A HISTORY OF NEWSPAPERS IN WARRINGTON, CHESHIRE DURING THE

19TH CENTURY.

BY

L1SA MCDONALD

A MASTER'S DISSERTATION, SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF THE MASTER OF ARTS DEGREE OF

THE LOUGHBOROUGH UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY.

FEBRUARY, 1998.

SUPERVISORS: DIANA DIXON AND OR. PAUL STURGES

DEPARTMENT OF LIBRARY AND INFORMATION STUDIES.

© L. MCDONALD, 1998. ABSTRACT.

This report looks at the main developments in the history of the newspaper industry in Warrington, Cheshire during the 19th century. It studies the content, politics, sizes and prices of the newspapers. It attempts, where possible, to provide biographical details of the proprietors, printers, publishers and journalisits involved in the production of newspapers in Warrington during the 19th century.

The main source of information was the newspapers themselves, but additional material was used, including press directories, street directories, census returns, trade directories, local history sources and general newspaper history.

The newspapers are presented in two chapters: chapter three looks at newspapers which only ran during the 19th century and chapter four looks at newspapers which ran into the 20th century. They are presented in alphabetical order by title. The conclusion discusses the general trends in the development of Warrington's newspaper industry, comparing those with the general trends in the history of the

British provincial press.

Additional information on the most important newspaper in Warrington's history is provided in the appendix, along with a complete list of all of Warrington's publications during the 19th century. ------

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.

I would like to thank my supervisor Diana Dixon for all her help and advice. I would

also like to thank Dr. Paul Sturges for stepping into the supervisory role at the last

minute and for his invaluable advice.

This work is dedicated to my mother, Eileen McDonald and to Andrew Neary , my

best friend, for all their help and support. ,------

TABLE OF CONTENTS.

INTRODUCTION PAGE 1

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 3

METHODOLOGY 3

CHAPTER TWO

A HISTORY OF THE PROVINCIAL PRESS 6

CHAPTER THREE

INTRODUCTION 13

Laverock's Advertiser 16 The Warrington Advertiser 18 The Warrington Borough Press 32 The Warrington Chronicle and Agricultural Gazette 36 The Warrington Evening Post 37 Th"e Warrington Gazette, General Advertiser and Literary 43 Monthly Reader The Warrington Independent 44 The Warrington Intelligencer and St. Helens and Runcorn 46 Reporter The Warrington Mail 48 The Sporting Telegram 49 The Warrington Standard and Lancashire and Cheshire 50 Advertiser The Warrington Standard and Times and Lancashire and 51 Cheshire Advertiser The Warrington Times and General Commercial Advertiser 55 The Warrington Weekly Mail 59

CHAPTER FOUR

The Warrington Examiner 60 The Warrington Guardian 66 The Warrington Observer 77 CHAPTER FIVE

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS 84

APPENDIX

BIBLIOGRAPHY CHAPTER ONE

1.1 AN INTRODUCTION

The town of Warrington in Cheshire makes an excellent case study when examining the development of the provincial newspaper industry during the 19th century. Warrington, known as a town of many industries, developed quickly during the 19th century and it is from this era that the beginnings of the town's newspaper industry can be traced, with the exCeption of one newspaper - the Eyres Weekly Journal, which first appeared in 1756. During the latter half of the 19th century, 17 newspapers and an equal number of periodicals began publication, a large number of which, though by no means all, are preserved both in Warrington's public library and at the British Library's Newspaper Library in Colindale.

It is surprising, considering the importance of Warrington as a centre of industry, that, with the exception of the town's longest serving newspaper the Warrington Guardian

(excellently researched in Geoffrey Nulty's Guardian

Country, 1853 - 1978), no research has been done into its newspaper industry. As the work of the Newsplan project has shown, newspapers are a vital source of historical information for both librarians and scholars, necessitating their preservation for future generations. A region's written heritage is the record of its civilisation but all materials are liable to decay because of the nature of their make-up and the conditions of.storage. The dramatic increase in the demand for paper during the 19th century caused many of the problems now faced by archivists and librarians. The mid -19th century saw the production of first chemical and then mechanical wood-pulp paper. Wood­ pulp paper has an extremely high lignin content and lignin being highly acidic it can break down the paper structure rapidly. It is with this point in mind that this study was undertaken. Owing to time constraints and word limits, this study by no means claims to be a complete history of

Warrington's newspaper industry. In excess of 20 newspapers began publication during the 20th century, non of which are examined here. Rather, it is an introduction to the main developments in each newspaper published in Warrington during the 19th century.

This study covers several areas. Where possible it looks at the newspapermen themselves - those individuals who owned, wrote, printed and published the town's many newspapers and who made such an important contribution to the development of the English provincial press of the 19th century. Many individuals have unfortunately faded into history, a consequence of the small amount of research done previously in this area and are, therefore, only named.

Secondly, this study covers content. It does not claim to be a full content analysis - the sheer numbers of newspapers in Warrington's rich history constrain this approach - but rather attempts to give a general picture of the contents of each newspaper as they are examined in order to give an idea of what a typical newspaper produced in Warrington at this

2 time would contain. Political affiliations, so important to the provincial press of the 19th century, are examined, along with the prices and sizes of each newspaper.

1.2 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES. i. To produce a history of the newspaper industry in

Warrington, Cheshire during the 19th century. ii. To present the contents, politics, prices and sizes of the newspapers produced in Warrington during the 19th century. iii. To give, where possible, biographical details of proprietors, publishers, printers and journalists involved in the production of newspapers in Warrington during the

19th century. iv. To give a general insight into the printing industry of

Warrington during the 19th century. v. To use the newspapers of Warrington as a reflection of the general trends in the development of the provincial press in Britain during the 19th century.

1.3 METHODOLOGY.

The first task undertaken for this project was to read into the history of the provincial press in Britain and its development from the mid 18th century. A bibliography to this effect was then produced. Significant events in the development of the provincial press were then identified.

Bibliographies, press guides and the catalogue of the

3 British Library's Newspaper Library were examined in order to identify those newspapers which needed to be studied.

Research was undertaken, briefly, into the history of the town of Warrington in Cheshire.

The majority of the research was completed at Warrington's public library. The library's archive was examined. The number of editions of each newspaper studied depended upon the length of the run of each particular newspaper. First editions, final editions and anniversary editions were always examined. Other documentation was also studied, including trade directories, street directories, biographies, bibliographies, census returns for the 19th century and collections of articles/documents donated to the library or produced by its librarians. As the archive in

Warrington's public library does not contain copies of all the newspapers produced in Warrington, it was also necessary to examine copies of those titles at the British Library's

Newspaper Library.

Before undertaking a study of the history of the newspaper industry it is necessary to first define the term

'newspaper.' For this purpose, the study presented uses the definition of a newspaper given by Ruth Cowley for the

Newsplan project, this being:

A daily or weekly printed publication on sale or issued freely, to the general public; which devotes the greater part of its space to local, national or international news; which

4 may also carry advertising, comment and other matters of interest; and which is not solely the organ of a particular body, society, party or interest group. (1)

As a result of this definition and due to the confinments placed on this project, it was decided not to include publications which could be defined as periodicals and to only include those newspapers produced chiefly in

Warrington, not those which were merely distributed in

Warrington.

The newspapers examined are presented in two chapters. The third chapter is concerned with those newspapers which only ran during the 19th century and is presented in alphabetical order by title. The fourth chapter is concerned with those newspapers which continued to be published into the 20th century and is also presented in alphabetical order by title.

1.4 REFERENCES.

1. Cowley, Ruth. Newsplan:report of the newsplan project in the north western region. September 1986 to January 1990. London: British Library,1990,p. xvi.

5 CHAPTER TWO.

2.1 A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE PROVINCIAL PRESS DURING THE 19TH

CENTURY.

The production of newspapers in the 18th and early 19th centuries was difficult and expensive. Advertisement tax ran at 3s6d. and stamp duty at 3d. (1). There was also a tax on paper. Large securities were demanded from printers and publishers and unstamped newspapers were heavily fined (2).

During the 18th century the provincial newspaper had largely been a weekly newspaper, its reputation built on complete and impartial reporting of news mostly gathered from the

London newspapers. The provincial press concentrated on international and national events, especially the reporting of war, faithful reaccounts of parliamentary debates (with no direct reference to individual politicians), murder and violence (3). The average circulation of a provincial newspaper was approximately 1000 per week. By the end of the 18th century the provincial newspaper had become an established part of local life.

The economic depression of the early 19th century encouraged

Radical journalism, especially in the north of the country.

With the rise of Radicalism, the potential for a local newspaper representing true local views was formed.

Campaigns were launched by two groups wanting to rid the newspaper industry of its tax burdens - the Newspaper Stamp

Abolition Committee and the Association for the Promotion of the Repeal of Taxes on Knowledge (4). The press took up the

6 role of political advocate. Heavily taxed manufacturers in the north of the country clamoured for political representation. The working classes were beginning to demand a reduction in the working day and trade union representation. Provincial editors in the north of the country, especially those serving large urban areas, saw themselves as mediators between social, political and economic theorists and their readers. By 1850, political neutrality in the provincial press had become a thing of the past, as more and more space was given over to both national and local politics. Advertisement duty was finally abandoned in 1853, stamp duty in 1855 and paper duty in

1861. This amounted to a considerable reduction in production costs as approximately half of the costs of producing a newspaper had gone in taxes. Further, the Post

Office reduced its charges to Id. for carrying newspapers which weighed less than 4oz. and Reuters Agency began to sell foreign news on a co-operative basis. All of these factors meant that the provincial newspapers could sell locally at a cheaper rate than London papers, bringing about a transformation in the provincial press.

Printers began to set up daily provincial newspapers, lowering prices to 2d. and even Id. per copy. Journalists began to write their own parliamentary reports and, aided by

Reuters, reports from abroad. The provincial press entered the local and national arenas with a vengence. The provincial press of the 19th century can be seen as

7 distinctly partisan and it is supposed that its influence on social and political attitudes was large.

To Enlighten, to Civilize and to Morally Transform the World. (5)

From the 1860's to the end of the 19th century was a period of rapid development. Emphasis was placed on technology.

Newspaper proprietors were interested in a quick, uninterrupted production process and an effective, regular distribution service. Newspapermen found that

it was not just the law, or the want of education which inhibited the expansion of their business, but also the technical problems of producing large circulations quickly enough to reach the readers, and the lack of a distributive system capable of handling them. (6)

From necessity, the 19th century saw the advance of printing technology. For example, Applegarth and Cooper's rotary press appeared in 1848 and with it the ability to produce

8000 sheets per hour. During the 1860's web rotaries were introduced along with rolls of strong paper, saving time and money by eliminating the need for feeders and doubling capacity. In 1874 their were experiments with jute fibre when the Warrington Guardian was printed on paper made from it (7). The 1880's saw the use of wood pulp which reduced the price of newsprint so considerably that it became an

8 important factor in the profitable management of the popular press towards the end of the century. The 1890's saw the introduction of linotype machines. Steady reduction in production prices underlines the development of the press.

Cheap paper altered the style of newspaper presentation.

