridge. Bell also reveals that the reference to 'cartmen and ... meters' in the final verse refers to a law suit that was intended to be brought for the latter's fees at a local assizes, but which evidently failed to emerge.This song is part of the John Bell Collection. ; A collection of broadsheets on various subjects, with accompanying press cuttings and manuscript notes in the hand of John Bell. | Publisher: | unknown Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear | Rights holder: | rights holder : Newcastle University | Subjects: | Petitions local characters and strange events | Temporal: | start=1801;end=1840; | Source: | Folk Archive Resource North East | Identifier: | farne:N0108401 | Go to resource |
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