In the early 19^th century, there was a vogue for tradesmens’ verses. These were lists of stock written in verse. In the British Library is a tradesman’s verse of c. 1788 for William Bailey, at ‘no. 41 Leadenhall-Street, the Little-a’, which advertises this as a service rendered by the printer:

‘Your Shop-Bills also at any Time,
You may have put into jingling Rhime’

The John Johnson Collection has two examples of tradesmen’s verses, which are clearly taken from the same source. The verse for Branwhite of Lavenham or ‘Lanham’ (exhibited) is paralleled by that for Andrew Kelly of Oakham (also illustrated here). The printers are different, and Lavenham and Oakham are geographically separated, which suggests the existence of widely circulated stock-books of verses.

JJ Women’s Clothes 4 (both)