Newspapers increased in size and improved and expanded the coverage of news. The layout became less condensed, although at this time illustrations were still restricted to maps and woodcuts of important features. Proprietors were less dependent on revenue from advertising, though it was still extremely important to raise capital. The Printer's

Register shows the proportion of space given to advertising in the provincial press to be on average 50%.

In 1870 an act was passed, transferring the telegraph companies to the Post Office and specifying charges, which were lower for the p~ess. Rates were reduced further in

1885. This paved the way for the Press Association and other news agencies. Up until this time distribution systems had been dominated by the rail network which had enabled collection to be cheapened and regularised. The effect of the railways had been to favour the London newspapers. The electric telegraph changed all this.

The price of newsprint continued to fall throughout the late

19th century. Cheaper, flimsier newsprint, better domestic lighting and increased use of rail travel all contributed to a buy-your-own mentality. Increased circulations towards the end of the 19th century were also due to the Education

9 Act of 1870, the population explosion and changes in working conditions which provided greater leisure time. Price was also a determining factor. In the 1850's and 1860's working people were more likely to buy a Sunday newspaper for the price of 2d./1d. per week. A penny daily would simply have been too expensive. Before 1855, the larger provincial newspapers appeared two or three times per week. The repeal of tax made a provincial daily a more practical and attractive proposition, hence a rise in circulation figures and a rise in the numbers of provincial newspapers.

Provincial evening newspapers, for example, saw an increase from 84 in 1892 to 104 by 1913.

During the Victorian era there were far more newspapers than there are today, though they were smaller affairs with smaller circulations. They also had close links with political groups. The ability of political groups to set up newspapers was important to the development of the provincial press. Liberals possesed most of the leading provincial newspapers up until 1886 when there were many defections from the party within the newspaper industry.

The effect of political manoevering on the newspaper industry was to increase its resources. A successful newspaper with the appearance of independence was an effective political tool.

Ownership of the press began to change during the 19th century from family run businesses. The Companies Acts of

1845, 1856 and 1862 saw many papers register as joint stock

10 companies, attracted by the potential for expansion and the security offered by limited liability. Here can be seen the beginnings of the amalgamated press familiar in the 20th century.

Many newspapers of the 19th century began to offer a variety of news and features. The 1/2d. newspapers were designed to be read by families, much like modern newspapers. Foreign news came from Reuters, the Press Association and the London newspapers. Sports reports became a regular feature from the 1860's. By the 1880's parliamentary reporting began to decline, replaced by commentry and sketches. There was a· shift towards the provision of information, in some ways a return to the role of the 18th century press.

The prestige of the provincial newspapers was due to quality journalism and their success to a readership built up over years. The 19th century marks their progress from small affairs reporting second hand news gleaned from derivative sources, to established strongholds with their own staff and monopolistic circulations. They developed a different range of news interests, more sports orientated and more local in outlook.

2.2 REFERENCES.

1. Cranfield,G.A. The press and society from Claxton to Northcliffe. London: Longman, 1978,p. 89.

2. Lee,Alan J. The origins of the popular press in England. 1855 - 1914. London: Croom Helm, 1976,p. 42.

11 3. Jackson,Ian. The provincial press and the community. Manchester: Manchester University Press,1971,p. 4.

4. Boyce,George et al. Newspaper history from the 17th century to the present day. London: Constab1e,1978,p. 123.

5. Jackson, ref.4,p. 14.

6. Lee, ref.2,p. 55.

7. Brown,Lucy. Victorian news and newspapers. Oxford: Clarendon Press,1985,p. 12.

12 CHAPTER THREE

3.1 INTRODUCTION.

Warrington has a long and illustrious history in the printing industry. The name of Eyres first appeared in

1704; Henry Eyres was a local bookseller. Another of this famous family printed a broadsheet in 1731 - John Eyres. It was Wi1liam Eyres who produced Warrington's first newspaper, the Warrington Advertiser or Eyres Weekly Journal on 23rd

March, 1756. This publication was distinctive not only as

Warrington's first newspaper but also as the sixth newspaper ever produced in Lancashire (Warrington was situated in

Lancashire until the 1970's),having forerunners in

Manchester and Liverpool. Some of the original copies still exist in Warrington's public library today. William Eyres founded the Eyres Press and for over half a century it was famous for the quality of its craftsmanship. Supported by the Warrington Academy it became one of the leading printers in the country, attracting many famous patrons and publishing the editicas of some of the country's leading writers, including Mrs. Barbauld, Joseph Priestley and John

Howard.

William Eyres was born in May 1734 in Warrington and was a printer from 1756 to 1803. He was also the first librarian of the Warrington Circulating Library which was lending books from a cart on the streets as far back as 1760.

Within a century Warrington had the country's first rate subsidised library, the present building consisting of both

13 library and museum, being opened in 1857 for the cost of

£2,000. The excellence of this library lead to a growing demand for the spread of knowledge and a greater interest developed in local affairs as a result.

The Eyres Weekly Journal or Warrington Advertiser, being produced in the 18th century does not strictly fall within the boundaries of this study, but its place in Warrington's history necessitates its examination. The collection at the town's public library begins with issue number 7 dated

Tuesday April 27 to Tuesday May 4, 1756. The library's collection includes numbers 7,8,9,10,15,16,17 and 19, running from Tuesday April 27 to Tuesday July 27, 1756.

The Eyres Weekly Journal or Warrington Advertiser was small, consisting of 4 pages with 3 columns to each page. The front page always carried a woodcut of a post-boy riding over the old stone bridge which lead south of the town,

Behind him, on the first pier of the bridge, was the watch house.

When examining the copy of the newspaper dated April 27 to

May 4, 1756, it is immediately striking that it carried no local, district or county news. The first item is unusual in that it consists of a 12 year old letter from a gentleman travelling around Ierland to a nobleman in England, dated

March 17, 1744. The reason for printing this letter escapes the modern reader; it seems to be purely for its entertainment value, with the editor claiming that the manner of expression to be found within it ·will afford an

14 ageeable entertainment to our readers." The features seem to have largely been gleaned from the London posts, which were not exciting, despite the fact that the country was at war with France at this time. Items of news are presented under the heading of each day's post. Various items on troops' movements are presented, followed by an article detailing the manual exercises of the First Regiment of Foot

Guards which so impressed the Crown that all regiments were ordered to undertake them. Finally, the London news finishes with a further letter, from Yorkshire, discussing the weather and its adverse effects on the barley crop. The article closest to being local news is one discussing the

"Imports at Liverpoll" consisting of lists of items for sale:

"Manchester: Ronald M'Donald, Londonderry, with 156 and 1/2 trusses linen yarn."

The newspaper contains only 4 advertisements, 2 for books and 2 are local references, being reports of thefts.

Unlike modern newspapers, this earliest of examples offers no leading articles, no commentry on national or international events, not even on the war Britain fought at this time. The proprietor does not offer his opinion on any matter but merely puts together a sheet of second hand news taken mostly from the London Gazette. However poor the contents of this newspaper from a modern reader's perspective, doubtless it was of great importance to the citizens of Warrington as a source of news and the quality

15 of its production, despite the ravages of time, cannot be argued with as it used type never seen in the press today.

Indeed, the Eyres brothers were known country-wide for the beauty and quality of their work and as a result were much in demand by authors and scholars. Many examples of their work can be found well preserved at Warrington's public library.

3.2 THE WARRINGTON ADVERTISER (LAVEROCK'S).

This short lived version of the Advertiser ran from January to April, 1851. It began by declaring that it had a circulation of 1,500 in Warrington, Runcorn, Frodsham, Lymm,

Newton, Winwick, Ha1ton, Preston Brook, &c. It was printed and published by W. Laverock at the Advertiser Office, 10

Sankey Street, Warrington, which was also a general printers and stationery office.

The first edition consisted of one sheet, printed on one side and having 5 columns. It was no more than an advertising sheet, carrying no news or features of any kind.

Care was taken, however, in the presentation of the 24 advertisements, using a variety of lettering styles and sizes. Column 1 consisted of a simple calendar of January,

1851. Also featured were 2 timetables - one for the London and North Western Railway and the other for the Lancashire and Cheshire Junction.

A large amount of the space available in the first edition of the Advertiser, Laverock used to promote his own work.

16 w. Laverock begs respectfully to call the attention of his Friends and the Public to his New and Cheap Stock of Stationery, which has been selected from the first Houses in the Trade, and is not to be surpassed in quality.

He challenges the public to favour him with a visit where they would be convinced that each article he sold was remarkably cheap. His stock consisted of a great variety of stationery, including "Folio Post, Quarto Post and other papers ... Albums, Portfolios, &c." He also sold a vast range of almanacks from 6d. to Id.

The first edition of the Advertiser also carried an advertisement for a monthly "Literary Edition" of the

Warrington Advertiser to be sold for the price of one penny.

It was to be printed on superior paper by a "new and beautiful Type." The customers would be able to choose between the two versions of the paper, both of which would be available from deliverers or the Advertiser Office.

The second edition of the Advertiser was produced in April.

It was different from the first as it consisited of 2 sides of a single sheet and carried some news items. It also had

6 columns instead of 5. As in the first edition, the first column consisted of a simple calendar. The front page carried the same rail timetables as previously. In this edition there was a total of 25 advertisements, which were carefully presented in a variety of formats.

17 The reverse of the sheet announced itself as Laverock's

Warrington Advertiser - Literary Edition, price one penny.

This had only 5 columns but consisted entirely of news and features. These items were: "Effectual Means of Checking

Runaway Horses;" a description of a fight between 2 animals called "Fight of the Wild Beasts;" a biography of the MP

Richard Cobden taken from the Working Man's Friend which was

1 and 1/2 columns long; a poem signed TRE; "Proverbs for

Every-day Life;" the story of the unfortunate circumstances which led to an innocent man - one Roger Maberly - to be hanged for murder; "The Tigers Cave;" "Scottish

Perserverance" and a column called "Odds and Ends" which consisted of short features on education, theft etc.

It is not surprising that this early version of the

Advertiser was so short lived. During its production in

1851, the taxes on advertising and paper and the stamp duty imposed on newspapers would all have been in force, so

Laverock would have had to contribute a substantial amount of money to the state coffers merely to get the newspaper started, with no guarentee of any returns, except those from his advertisers, if the newspaper did not sell.

3.3 THE WARRINGTON ADVERTISER.

The Warrington Advertiser was revived by George Powlson on

Saturday January 18th, 1862. Conditions at this time were far more favourable for starting a newspaper. The tax on advertising had been abolished in 1853, the stamp duty had

18 followed in 1855 and the duty on paper had finally disappeared in 1861. Powlson produced his Advertiser from

Sankey Street in Warrington, just as Laverock had done. He also ran a stationery office from the same address.

Few records of George Powlson's life still remain. "In

Memorium - Mary Elizabeth Powlson" is a document printed by

Powlson in 1870 after the death of his wife on Christmas day, 1869, aged only 49, placing her year of birth as 1820.

The couple had only one child, Sydney Powlson, who did not survive infancy, dying on 27th May, 1861, aged only 15 months. Powlson's father, Thomas Powlson, followed his grandson less than a year later, on February 7th 1862, aged

59. Powlson's mother, Charlotte Powlson, died the same year as her husband, on 31st October, aged 64.

Census returns for 1881 show George Powlson's age as being

57, making his year of birth 1824. He is listed as living in Winwick, but as being born in the county of Derbyshire.

