ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the development of Scottish broadside studies in the twentieth century with the huge strides made in documenting and describing oral tradition in the same period. It demonstrates the need for a greater consideration of broadsides by investigating specific examples of their influence on the Scottish Travellers, a subculture hitherto noted largely for its remarkable oral tradition. G. Ross Roy goes on to highlight the long-standing need for even a simple title listing of broadsides in Scottish collections, in order to permit a more serious investigation of individual publishers and, by extension, the national broadside industry as a whole. As a result of this renewed attention and with improving access to broadside collections, indications are emerging that broadsides may have had an as yet under-acknowledged influence on many of the otherwise well-documented singing traditions recorded by the School of Scottish Studies.
