Document of the Month
October 2008
'The Ghost of Griffith Jenkins': printed songsheet, 1830
Reference: DD/NM/2/1/56
This ballad tells the story of a lawyer, called a 'Sergeant of the Common Pleas', who stole a sum of money from the Welshman Griffith Jenkins. Jenkins, now financially ruined, died from grief while the lawyer, with his new-found wealth, went 'wild with pleasure'. He squandered much of the money and bribed the officials in Newark to make him the town's Member of Parliament.
The lawyer, however, became wracked with guilt, and was unable to sleep soundly. One such night, lying awake in torment: 'the curtain [around his bed] drew - a flame of blue the room with sulphur scented/In stalk'd young Jenkins,/The ghost of Griffith Jenkins.'
The ghost threatened to expose the lawyer's theft and bribery, resulting in the lawyer pleading: 'Be silent, Griffith Jenkins;/ Pray leave my sight,/ Dear ghost, good night;/ Betray me not, dear Jenkins.'
The songsheet is one of several, all dated around 1830, in a collection of records received from Newark Museum. The songsheets were produced by candidates during election campaigns, and were often veiled attacks against their rivals.
See the songsheet in more detail here [PDF 352KB] 
The catalogue for the archives of Newark Museum is available on the Nottinghamshire Archives Worldwide Online Catalogue. Explore the catalogue here.
Do you have a comment or question about this image? Contact us for more information.