George Powlson had a brother Stephen, born in 1828, who was also a "printer master" and lived in Pendleton, though he was born in Chesterfield, Derbyshire. Stephen was married to Eliza, born 1831 in Salford and the couple had 8 children, Henry born in 1856 who was a printer compositor,

Clara born 1860 who was a teacher, Pelia born 1863, Sydney born 1865 who worked in the office, Alfred E. born 1866 who was a printer's apprentice, WaIter born 1868, George born

1869 and Charlotte born 1871.

19 The first edition was priced at ld. The newspaper was 4 pages long, having 6 columns to each page and appeared weekly on Saturdays. The front page of the first edition carried 3 full columns of advertisements, which by then, would have purely made the proprietor profits. The fourth column consisted of a legal notice, a report from the borough court, a report on a ploughing match held locally and a report of a troop ship which had been caught in a storm. As well as births, marriages and deaths, the fifth column describes a tour from London to Frankfurt and back by

Reverend W. Quekett, MA. The final column of the first page is entitled "Miscellaneous," the heading being in upper case letters to make it stand out slightly from the rest of the type. As the heading would suggest it carries various reports, largely concerned with death.

Page 2 has 2 cloumns dedicated to reporting on the state of the markets. The heading "Topics of the Day," again in upper case lettering, features mostly reports concerning other countries: Mr. Gladstone on the American question; a description of the International Exhibition; an expedition to Mexico and Napoleon and the American blockade.

The third column concerns itself with the Royal court; the church; the army and the navy and gives a list of British ships and their crews. As well as a reprint of a letter from Earl Russel to Lord Lyons, being concerned with "the

Affair of the Trent," the fourth column is given to and headed "American Affairs," reporting on anything with

20 connection to the Civil War. The fifth and sixth columns are of "Foreign News."

Page 3 is dedicated on the most part to murder, mayhem and catastrophe. There are no less than 13 crime reports including a story taken from the Queensland Guardian. There are 4 distasters and accidents covered and one execution.

Most of the reports are taken from other publications from around the world. Rather out of place on this page are 3 reports - one concerned with the building of 30 new chapels on the bi-centenary of non-conformity in Lancashire, one with a public meeting attended by Mr. Leatheram, MP at

Huddersfield and one 11 year old report concerning the

Prince of Wales at the Exhibition of 1851.

The fourth page carries a column of self advertisement, listing the charges for the types of advertisement that the

Advertiser would print, which, for 3 lines, was 6d. The editor's address to the reader suggests that the Advertiser was an attempt to revive the Eyres Weekly Journal:

In the year 1756, a predecessor at Market Gate commenced what was then doubtless considered a very important undertaking, the publication of the second, (if not the first) Lancashire newspaper. The present occupant considers that the removal of the paper duty and the great increase in the cheap press literature of the day, fully warrants him in attempting to revive the old WARRINGTON ADVERTISER, ...

21 No mention of Laverock's Advertiser which had disappeared only a decade before. Subsequent research has found that

Powlson was mistaken in his belief that the newspaper to which he refers was the second or first newspaper in

Lancashire, but was indeed the sixth. Powlson, in later years, liked to refer to his newspaper as the oldest in

Warrington and he was greatly ridiculed for his posturing in certain quarters (largely by his great press rival,

Alexander Mackie, who thought of his own newspaper, the

Warrington Guardian, as the oldest in the town).

The rest of the fourth page is concerned with Warrington and the surrounding district, sitting under the heading of

"Local and District News" and includes the correspondence page.

The second editon of the Advertiser, published on Saturday

January 25th, is little different from the first edition.

Page one carries 3 full columns of advertisements, 1 and 1/2 columns of reports from the borough court, 1 column discussing agriculture and 1/2 a column of "Miscellaneous" news items, including the establishment of a chamber of commerce by the manufactureers and trades people 'of Halifax.

Page 2 features the markets; the Royal court; the church; the army and navy; "Topics of the Day" which include "Our

Government and the Stone Fleet;" news concerning the war in

America and 2 columns headed "Foreign News." Page 3 has 4 columns of murder and accident reports, a column concerned with small items of British news and a second column headed

22 "Foreign News." Page 4, with the exception of a column reporting on the American Civil War, is given to "Local and

District News," including births, deaths and marriages and the correspondence section.

Subsequent editions of the Advertiser differ little from these first editions. Edition number 6, on Saturday

February 22nd, began a regular feature headed "parliamentary

Intelligence" which reported the events from the House of

Commons and the House of Lords from Monday to Thursday, having each day as a separate heading. The feature was generally 1 and 1/2 to 2 columns long and placed on page 3

(but was dropped in edition number 34 on September 6th).

Edition number 7 on March 1st began a "Latest Intelligence" section each week on the final column of page 4 and a small section dedicated to poetry, the first of these being "The

Old, Old Story" signed JWF. Edition number 29 on August

2nd, 1862, presented the Advertiser's first sports feature, it being a report of a local cricket match between

Warrington and Runcorn, that simply consisted of the scores gained by each player. It was not until August 16th, when there had been over 30 editions of the Warrington

Advertiser, that there appeared a piece of news on the front page designed to catch the eye with its sensationalism -

"Violent Warrington Robbery." This, however, was a rare occurance, the front page on September 6th, for example, consisting of news from the Board of Guardians, births, marriages, deaths, the previous day's markets and the

23 ------

"Latest Intelligence" column. Throughout the series it is possible to see the growing popularity of the Advertiser reflected in the increasing amounts of advertising it attracted; it carried up to 4 and 1/2 columns in each edition by mid July. The Advertiser continued in this format until Saturday October 11th, 1862, when the following notice appeared within its pages:

The proprietors of the Warrington Standard and Times ... Before our paper was established, so-called Liberalism in this town was rampant, and this party, having the advantage of a suitable organ, were enabled to keep their leaders prominently before the public ... With impartiality in our hearts and impartiality for our motto, we could easily afford to allow the Radical orators ... themselves because we could at all times eclipse them by bringing the Conservatives fairly before the public ... the Advertiser will do more than supply our loss.

So, on Saturday October 18th, 1862, the two Conservative newspapers merged to present Warrington with a new format of the Advertiser. This first edition was entitled The Warrington Advertiser With Which is Incorporated the

Warrington Standard and Times. It, like the old Advertiser, was published weekly, but it was a larger newspaper, having

7 columns to each page (a total of 28 columns from the previous total of 24) and was priced 3 halfpence. Both the former proprietors of the Standard and Times and Powlson

24 were anxious to rally local Conservative support around the new Advertiser. The former proprietors of the

Standard and Times made a long address within the pages of the first edition of the new Advertiser, announcing the transferral of their journal and their business to Mr.

Powlson, respectfully suggesting that Conservative interests be concentrated in the new newspaper and urging readers of the Standard and Times to transfer their subscriptions and their loyalty to Mr. Powlson.

The new Warrington Advertiser circulated over a wide area which included over 70 districts, far too many to list here.

The issue dated October 18th, 1862, gives a full list and can be found in Warrington's public library. Despite all of these changes, the Advertiser was little different in its contents. The front page of the first edition carried 4 and

1/2 columns of advertisements, legal notices and news from the borough court. Page 2 featured the markets; the Royal court; the army and navy; a column entitled "Topics of the

Day" reporting on the Chancellor of the Exchequer's visit to

York, the crisis in Prussia and news from London; an article taken from the Times called the "Sectionist Ladies of New

Orleons" and 3 columns headed "Foreign News" which includes a story on the arrival in America of 'The Arabia.' Page 3 had 6 columns of accidents, murders, riots and disasters.

The seventh column was entitled "Latest Foreign News." Page

4 further emphasised the fact that the Standard and Times had merged with the Advertiser and that the purchase had

25

------been purely for commercial reasons, not for reasons of party, leaving the Advertiser as the only Conservative paper in the district.

Powlson emphasised that the purchase of the Standard and

Times would make no difference to the way the newspaper was conducted and sought the support of the public on "straight forward Conservative principles ... honesty of intention and singleness of principle ... " The rest of the page is taken up by local concerns, including reports from the Board of

Guardians and the town council; births, deaths, marriages and correspondence, with the exception of a column headed

"Latest Intelligence" and a report on the previous day's markets.

On 1st January, 1865, the price of the Advertiser was reduced to one penny. The front page was entirely taken up by advertisements. Page 2 was dedicated to the subjects of education and commerce, with legal notices and rail timetables, church matters, court reports and half a column of small local news matters. 6 of the columns of page 3 were also concerned with local matters - the minutes of various meetings, a report from the town council, local elections, births etc. and correspondence. Other features of this page include a poem, the previous day's markets, "Latest

Intelligence" from Spain, Turkey and America and a column of widely different reports on subjects as diverse as "Donato the one-legged dancer," and 8 men buried alive in a colliery accident in Wigan." Page 4 is almost entirely given to

26 international news from America, Canada, Africa and Europe.

The third column is headed "Foreign Telegrams," including one from Madrid where the Queen had consented to the appointment of 40 new Senators. The seventh column is headed "Foreign Miscellany" which consists mostly of gossip.

The fourth column is also a gossip spot entitled "A London

Letter." The content and presentation of the Advertiser changes little through 1865, the only differences being small additions such as meteorological reports (which began on February 25th) and the growing number of advertisements which began to make up some of the second page from March

25th. Indeed, production of the Advertiser remained steady and unaltered for a number of years. Perusal of the 260th issue made available on January 5th, 1867, shows a first page of advertisements, a second page of advertisements, market news, church news and 2 columns of local news. Page

3 is given to local and district events, with the exception of a telegram received by Mr Reuter concerning the exchange rate of gold. Page 4 has a column of foreign telegrams, the latest news and gossip from London; "Literary Selections" - small items of national and international news and finally,

2 columns of interest from the borough court.

In the issue dated Saturday October 12th, 1867, can be seen an example of the great rivalry between Powlson and his

Advertiser and Alexander Mackie and his Guardian - a war in print which had continued off and on since 1863. The rivalry was extraordinary in its viciousness. On September

27 5th, 1863, Powlson had printed a bitter article beginning with the quotation "With what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again," in which he accused Mackie of staff poaching. On September 12th of the same year he published a letter from Mackie, accusing Powlson of "malignant charges" and "reprehensible conduct." Mackie offered to allow his own conduct to be examined by 2 mutually chosen townsmen.

Powlson replied "It is not even an attempt to reply to the humiliating charges we brought against him" and agreed to

Mackie's proposal - "Judgement shall be pronounced by that tribunal to which the appeal has been made." In an artical entitled "Mr. Mackie Versus the Truth" published on 29th

September, Powlson continued to taunt Mackie who had, at this time, seemed to have dropped the matter. Mackie was accused of "covet with an evil covetousness" and the desire to "to seduce and, if possible, destroy." Powlson further suggests that Mackie should apologise to him, but would not because to do so would be manly and Christian. He goes on to contradict many of Mackie'sclaims regarding the

Guardian, sneering at its belief that it was the only newspaper in the district not under the power of a party, and stating that Mackie knew very well that these claims were false. The bitterness between the two men did indeed lead to a meeting held in the public hall in October of

1863. The speech given by Mackie was reported in full in the edition of the Advertiser dated October 3rd, 1863.

Mackie refuted all of the charges against him, quoting a

28 letter written by one of Powlson's former employees in which the gentleman concerned claimed that he had applied to Mr.

