A Brief History of the London Newspaper
From Broadsheets to Newspapers in 350 Years
The history of the London newspaper is long and interesting. In early 17th century England, broadsheets were the best way to spread news and they were a weekly or regular occurrence. However, the Crown soon had placed an embargo on news broadsheets, fearing a publisher's recklessness could be harmful. This embargo meant a slow start for the true reporting of news in England. The chroniclers of the day were censored in 1645 and issued licenses.
The First London Daily Newspapers
The first daily newspaper was The Daily “Courant” published in 1702. It was published by Edward Mallet from his rooms above the sign of the White Hart in Fleet Street, London. In typical old London form, his address was "against the Ditch at Fleet Bridge." His newspaper was a simple page with two columns and its primary goal was in printing and publishing only foreign news.
In time, the paper changed hands and was moved to the sign of the Dolphin in Little Britain. The new owner, Samuel Buckley, was also the printer for The Spectator, a literary endeavor with a view to attaining female readership.
The London Gazette was more a journal than a newspaper and began its life as The Oxford Gazette. The Plague had forced the court of King Charles 11 to move to Oxford and when they returned to London, The Gazette went with them. Their article on the Great Fire of London in 1666 was very thorough and offers a great insight from that time in history. At this stage in The Gazette's history, it was named the “newspaper to the Crown.” The paper was a rich source of news from Europe with reporters “on the ground,” bringing back news and it was the first to report on Wellington's victory.
The London Newspaper in the 18th Century
In the 18th century, there were 12 newspapers in London. The General Advertiser arrived, but it wasn't actually a newspaper, as it contained mostly advertising. It was eventually taken over by Henry Woodfall, and was renamed The Public Advertiser with the addition of news, much like the newspapers we read today.
Other early newspapers include The Observer, founded in 1791. This was a weekly newspaper, published every Sunday and more politically based than most.
The Times was founded in 1785 and quickly became an influential newspaper. With improvements to printing, paper making, communication and the eventual lifting of the newspaper taxes, it emerged as a mass medium. It was first published by John Walter as The Daily Universal Register and Walter was at the helm as its editor. Three year later, he changed the name to The Times and it has remained thus to this day. In 1803, he passed the baton to his son. John Walter senior had spent some time in Newgate Prison for libel.
The London Newspaper in the 19th Century
A Reform Movement brought about the expansion of periodicals in the early 19th century, including The Edinburgh Review, and The Quarterly Review. By this time there were 52 regularly published newspapers in London.
In the Victorian Era, content and accuracy in the articles had become important. The Daily Mail, founded in 1896, broke away from this seriousness of reporting and it quickly became very successful with a high readership. The Daily Express was founded four years later, following along the same lines as The Daily Mail and adopting the American style with front page headlines.
Newspapers have come along way in London since the days of the simple broadsheet. Today it's a huge industry, managed on a massive scale with several newspapers being sold throughout the world.
References
- Encyclopedia of the British Press 1422-1992, Dennis Griffiths, 1992
- Inform a World
18th Century London Gazette
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Plaque First London Newspaper The Daily Courant
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