AustLit

A Birmingham publican noted for penning popular songs on topical events. Freeth apparently sang his songs at his public house, but he also published them himself; his anthology The Political Songster was published in a number of different editions between 1784 and about 1795. While Freeth had a reputation as a radical, he wrote a number of songs supporting the conservative government of William Pitt - including two supporting the government's controversial Botany Bay scheme.