Mackie for the position of reporter at the Guardian and had in no way been lured away from his position at the

Advertiser. Mackie went on to accuse Powlson of "beggarly payment" of his employees.

Powlson's reply was furious. He in turn accused Mackie of

"blackguardism" and acknowledged Mackie's "superiority in the art of vulgar abuse." He dismisses Mackie in the following manner: "with his self-laudation, impertinences, vain-glorious boastings, self-inflated contrast and wily business puffs, we do not trouble ourselves." The matter was by no means over and the following week, October 10th, saw a further article published in the Advertiser, accusing

Mackie of a series of half-lies. The rivalry continued but seemed to die down later on in the year. However, as noted earlier, the edition dated October 12th, 1867, belies this belief. In it, Powlson attacked Mackie and the Guardian for, in his opinion, its indelicate handling of a local rail disaster. For a further 3 months Powlson accused Mackie of exaggerations concerning the Guardian's circulation figures, of false advertising and of generally having a dubious character. This series of attacks, though vicious, were generally ignored and eventually died down again. Further discussion of this rivalry can be seen in the section of chapter 3 dealing with the Warrington Guardian.

29 On Saturday January 4th, 1868, Powlson presented Warrington with a free almanack in the day's edition of the Advertiser called Warrington Borough Almanack for the Year of our Lord, 1868, being Bissextile or Leap Year, and the Thirty-First and Thirty-Second Years of the Reign of Her Majesty, Queen

Victoria. The almanack consisted of 5 columns of local intelligence and general need-to-know such as a list of all the churches and chapels in Warrington and its neighbourhood; a list of fairs in Lancashire and Cheshire for that year; lists of chairpersons for various societies and institutions in the area; a local calendar of events; the phases of the moon; the names of the Royal Family of

England; a list of the ex-Mayors of Warrington and rates of postage, money orders and newspapers.

The newspaper itself began a serialised fiction entitled

"The Philosopher of the Garreto or the Journal of a Happy

Man," translated from the French, which filled 2 columns of page 3.

The newspaper was enlarged to 8 columns per page on January

2nd, 1869. The enlargement had no effect on the contents of the Advertiser which still held with foreign, national, district and local news in equal proportions to those held previously. In January of 1871, the Advertiser began to publish share lists of local companies. In all of the time the Advertiser was published in Warrington, the style, layout, approach or content barely changed, reflecting the conservative nature of the newspaper itself and its

30 political loyalties. The newspaper always looked crowded, as though the editor was attempting to get as much as possible into the space available, which may well have been his intention, but would be expected more in a newspaper produced before 1861 which would have had heavy tax burdens.

The Advertiser made no use of illustration. Neither did it use headlines, headings or paragraphs to effect. Headings were merely one or two sentences printed in capital letters to make them stand out slightly from the rest of the text.

The majority of news items simply followed on one after another, separated only by a line of space; some of the shorter news items used no headings at all. Some of the more important news items were boxed off from the rest of the text in an attempt to make them more eye-catching.

Throughout the paper's progress, the amount of advertising within its columns steadily increased so that by 1885 it filled the front page, 7 and 1/2 columns of page 2 and the last 2 columns of the back page (the same year saw Powlson move to Beech House, wiswick-With-Hulme near Warrington) .

From 1887, the amount of sports news, albeit local sports, also steadily increased, encompassing football and lawn tennis by 1886. The tone of the reports were very different from those of today - rather more conservative and formal.

Warrington v's Broughton Rangers On Saturday the West Lancashire cup holders opposed the Broughton Rangers, the result, after an exciting game, being a victory for the home side by a goal (from a try by Barues) to two

31 tries for the Rangers ....

The conservatism of the Advertiser can be in no doubt, reflected both in the style of the reports presented and in the scathing commentries to be found within its pages. A good example can be seen in the edition dated January 2nd,

1886:

1885 will be a memorable year in English history. The transference of the Elective power of the country to its least qualified section - the agricultural labourer and small tenement citizen; the demagogue -led and priest-ridden ...

The Advertiser can be called one of Warrington's most successful newspapers. It survived for almost 28 years, unfaltering in its support for and promotion of Conservative interests and the principles of the Protestant church, which

Powlson considered to be in the best interests of the country and its citizenship as a whole. However, due to

Powlson's failing health and "failing resources," the

Warrington Advertiser was discontinued on Saturday December

28th, 1889.

3.4 THE WARRINGTON BOROUGH PRESS.

This newspaper proclaimed itself to be "A record of local events." It began its publication as a weekly on Saturday

October 10th, 1891, for the price of one penny. It

32 consisted of 4 pages, with 5 columns to each page and was printed and published by John Shaw Green at the Borough

Press Office, 34 Bridge Street, Warrington. The first page of the first edition held 3 columns of advertisements. The fourth column headed "Tragic Tales or Dramas from Real

Life." Column 5 preceeds on a lighter note with a tale which was continued on page 4 and was entitled "Dear Old

Friends." Page 2 outlined the advertisement rates for the

Borough Press and gave the usual opening address from the editor to be found at the commencement of every new newspaper. The Borough Press announced itself to be the only newspaper to devote itself exclusivley to the then

52,000 strong population of Warrington and the only newspaper published for Warringtonians by Warringtonians.

It circulated exclusively within the town, declaring its intentions of becoming the "Brightest, Newsiest and BEST

PAPER" to be published in Warrington and to devote itself to the "recording of the various transactions that go to make up the daily life of the community."

The proprietor declared his reason for beginning this newspaper as being to fill in the gap in the market created by the continuous growth of the town's population and its develoment as an important area in the country. The proprietor claimed to have acquired an entirely new plant of type and machinery, and to have engaged a staff for this purpose.

33 Following this was a rather strange declaration which was somewhat detrimental to the population of Warrington. The proprietor observed that the people of Warrington, "just as the prophet has no honour in his own country," preferred to patronise those from other areas (a reference, perhaps, to

Alexander Mackie, a Scot, and owner of the town's most successful newspaper the Warrington Guardian), whilst ignoring the efforts of their own "kith and kin." He declared this tendancy to be a mystery within a town which had so rich a history of great indidviduals though, he stated, the current population was devoid of such notable residents. He went on to put himself forward as one to follow in the footsteps of these historical figures, "to do what little in us lies to advance the good government and general well-being of our native town." He ended his address by announcing his intentions to support all efforts which attempted to increase the power of the people and to destroy the advantages of the privileged. The politics of the Borough Press were Liberal, holding to the old adage

"Peace, Retrenchment and Reform." The proprietor was staunchly against war which he pronounced to be "inimical to

Man's highest and best interests." The newspaper supported

Nonconformity, being against any religion having pre­ eminence in the state. Finally, the proprietor declared the newspapers intended independence of expression, being free from connection with any party or sect.

Column 3 of the second page was called "Topics

34 of the Times." First on the list for discussion was the opening of the Warrington Borough Press and the advantages that this would bring to the town. Following this was a feature on the Countess of Carslile, who visited the town that week and was known at the time as a "democratic aristocrat." The proprietor's admiration for the Countess is obvious. The column ended with an attack on the Assisted

Education Act, condemned as "Tory tinkering."

Column 4 had the heading "Under the Shadow of St. Paul's" and was a discussion of the merits of St. Paul's Cathedral, along with other tit-bits of London gossip. The fifth column urged young men to improve their education. Column 6 was entitled "Life in London," recounting many pathetic stories from the children of London's Slums.

Page 3 and the first 2 columns of page 4 were given over to reporting on events at the local ice carnival and profiling those individuals who opened the celebrations. Columns 3 and 4 were both dedicated to local council affairs, whilst the fifth column gave an account of a lecture held at the

Technical Institute. Column 6 discussed the idea of women voters.

The second edition dated October 17th, 1891, had much the same layout as the first. Its overriding concerns were local and county news, for example, street improvement, local churches, "Neighbourhood News," trial reports and council news.

35 The Warrington Borough Press differed from other local newspapers of its time in its approach to reporting and in its presentation. The newspaper made better use of space, with clearer, bolder headlines, not having the cramped look typical of most 19th century newspapers. Its approach was lighter, less conservative than, for example, the

Advertiser, making it undemanding and easier to read, and its pages were filled with local news.

On Saturday November 14th, 1891, the price of the Warrington

Borough Press was reduced to one halfpenny in deference, the proprietor stated, to the wishes of his patrons. Public demand had requested a larger newspaper - 8 pages long - but, as John Shaw had no desire to produce such a large newspaper, he instead consented to reduce its price. A reduction in price also opened up his publication to more sections of the general public, as had been his goal since commencing the Warrington Borough Press. Despite this however, the Borough Press lasted for only seven more months, producing its last edition on June 4th, 1892.

3.5 THE WARRINGTON CHRONICLE AND AGRICULTURAL GAZETTE.

This weekly broadsheet appeared on Wednesdays and was printed and published by Charles Gerrard of 19 Sankey Street in Warrington at the Standard and Times printing office as a supplement to the Warrington Standard and Times and as such

36 was produced in the same style as the Standard and Times.

It was a 4 page newspaper, with 6 columns to each page and was priced at 1d. Its aproach to reporting was conservative, both in style and in political affiliation.

As the 54th issue of this newspaper appeared on March 6th,

1861, it seems probable that the newspaper first appeared at the beginning of 1860.

Of its 24 columns, 8 consisted of advertisements, 3 of which were situated on the front page along with a column of local news and a column examining the latest markets. Page 2 was a collection of news, articles and trivia from around the world, whilst the third page related foreign and selected general news, along with parliamentary reports. The rest of the advertisements were printed on the back page, along with various important timetables.

On August 7th, 1861, The Warrington Chronicle and

Agricultural Gazette became, on its 76th edition, a free newspaper. At this time it was reduced to a single sheet, printed on one side only, 3 columns long. 2 of the 3 columns consisted of advertisements and 1 of market reports.

It was not possible to determine when the Chronicle ceased production as this issue was the the last date available for examination.

3.6 THE WARRINGTON EVENING POST.

The first issue of the Warrington Evening Post appeared on

Thursday May 17th, 1877, for the price of 1 halfpenny. It

37 was a 4 page publication, consisting of 4 columns per page.

It was produced by James Wood, born 1840, at 44 and 46

Sankey Street in Warrington.

The Warrington Evening Post was published daily in 2 editions - the first at4pm. and the second at 7pm. It contained, in addition to local news and general intelligence, a full account of the day's telegraphic news up to the hour of going to press, parliamentary reports,

Stock Exchange returns, market reports, trade reports, foreign and war telegrams, police news and sports news, including cricket and racing (though the parliamentary reports and a complete sports feature only appeared in the

7pm. edition).

The chief considerations of the Evening Post were the telegraphic news (both from home and abroad) and items of local news, with all matters of local interest reported in full each day. A portion of the newspaper consisted of general intelligence, extracted from the leading journals of the time and a substantial amount of space was set aside for advertisements. James Wood stated in the first edition that political matters would not be given prominence within its pages but that it was his intention to support and, where possible, advocate Conservative principles, though principle would never be sacrificed to party .

