Alexander Brome, The Rump, Or A Collection of Songs and Ballads, made upon those who would be a Parliament, and were but the Rump of an House of Commons (London, 1660).
The mention in Melmoth the Wanderer of songs against Oliver Cromwell and ‘the burning of the Rump’ is almost certainly a reference to this famous collection of ballads.
The ‘Rump’ was a pejorative term for the group of MPs who sat in Westminster from December 1648, after most Members were prevented from entering the building by soldiers of Cromwell’s New Model Army. This ‘Rump’ of extreme MPs then pushed forward the trial and execution of Charles I.
There was genuine widespread rejoicing across England at the fall of ‘the Rump’ and the return of the monarchy in 1660.
Citation:
Alexander Brome, The Rump, Or A Collection of Songs and Ballads, made upon those who would be a Parliament, and were but the Rump of an House of Commons (London, 1660).
,Marsh's Library Exhibits: ‘Ragged, Livid, & On Fire: The Wanderings of Melmoth at 200’ curated by Christina Morin and Jason McElligott,
accessed November 21, 2024,
https://web.marshlibrary.ie/digi/exhibits/show/Melmoth/item/768