... so long as those principles are not antagonistic to the correction of abuses political, social and ecclesiastical, or to the introduction of measures

38 and reforms which may be considered to be for the advantage of the community, and for the welfare of the country at large.

This first edition of the Warrington Evening Post consisted of 4 columns of advertisements (1/4 of the total space available). The second page contained 1 column of local news, encompassing trials and tragedies, and 1 column of latest news concerned with the war in Europe and Asia.

Presentation of the news on page 3 was far less ordered.

Column 1 reported on a conference of the National

Agricultural Labourers' Union, a court case, the coal trade in Lancashire, racing results and a dangerous fire. The second column covered a range of topics from religion to education. Column 3 was entitled "General News" and consisted of 7 news items, both national and international, between 1 sentence and 1 paragraph long. There were no headings, nor were there any attempts to separate one news item from another. Column 4 covered such diverse topics as the markets in corn and crops, births, marriages, deaths and

4 items on the military. The fourth page published telegrams from the war in Europe, ecclesiastical news, a trial and extracts from the comic papers such as Punch, Judy and Fun.

On Monday July 2nd, 1877, the size of the Evening Post was increased to 5 columns per page. The previous day's edition had altered its title, presenting itself as The Warrington

Evening Post for Warrington, Runcorn and Widnes. The

39 edition of July 2nd gave more space to advertising than previous editions, 12 columns in total amounting to over half of the newspaper. Space was also given to a church calendar for July, the editor's opinions on various topics, a list of Evening Post agents and a local shares list. News seemed to have become a secondary concern, with only 5 and

1/2 columns of a total of 20 columns of space, given over to news features. The news that did appear was largely national and local, though 2 items cover matters from abroad. The presentation of news differed from previous editions, being well spaced, separating items with double lines and using headings.

On Monday August 26th, 1878, there was a further title change, the newspaper being called The Warrington Evening

Post for Warrington, Widnes and District. With the change of title came a section, usually located on page 3, headed

"Widnes Intelligence" or "Widnes Local Notes." On Monday

December 2nd, 1878, Wood announced that due to a steady increase in circulation, the Post would be increased in size to provide its readers with additional matter and fuller accounts of both local and general intelligence. Wood reaffirmed the Post as one advocating Conservative and church principles, dismissing partisanship and intolerance of differing political and religious views. The newsaper was to be essentially a working man's paper. Strangely, there is no evidence throughout 1879 of any increase in size. A further statement printed on Tuesday 10th December,

40 1878, declared Wood's intention of increasing the size of the newspaper whist maintaining its compact form. He stated his wish to present additional news and fuller accounts, whilst in reality he maintained the paper's previous style of presentation, that of condensed descriptive form.

By March 1st, 1879, Wood claimed a weekly circulation of

10,000 for the Post and a yearly figure of half a million.

By July of the same year, the title of the newspaper had undergone another change - The Evening Post for Warrington,

Widnes, Earlestown and District. The layout of the paper remained unchanged, with the exception that the advertisements on the front page were now presented by district.

In 1880 Wood made 2 attempts to increase the circulation of the Post, firstly by presenting the public with 3 editions every Wednesday - the first published at 1pm., the second at

4pm. and the third at 5.30 pm. - and secondly by publishing a weekly edition of the daily paper. The weekly newspaper comprised of 40 columns in 8 pages for the price of one penny and was published every Saturday at 11am. The new paper contained all of the news of the week, along with the latest intelligence up to the hour of going to press. The Weekly Post and Evening Post for Warrington, Widnes,

Earlestown and District was presented to the public for the first time on January 3rd, 1880. Its first page consisted of advertisements, as did a further five columns of the newspaper - a total of 1/4 of the space available. Page two

41 contained miscellaneous features encompassing topics such as the origins of kissing to the virtues of mental arithmetic.

It also presented the hours of divine services, separated into districts and churches. Page 3 reviewed 1879, whilst page 4 covered forthcoming events and local intelligence.

According to James Wood, the function of the Weekly Post was to meet the requirements of the working classes - to provide them with a complete summary of the week's news for as Iowa price as possible. As such, both page 5 and page 6 provided coverage of general national news, whilst page 8 was concerned with the week's summary and any breaking news.

1880 also saw the commencement of serialised fiction in the

Weekly Post, which covered all of page 7.

By June of 1880 publication of the Evening Post was limited to Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, together with the weekly edition on Saturdays. July of the same year finally saw an increase in the size of the evening editions to 7 columns per page. With the increase in size came a return to daily publishing, but the weekly edition had proved unsuccessful and production ceased. "Earlestown" was also dropped from the title. With the demise of the weekly edition, serialised fiction was moved to the daily editions on

Saturday July 24th.

On Friday 31st December, 1880, an announcement was printed in the second page of the Post that publication of the newspaper would be suspended. The announcement was small, squashed between an advertisement and a review of 1880. No

42 explanation for this decision was given and publication of the Evening Post never resumed.

3.7 THE WARRINGTON GAZETTE, GENERAL ADVERTISER AND LITERARY

MONTHLY READER.

This publication was first printed and published on Saturday

January 14th, 1854, by Mr George Furnival at his offices in

Sankey Street in Warrington for the price of 1d. It consisted of 4 pages, with 3 columns to each page. Little is known of George Furnival, other than that he was a general printer, bookseller and stationer and that he was the agent for the Daily News, a London Newspaper advocating

Liberal politics.

The first page consisted entirely of advertisements. It is a good example of 19th century printing skills, as the quality of both the printing and the paper is excellent. It is inventive and pleasing to the eye. Great care is taken with the presentation of the advertisements, using different fonts, upper and lower case lettering, italics and bold print. Each page is headed with the line: "Useful,

Instructive and Entertaining Knowledge."

Though little may be known of the proprietor, Furnival's reasons for producing this publication are very apparent.

The growing commercial importance of Britain, and the continually increasing number of businesses during the later part of the 19th century, made advertising more and more necessary. This was coupled with the facilities for

43 advertising being given by the repeal of taxes and duty in

1853 and 1855 respectively. Furnival's aim was to unite business with culture and to pursue the great Liberal cause of education for the masses. The Gazette was, however, a self-confessed periodical, and, as such, does not strictly fall within the boundaries of this study. It is, however, an excellent illustration of its time.

3.8 THE WARRINGTON INDEPENDENT AND GENERAL ADVERTISER.

This broadsheet first appeared on Saturday October 28th,

1854. It was a weekly priced 3 and 1/2d., consisting of 4 pages with 6 columns to a page and was printed and published by its proprietor John Robert Thompson at the Independent office, Sankey Street.

The first page of the first edition consisted entirely of advertisements, all of which were for local businesses and events and were presented with great care, many illustrated.

The second page was entirely devoted to concerns within

Warrington, as was all but 1 column of the third page. The first column of the fourth page gives the results of the local government election and an address by the proprietor to his new readers:

In reference to our intentions for the future, it shall be our aim ... to act honestly in the consideration of questions affecting whatever interest. As conservators of the public good we shall ever feel ourselves bound to expose the fallacies or intrigue of party in the management of the affairs of our town.

The Independent was, as its name suggested, politically independent. The rest of the fourth page was also devoted to local concerns and supplying the reader with local information such as Post Office regulations, births etc. and the correspondence page.

The first edition of the Independent gave the impression that the new publication would be one almost exclusively devoted to news and concerns fron Warrington and its surrounding district. The second edition produced on

Saturday November 4th, 1854, gave a different impression.

Within these pages was a wider outlook. The second page filled 3 of its columns with reports from the war, 1 with

"Foreign Miscellany," 1 with market news and 1 with general news from around the country. Only the third page and 4 columns of the fourth reported local matters.

The final edition of this newspaper appeared on Saturday

January 6th, 1855, in only its 11th issue, despite a steady increase in advertising revenue, which by this time filled 2 columns of the second page as well as the whole of the first. The proprietor's announcement of its cessation was evasive, giving no reason as to why he had decided to halt its production.

45 3.9 THE WARRINGTON INTELLIGENCER AND ST. HELENS AND RUNCORN

REPORTER.

The first issue of this newspaper went on sale for 1 and

1/2d. on Thursday 1st Decmber, 1853. It was a monthly publication of 4 pages, each with 5 columns, well printed on good quality paper by Thompson and Clegg at their general printing offices at 7 Sankey Street in Warrington.

Few copies of this publication remain. The only copy available for examination at Warrington's public library is the second edition, produced on 31st December, 1853. The first column of the first page consisted of a review of the year as it came to a close. Column 2 gave a commentry on the proprietors' wish for newspaper reform. Thompson and

Clegg expressed their opinion that the newspaper press was shackled by 2 burdens - the paper duty and the stamp duty.

Both produced the same effects - the restriction of its usefulness - but the partnership singled out the stamp duty as the worst offender. It forced, they claimed, one individual to pay for the privileges of another - by paying for the transmission of a paper by post - and prevented competition within the trade by requiring the investment of huge sums of money. In doing so, the duty deprived many people of newspapers, halting the progress of knowledge and restricting political information to a privileged few. The third and fourth columns of the first page reviewed a sermon given by Ralph Alan Mould, MA and a chapel tea party. The

46 fifth column listed concerts and donations given to the free library.

The second page began with three poems by Edward Hind,

Alfred Tennyson and Ellen Hetherington, followed by a discussion of the traditions surrounding the celebration of the New Year around the world. The third column was dedicated to art and the fourth to miscellaneous comments such as "Flattery is a sort of bad money, to which our vanity gives currency." The final column consisted of another review, in this case the substance of a lecture given by the Reverend John Kay concerning the state of the faith in Ierland. The report continues for a further 3 columns of the third page. News stories covering crime in the region complete the third page and cover 3 columns of the fourth. Page 4 ends with 2 columns of useful information such as dispatch and delivery times for the Post

Office.

What is most distinctive about this publication is the fact that it devoted all of its space to news and general literature to the entire exclusion of advertising. It was a cheap, family orientated newspaper which did not identify with party or creed, only with parliamentary reform and the furthering of the interests of all classes.

As a monthly publication, the Intelligencer does not comply with the definition of a newspaper given by Ruth Cowley and used in this study. Thompson and Clegg, however, referred to it as a newspaper and it voices the concerns of all of

47 those involved in the provincial press at this period of the

19th century.

3.10 THE WARRINGTON MAIL.

This newspaper exists only from issue number 39, produced on

February 27th, 1869. A broadsheet, it consisted of 4 pages with 5 columns to each page and was priced at one halfpenny.

It was printed and published by its sole proprietor William

Pemberton, at his steam-printing works at 34 Bridge Street in Warrington.

Examination of issue 39 determined that this issue was the first of a new format for the Warrington Mail - "In issuing the first impression of the new series of the Warrington

Mail." However, it gives no clue as to the previous format of the newspaper but reflection on other newspaper, the

Warrington Weekly Mail, leads to the conclusion that the

Weekly Mail was the forerunner of the Mail. The Weekly Mail is discussed later in this chapter.

A self-confessed working man's newspaper, which is reflected by its selling price, the Warrington Mail leaned towards

Liberal principles but was not a party newspaper. It gave its readership important local news and the more interesting pieces of parliamentary news.

The whole of the first page of the Mail, fully 1/4 of the newspaper, was filled with advertisements, many of which were illustrated. Its second page was given to metropolitan gossip and news from parliament. Page 3 concerned itself

48 with the state of the markets, along with both British and foreign news, whilst page 4 covered the courts, local and district news and local announcements.

The Mail was a weekly newspaper which appeared on Saturdays.

In issue 39 the proprietor announced his intention to produce the newspaper twice weekly with the release of a

Wednesday edition. This desire, however, proved fruitless as the Mail folded on Saturday March 20th, 1869, only 3 editions later.

3.11 THE SPORTING TELEGRAM.

The Sporting Telegram was a daily newspaper, priced at one penny, which went into production on Saturday March 24th,

1894 and was, in its own words, "devoted to all kinds of sport." Unlike most 19th century newspapers, it was not a broadsheet. Indeed, it was smaller than today's tabloids.

It was 4 pages long, with 4 columns to each page. The last edition available for examination is number 171, produced on

Saturday October 27th, 1894. Whether or not this was the last edition of the newspaper produced in actuaiity could not be determined, as no copies after this date exist either in the British Library's Newspaper Library or in

Warrington's public library. The Sporting Telegram was printed and published for the proprietors by Hardiman,

Hewitt and Company at their offices at 22 Golborne Street in

Warrington.

49 A typical edition of the Telegram began with a column of foals for sale and greyhounds available for stud. The second column consisted of turf advertisements, with the third and fourth columns covering more general advertisements. On the second page was a column of sporting gossip, 2 columns entitled "The Squire's Notebook" which were generally concerned with horse racing and a column of turf predictions. Page 3 was devoted to rugby football and page 4 to horse racing.

On Wednesday May 2nd, 1894, "devoted to all kinds of sport" was dropped from the title of the newspaper, after which the publication was entirely devoted to racing.

3.12 THE WARRINGTON STANDARD AND LANCASHIRE AND CHESHIRE

ADVERTISER.

This newspaper went into production on Saturday June 5th,

1858. It was a 4 pages long with 6 columns to each page and was sold weekly for 2d. It was printed and published at the office in San key Street by William Gleave of 37 San key

Street and John Cash junior of Bewsey Road, Warrington.

The proprietors saw a need in the market for an impartial local newspaper aimed at all classes. They chose to report impartially on all political parties but at the same time launched a scathing attack on political, moral, social and religious neutrality in the press, making it clear that they would unreservedly voice their own opinions on all matters.

50 A typical edition of this newspaper had 3 columns of advertisements, 2 columns of local news and 1 column of latest news gleaned from electric telegraphs. All were situated on the front page. Page 2 generally covered miscellaneous items from around the world and the editor's address to his readers. The third page consisted largely of foreign news items and the fourth was a mix of politics, accidents, crimes and church matters. On Saturday July 3rd,

1858 a district news section was added as a regular feature, usually approximately 1/3rd of a column long.

John Cash junior left the partnership in July of 1858.

Gleave continued to publish the newspaper alone and on

Saturday July 24th dropped its price to.3 halfpence. Gleave continued with the newspaper until it was finally incorporated in to Charles Gerrard's Warrington Standard and

Times and Lancashire and Cheshire Advertiser, appearing for the final time on 12th May, 1859 on its 52nd edition.

3.13 THE WARRINGTON STANDARD AND TIMES AND LANCASHIRE AND

CHESHIRE ADVERTISER.

This newspaper began publication on Saturday June 4th, 1859.

It was an amalgamation of two newspapers - the Warrington

Times and General Commercial Advertiser (which ran from

January to May of 1859) and the Warrington Standard and

Lancashire and Cheshire Advertiser (which ran from 5th June,

1858 for 52 editions until 12th May, 1859).

51 The Standard was a weekly newspaper, priced at 3 halfpence, and was 4 pages long with 6 columns to each page. It was printed in smaller type than was typical of the time in order for the proprietor to give additional news equal to 1 and 1/2 columns of the newspaper. It was printed and published by Mr. Charles Gerrard, a general printer of 154

Church Street in Warrington, at the Standard and Times

Printing Office, Sankey Street.

The entirety of its front page was given to advertisements which were carefully presented, often illustrated, using different styles of lettering, and of excellent quality.

Advertising also took up 2 columns of the second page, the rest of which consisted of the editor's address to his readership and correspondence. It was the policy of the publisher to exclude advertisements which he considered to be "quack" or "vicious." The placement of the 1 and 1/2 columns of correspondence was in keeping with Gerrard's idea to provide "those who differ from us the means of making known their views ... " Politically and religiously, the

Standard attempted to report on all sects and parties in order to cover a diverse range of opinions. Gerrard freely expressed his own views, holding in contempt those publishers who claimed neutrality whilst promoting one particular party interest.

The third page of this first edition (though it was printed as number 53) consisted of both local and district news, including reports from the police, births, marriages and

52 deaths. National and foreign news were concentrated on the fourth page, along with ecclesiastical news and reports from parliament.

The overall presentation of the Standard gives the impression of uniformity, yet this would be a false impression. Gerrard had no regular layout to his newspaper, moving the features around to suit himself. The correspondence columns were moved from page to page from edition to edition. Many of the features were irregular, sometimes included, sometimes not. Some features which may have been expected to be included every week, such as parliamentary news and latest news, often were not.

Uniformity was in the look of the newspaper (cramped, with no use of headlines and few headings) rather than in its contents.

By March 10th, 1860, the price of the Standard had risen to

2d. With the price rise came an increase in size - to 8 pages with 6 columns per page. The front page, as ever, was devoted to advertisements and the second concerned itself largely with politics. The third page was a mix of politics, items of general interest and international stories. Local and district news does not appear until the fifth page. The sixth page contains reports from around the country and from abroad, including 2 sneering commentries on the paper duty and the new Reform Bill. Page 7 covers both national and international news items and the final page

53 covers poetry, district news, the church and various useful timetables.

1860 saw, in November, a move to 19 Sankey Street for Mr.

Gerrard. The Standard continued to grow in strength. By

July of 1861, its circulation had expanded beyond the boundaries of Warrington into A1trincham, Ashton, Frodsham,

Newton, Lymm, Prescot, Rucorn and St. Helens. It continued to have popular appeal, read by the gentry, the clergy, manufacturers and the middle classes, though this is probably not surprising for a self-confessed Conservative journal priced at 2d.

By Saturday August 10th, 1861, the Standard had changed hands - Gerrard no longer published and printed the newspaper. Instead, this was undertaken at 30 and 19 Sankey

Street by John Hatton of Leigh Street in Warrington, James

Worthington from App1eton in the county of Chester and John pickston Leigh of Church Street in Warrington. At this time

Gerrard was a bookseller, a general printer,a bookbinder and a stationer. During August of 1861 he became the sole agent for J. Masters and Co. Publications of Aldergate Street,

London. Gerrard relinquished control of the Standard because of his involvement in a libel case brought against him by Alexander Mackie, proprietor of the Warrington

Guardian. This case resulted in Charles Gerrard being made bankrupt, with the result that the newspaper, along with all of the business conducted at the premises in Sankey Street, was sold in October 1862, to Mr. George Powlson of Market

54 Gate, the proprietor of the Warrington Advertiser. (See

3.3). The relinquishing proprietor expressed the desire that the Conservative population concentrate all of their future business with Mr. Powlson in order that "the great

Constitutional Party be adequately represented in this important community." It was Powlson's intention to discontinue the Standard and, as a result, the last edition of this newspaper appeared on Saturday 11th October, 1862.

3.14 THE WARRINGTON TIMES AND GENERAL COMMERCIAL ADVERTISER.

This newspaper first appeared on Saturday January 8th, 1859.

It was begun as an attempt to combine cheapness with excellence and to provide Warrington with a local journal which would closely observe and accurately record public events in order to advocate public claims and expose public abuses. Secondly, it was to serve as a compact digest of the world's events. Its principles were Liberal and

Progressive, though independent from party influence. It did not, however, claim to be neutral, the presentation of news offering decided opinions in an attempt to mould public awareness .

... we believe the duty of a public journalist to be but ill performed, if by a profession of neutrality, he omit to use his best endeavours to lead and guide the public mind, so as to enable it to form correct opinions of

55 passing events ...

Of importance to this publication were moral elevation, social improvement and civil and religious freedom. It was printed on good quality paper, contained science, art, domestic, foreign and parliamentary news, local intelligence, market reports, business announcements, London gossip and "literary selections of an instructive nature."

This newspaper proclaimed the benfits of commercial freedom:

What steam is to Machinery, Advertising is to Business - the grand propelling power and the Newspaper is the fly wheel by which the motive power of Commercial enterprise is sustained.

It was printed and published by George Furnival, previously the proprietor of the Warrington Gazette, General Advertiser and Literary Monthly Reader, of 4 Wellington Place in

Latchford in the county of Chester, at the Times Printing

Office, 4 Cairo Street, Warrington. A weekly newspaper appearing on Saturday mornings, it consisted of 4 pages, with 6 columns to each page, and was priced at one penny.

The edition issued on Saturday January 15th, 1859, began with a column of forthcoming events, auction notices and private sales. The second and third columns form a double column of advertisements for local businesses. The rest of page 1 devotes itself to the courts. The look of this first page is typical of the 19th century. The printing is of excellent quality, despite inevitable deterioration, as is

56 the paper. A variety of lettering styles is used, including a gothic style, though the print is generally small and crowded together. There is no use of headlines typical of

20th century newspapers. Great care is taken with the presentation of advertisements which is, perhaps, not unexpected. Indeed the presentation of the whole of the newspaper is careful and uniform, each feature clearly headed with a sentence in large, bold capitals.

The first column of the second page consisted of an address from the London correpondent. The rest of the page was made up of foreign telegrams and various news items both from abroad and around the UK. Page 3 reviewed foreign affairs, general national news taken largely from other newspapers and periodicals, and news from the markets. The fourth page contained the editor's address to his readers, a column entitled "Topics of the Week," and 4 columns of local concerns such as concert reviews, deaths of eminent locals, court sessions and reports of meetings amongst various societies.

Correspondence was generally to be found on the front page.

Trade news usually appeared on page 3 under the heading "the

State of Trade." Agricultural notes were often included, usually on page 4. "Imperial Parliament" was a regular feature with particularly important or interesting pieces brought to the eye by making the heading larger and darker than the rest of the page.

57 By issue 11, on March 26th, 1859, the newspaper was attracting more advertising which filled the front page - the correspondence being moved to page 4. In issue 12, the fourth page began a regular feature entitled "The

Housewife's Corner" which listed the prices of food at

Warrington market. A local and district news section and a section called "Latest News" began in April of the same year, on the fourth page.

Though the layout did not change, nor did the approach of the newspaper, the Warrington Times and General Commercial

Advertiser changed hands on Saturday May 21st, 1859, when it was taken over, printed and published by Charles Gerrard of

154 Church Street, Warrington, at the Times Printing Office,

4 Cairo Street. The newspaper survived only for one further week after it was taken over by Mr. Gerrard. On Saturday

May 28th, 1859, the 21st edition of the Times held the following announcement:

We beg to inform our readers that today we appear in our present form and under the title of the Times for the last time, in as much as on and after Saturday next we shall be amalgamated with our contemporary, the Standard and labour for the promotion of the general good under the title of the Standard and Times, four pages, price three halfpence, wholly printed in Warrington.

58 3.15 THE WARRINGTON WEEKLY MAIL.

This newspaper first appeared on 6th June, 1869. It is unfortunate for history that it is impossible to examine those copies of this newspaper which still do exist. There are non available in Warrington and of those kept at the

British Library's Newspaper Library, the issues produced in

1868 are lost and those produced in 1869 are labelled as unfit for use.

It is possible that the Warrington Weekly Mail was the forerunner of the Warrington Mail produced by William

Pemberton in 1869. Of this newspaper, little else can be said.

59 CHAPTER FOUR.

4.1 THE WARRINGTON EXAMINER.

The approach of the Warrington Examiner in the 19th century is best described by the Shakespearian quotation which accompanied its title from 1869 to 1878: "Nothing extenuate, nor set down aught in malice."

The newspaper was started by the Liberals of Warrington as an answer to the view that the party had no adequate representation in the local press during the General

Election of 1868 - an election which had produced overwhelming victory for the Tories, though Warrington had returned the Liberal candidate Mr. Peter Rylands as its

Member for Parliament.

The first edition was produced on April 24th, 1869, as a 4 page journal, with 7 columns per page, printed and published on 1 sheet that had to be unfolded to be read. It was not illustrated but was well written, the news being presented with precision. The editor-manager was Mr. Thomas Robinson who later went on to manage the Warrington Guardian and also the printing department of the Liverpool Courier. Mr.

Robinson printed and published the Examiner at 6 Cairo

Street in Warrington for Thomas Robirison and Co. Ltd., though he lived at 38 Church Street. Census returns for

1881 show Robinson as a 64 year old retired newsman born in

Lancashire and living in Clitharoe. This puts his year of birth at 1817.

60 The leading article of the first issue set down the aims and ambitions of the promoters of the Examiner - that Liberal principles should increase and fructify in the district.

Outlined was a progressive policy which was maintained throughout the newspaper's production until its cessation in

1959. The Examiner never pretended to political neutrality, nor did it ever advocate Tory principles, instead, it concentrated upon local questions of general interest. In a town with a population of 30,000, the overwhelming number of whom were Liberals, it is only strange that the party had no organ in the press for a lengthy period of time. The article spoke in support of religious equality and electoral reform (including voting by ballot and the erradication of intimidation and corruption), denouncing the local Tories

"nefarious practices" during the 1868 election. The proprietors believed that social issues would come to occupy more of Parliament's attention in coming years. The article denounced ignorance and drunkenness as 2 of the country's worst social problems, clamouring for a policy of national education to incorporate all social classes, and the strict control of alcohol consumption. The Examiner promised vigilant scrutiny of local government. It also declared a correspondence section open to fair and intelligent discussion.

but we shall not allow our Paper to be the vehicle of false and slanderous attacks upon political opponents even

61 ------

if the columns are paid for as advertisements ... we intend to speak the truth as we believe and understand it.

The majority of the news in the first edition was concerned

with local matters, though it also included "A Liverpool

Letter," foreign intelligence, 1 and 1f4 columns entitled

"Imperial Parliament," a large assortment of general news,

market reports, an autobiography of a local soldier and

sailor and an original poem "A Dying Soldier."

Thomas Robinson and Co., Ltd. was incorporated under the

Companies Act as a Limited Company on April 19th, 1869. It

began with totally £1,000, in one hundred shares of £10

each. Shareholders were listed as:

John Gordon McMinnies, a cotton spinner of Hope House in

Warrington - 5 shares,

John Crosfield, a soap manufacturer at Bank Quay in

Warrington - 20 shares,

Samuel Rigby, a cotton manufacturer of Bruche Hall in

Warrington - 10 shares,

Thomas Glazebrook Rylands, a wire manufacturer of Heath

House - 5 shares,

Frederick Monks, a wire manufacturer of 11 Palmyra Square,

Bold Street in Warrington - 1 share,

Thomas Robinson, a printer of 28 Church Street in Warrington

- 2 shares,

Charles H. Cartwright, a glass manufacturer of Bewsey Villa

in Bewsey Street - 3 shares.

62 The directors of the company were listed as George

Crosfield, John Crosfield, Samuel Rigby, Thomas Glazebrook

Rylands and John Gordon McMinnies.

On the 3rd of June, 1871, the name of the company was changed to the Warrington printing and Publishing Co., Ltd; with John Crosfield as chairman and William Todd as secretary.

In 1874, Mr. Charles Hadfield, who had been editor-manager since 1871, became proprietor. He retained ownership for 4 years until, on March 30th, 1878, the following statement was printed in the Examiner:

The paper now passes into the hands, the veteran hands, of men who have given hostages for their loyalty to the principles of Liberalism and who, in a more extended form and with abundent resources and a resolution which can never falter, will carry on the work to which the Examiner was originally dedicated.

Mr. Hadfield was later rewarded for the services he had rendered to the Liberal cause in Warrington, a report of which appears in the Examiner of April 13th, 1878. The veterans he had referred to were the firm of Mr. George

Toulmin and Sons, proprietors of the Preston Guardian from

1860, the Blackburn Times and, in 1886, the Lancashire

Evening Post. Mr. Toulmin went into partnership with Mr.

H.H. Barker, the Blackburn representative of the Preston

Guardian and the 2 men ran the Examiner until Mr. Barker's

63 retirement in 1881, leaving Tou1min as the sole proprietor.

In 1884, Mr. John Walker, sub-editor of the Blackburn Times, moved to Warrington to work on the Examiner. An announcement to this effect appeared in the newspaper on

April 5th, 1884, along with reassurance to its readers that there would be no change in the politics of the paper and that the new team would continue to present the public with full, impartial reports of all events and proceedings of local and national interest.

The Examiner will continue as heretofore the recognised organ of the Liberal Party ..

In May, 1885, Mr. Walker became proprietor as well as managing editor of the Examiner and severed all of his connections with Blackburn. Mr. Toulmin retired in order to establish a new newspaper - The Lancashire Daily Post.

Consequently, the imprint of the May 16th edition read

"printed by John Walker and Co." The Walker family remained connected to the Examiner for many years, even after the death of John Walker in 1892. His son Mr. E.V. Walker became managing editor in 1909, a position he retained until

1913.

The Examiner underwent one or two other changes during the

19th century. On Saturday April 6th, 1878, the name of the newspaper was changed to the Warrington and Mid-Cheshire

Examiner by George Toulmin and the Shakespearian quotation, which had appeared in every issue since 1869, was dropped~

64 The price of the newspaper was raised to 3 halfpence and its size increased to 8 pages. The issue published on Saturday

January 4th, 1879, is a typical example of Toulmin's

Examiner. The first page consisted entirely of advertisements as did the fourth page. Page 2 began with a poem entitled "New Year's Eve.~ There followed 2 and 1/2 columns of miscellaneous features from jokes to light news items entitled "Varieties." The second page also contained

Punch's Almanack for 1879, notes on agriculture and horticulture and 2 columns of miscellaneous items from around the country and from abroad. The page had the typical look of a 19th century newspaper, with space being utilised to its optimum capacity, little use of headings or paragraphs and light illustration. The third page had a more serious outlook - the majority of the features concentrating on poverty, commercial depression, corruption and crime - though light relief was provided through clippings from comic papers such as Puch, Judy and Fun. The rest of the newspaper concentrated almost exclusively on

Warrington, district and county news and features, with the exception of telegrams (both national and international) and market news which occupied less than a column.

By January 1889, the price of the Examiner had been reduced to 1 penny, subsidised by an increasing amount of advertisements - an average of over 19 columns per issue.

Here it is possible to see an increasing use of illustrated advertisements and larger, eye catching advertisements - one

65 for Hudson's Soap being almost 1/2 a page in size. 1889 also saw the introduction of serialised fiction which took up an average of 3 columns and was generally printed on page

2, a puzzles column (though differing from today's puzzle features - on January 7th it consisted of tips to avoid traps in draughts) and sports coverage, usually rugby, occupying an average of 2 and 1/2 columns.

The Warrington Examiner has a place as one of the most successful newspapers in Warrington's history. It survived well into the 20th century, finally folding due to rising production costs resulting from the price of newsprint which was 6 times its pre-war price, rising wage demands from print workers and hours of work reductions, on Wednesday

March 18th, 1959, after 90 years in production.

4.2 THE WARRINGTON GUARDIAN.

The Warrington Guardian began publication in 1853. At this time there was considerable risk in undertaking the production of a new newspaper. The stamp returns were then compulsory. All news sheets were confined to 8 pages of the

Times' size and needed a red government penny stamp whether posted or not. The paper was taxed to the effect of 1 and

1/2d. per pound which, on average, made 8 pages cost the proprietor 1 penny. If any copies were unsold, each one cost the proprietor 2d. On top of these taxes was a cost of one shilling and sixpence on every advertisement, regardless of size.

66 The Guardian was begun by Dr. Alexander Mackie, a Scot born in Dundee on 22nd November, 1825. His father, Charles

Mackie, was the manager of one of the largest flax mills in

Dundee and was famous for his inventions in the flax spinning field. Dr. Mackie was apprenticed for a short time to a trader in Perth, whilst studying to enter Glasgow

University. Mackie's first ambition had been to become a minister of the Church of Scotland. It was whilst he was in

Perth that Mackie first discovered his powers of invention in the area of printing, by writing, editing and supervising the printing of a series of tracts (1).

Mackie gave up the idea of entering the church and moved to

England to seek his fortune. He resided in Manchester at the home of a relative - also Alexander Mackie. In 1838 he ws established as a joiner at 34 Salford Street, Charlton­

On-Medlock and later recorded at various addresses in Hulme.

Alexander Mackie married Elizabeth Boddington on May 10th,

1845 at St. Mary's Church in Manchester. He was described on the licence as a wood merchant and his wife as the daughter of John Boddington, a miller of 200 Chapel Street,

Manchester. The couple had many children but non survived infancy. The Boddingtons were a leading business family,

Elizabeth's brother Henry being the founder, in 1883, of a brewery company which still trades today. The family also

owned the Manchester Courier, founded in 1825, until it

folded in 1916 (2).

67 In 1848 Mackie bought the Bolton Advertiser and moved to 16

Acres Field in Bolton. The newspaper was printed at 10

Field Street and contained fiction, essays, competitions and

time-tables in a 4 page monthly pubication. The Advertiser was prevented by law from printing 1 line of news matter.

Election speeches had to be paid for as advertisements and placed under that heading, each one costing one and sixpence duty. In 1852 Mackie launched the Bolton Saturday Guardian, a doomed venture in a town which could not support 2 newspapers. After a time Mackie removed the Guardian and its plant to Warrington which had no newspaper and the first edition of the Warrington Guardian appeared Saturday 9th

April, 1853, printed and published by John Thompson at 50

Butter Market Street. The newspaper's branch office was at

2 Market Place which was also a retail outlet for stationery and commercial printing. The newspaper was an immediate success, never needing either a subsidy or a patron.

The first edition began with an article committing the

Guardian to promoting the advancement of knowledge and to

restoring to the town of Warrington its previous reputation

for intellectual culture and enterprise. The town had been

known as the 'Athens of the North' because of its Academy

which had been revered for learning and science. The main

news item discussed the birth, on April 7th, of the 8th

child of Queen Victoria - Prince Leopo1d, Duke of A1bany,

followed by a 3 line item concerning the appointment of Dr.

Henry Holland as Her Majesty's Physician Extraordinary. The

68 next article comments for nearly a column on the Sydenham

Association for Promoting the Opening of the Crystal Palace on Sundays.

Other reports describe the search for a John Franklin, who had set sail on the Erebus and Terror to find the North West

Passage; the movement to open more public libraries; the inquiry into the Wigan colliery disaster and a move by the

Post Office which "in order to facilitate the sale of postage stamps, would grant licences free of expense to all respectable persons who applied for them." Manchester had been given letters patent declaring the borough a city and the Great Britain had arrived at Liverpool. This first edition also printed a poem by Dr. J.M. Neale, a celebrated hymn writer, and a column of farm notes supplied by J.J.

Machi, a leading agriculturalist. The Guardian's owner had decided to provide market news and commodity prices and the first edition dedicated 1 page to this purpose. Several columns dealt with domestic matters. The front page carried advertisements, a tradition that the Guardian maintained for a century.

The Guardian was priced at 5d. per copy. The news was national, foreign and local and it also contained articles of interest on the subjects of literature and science. Its shining feature was the quality of its production - far ahead of its contemporaries. Mackie had realised that many families could not afford a daily newspaper and so had produced the Guardian as a weekly compendium of news and

69 information. He saw the Guardian as an educator and aimed for it to appeal to all classes.

When the advertisment duty was finally repealed in 1853, the

Guardian immediately commenced the issue of editions in the smaller communities surrounding Warrington, allowing advertisements to be inserted in these free of extra charge.

After the repeal of stamp duty in 1855, the Guardian was reduced in price to 3d. and increased in size from 48 to 56 columns, then again to 64 columns with a further reduction in price to 2d. Finally, the newspaper was further increased in size to 72 columns. These increases in size and reductions in price were also aided by an increase in circulation, an increase in the number of advertisements placed in the Guardian and a reduction in the price of paper.

Mackie moved the headquarters of the Guardian to the ground floor of the Old Music Hall for which he had obtained a 14 year lease in June, 1862. He hoped to produce the Guardian twice weekly, eventually leading to a daily Guardian. At this time Mackie was involved in a libel case with a rival newspaperman which reflects the competitiveness of the industry during the 19th century (see chapter 3).

Mackie, a good businessman, made useful contacts for his company - with HM Stationery Office, some of whose printing he carried out for many years. He was well known in business and parliamentary circles, spending hours in the

House of Commons writing reports which later appeared in the

70 Guardian under the headings of "London Notes" and "The Week in Parliament."

In 1873, Mackie appointed Edward Brewtnall as editor of the

Guardian and also as partner in the new firm of Mackie and

Brewtnall. Edward Brewtnall was born in 1818 in

Leicestershire, where he entered the scholastic profession.

He was led to London by his love of literature where he became a journalist for a short time, finally returning to the field of education. He was appointed headmaster of the

British School which, under his management, was extended until it became the 'People's College.' Brewtnall was an accomplished amateur artist and was responsible for founding the Art School at Warrington Academy. In 1867 he began to work for a London paper called Engineer where he worked until 1873 when he was called to the Guardian (3).

In 1874, Mackie was approached by a London based group wishing to employ his services to head a newspaper monopoly they were forming. Brewtnall took over the running of the

Warrington based firm whilst Mackie worked in London. Many examples can be found of the Guardian fighting for the interests of the general public. In 1858, Mackie supported the need for a public hall in Warrington and through his efforts the idea was accepted. In 1879, the Guardian supported the idea to form a swimming club in the town.

Brewtnall was as equally passionate about the Guardian as

Mackie:

71 We are determined that whilst the Guardian is already the largest paper and perhaps not the least successful paper in the country ... to make it increasingly and progressively successful.

Many others agreed with him. The Graphic in 1871 referred

to the Guardian as the largest newspaper in England. The

Effective Advertiser in 1886 called the Guardian a series of

the largest newspapers in England, averaging 1,500

advertisements per week and never employing less than 15

reporters (4). In the area of artwork the Guardian was a

pioneer.' In 1861, 3 pages of illustrations were published

showing the opening of the Crystal Palace - a great

achievement. Mackie and Brewtnall wanted to supply the

public with more than national and local events - they

wanted to provide a service for their readers. A monthly

rail guide was a regular feature for more than 50 years.

The newspaper also provided an annual directory of the towns

in which it circulated. 1877 saw the launch of the Family

Guardian - "a weekly journal of instuction and amusement,

price 1 penny." 1877 overall was a year of expansion. The

London office was moved to 11 St. Bride's Street near I

I Ludgate circus, displaying several gas-driven type-setting

machines. Circulation rose to 30,000 per week, employing

130 people in the series.

In 1876, Mackie was given an honourary degree of LL.D for

his accompilshments in the areas of science and literature.

72 A few years earlier he had invented the steam type-setting machine. Only about 40 were ever produced but non survive.

He was appointed to a committee reporting on the dismal state of Conservatism in Scotland by Bejamin Disraeli in the same year. Mackie was well regarded in political circles, perhaps partially due to the publication of his books entitled Lords and Commons between 1875 and 1878, his handbook on politics aimed at Conservative supporting newspaper editors (5) and his original idea to build a railway to link the front with the Black Sea during the

Crimean War (the Balaclava Railway). A letter confirming this can be seen at Warrington's public library.

The success of the firm of Mackie and Brewtnall caused them to acquire new premises in San key Street as the old plant could no longer cope with the volume of orders it received.

The new site was opened on November 13th, 1880 by Lord

Winmarleigh. In 1873 the circulation of the Guardian had been around 14,000. By 1876 it had reached 17,000, largely due to the fact that in 1874 the 2 proprietors had agreed on a bi-weekly series, the mid-week edition appearing on

Wednesdays in Warrington and on Tuesdays for the rest of the series. At first, the mid-week edition was given away, but eventually a 1/2d. was charged. The price rose to 1d., a price at which it remained fixed for many years until it

reached the size of 72 columns when it was sold for 1 and

1/2 d. Together the 2 editions totalled 144 columns for the price of 3 and 1/2 d. and within 2 years had increased the

73 series' circulation to almost 28,000 - 17,584 for the weekend paper and 10,260 for the mid-week.

In 1879, Mackie moved back to Warrington to form Mackie,

Brewtnall and Company Ltd., a new public company, after appointing a manager to run the Strand business. The meeting to confirm the new company was held on January 10th,

1880, in Crewe. At the meeting the directors appointed were

- Alexander Mackie and Edward Brewtnall, jOint managing directors; Robert Verdin, John Tomlinson Brunner, William

John Johnson, Alderman Martin Heath, John Rigg, Alderman

John Briggs and John Walley. However, by 1881, Brewtnall had sold his shares to Mackie and left the company. In the same year Mackie was appointed to the Warrington Board of

Guardians and to the Town Council. Brewtnall's departure meant that in 1882 the company was renamed Mackie and

Company and a new chairman was appointed -' Mr. John Rylands, a prominent local businessman. 1882 saw the appearance of the Daily Guardian, a bi-weekly evening newspaper which was discontinued in 1903. The newspaper clamoured for the construction of the Manchester Ship Canal. On november 9th,

1886, Alexander Mackie was elected Mayor of Warrington. His proposer, Alderman J. Davis, complemented the Guardian on its coverage of council affairs. Alderman Joseph Harris praised Mackie as a man who "resolutely put his foot down on anything savouring of injustice, oppression or wrong-doing."

The Warrington Guardian of the new year in 1868 was the first edition to carry the slogan "Neutral in all Matters

74 Political and Religious." The slogan remained in the

Guardian until the end of March, 1910. Mackie genuinely believed in the neutrality of his newspapers, which was scoffed at in certain quarters, and was baffled that his personal preference for Conservatism should raise doubts as to that neutrality. The Guardian was fair to all the leading political parties, despite being pressurised by

Conservative members and supporters to bring the Guardian into party line. This Mackie always refused to do. By

1888, the company was so successful as to be making a profit of more than £4,000 per year.

Towards the end of his life Mackie suffered from a long illness which destabilised his business. As a result the company directors sent for Brewtnall. The firm had run out of capital, having debentures for £30,000, mortgages from

£1,000 to £3,000 and an overdraft of £8,500. The series itself was sound and still profitable, despite falling circulation figures (30,000 a week - 18,000 weekend and

11,000 mid-week in 1880 to 21,000 a week - 13,600 and 7,300 respectively in 1887). Mackie's undertakings from 1882 onwards had cost the firm £22,000 and had yet to yield profits. During the same period there had been several expansive legal battles.

Brewtnall was ruthless. He immediately closed the Liverpool

Albion and within months had closed or sold most of the company's periodicals. He followed this by selling the

London plant. In December, 1888, he took over the editor's

75 position. His first move was to reduce the price of the mid-week Guardian from 1 and 1/2 d. to Id. and to reduce its size from 72 columns to 56. He sold the Farmer for £600 and, in 1890, sold the plant in Crewe for £1,400. His right-hand man in these endeavours was Thomas Eli Gibson, a former estate-agent and school-master who was a long-term acquaintance of Mackie and had joined the company as joint secretary for £15 per year in 1879, becoming full secretary in 1882. He was placed in charge of the managerial and printing sides of the business by Brewtnall. Gibson was born in Stourbridge, Worcestershire in 1840 and attended

Stourbridge Grammar School, where he gained a scholarship and a teaching certificate. He moved to Cheshire in 1860 to take up the post of head of Minshull Vernon Schools where he remained for 14 years. In 1874 he began his own business as an accountant and estate agent in Crewe where he met Mackie

(6). Edward Brewtnall died suddenly on May 3rd, 1892 after a short illness. On May 21st, 1894 Alexander Mackie died at the age of 68 in the Asylum at Stockport Etchells of cerebral apoplexy after fighting the disease for several years. After his death his estate was found to contain only

£316.5s.

Alexander Mackie spent 40 years of his life in Warrington, establishing the Guardian as a well-respected and well-read family newspaper which it remains to this day. Mackie and

Company remained the proprietors of the Guardian series for more than a century. It was not until 1977 when the firm

76 became Cheshire County Newspapers that the original proprietor's name began to disappear. After only 2 years his series of newspapers had grown to 16 editions with a circulation of 30,000, which rose to 100,000 by 1948. More information concerning the Guardian series can be found in

Appendix 2.

4.3 THE WARRINGTON OBSERVER.

The Warrington Observer began publication on Wednesday July

1st, 1885. It was a bi-weekly newspaper, appearing on

Wednesdays and Saturdays, 4 pages long with 6 columns to each page and was priced at 1 halfpenny. It was printed and published by William Gill of 3 Palmyra Square at 48

Horsemarket Street in Warrington. William Gill was principally a bookbinder by trade and ran a bookbinding business from the same office in Horsemarket Street with his partner Mr. Wardman.

The first page of this first copy consisted of advertisements, as did the first column of the second page.

The second column was an address from Gill, explaining his reasons for starting the Observer newspaper - that of furthering the Conservative cause in Warrington; to provide an organ for the Conservatives in Warrington; to advocate

Conservative principles and to publicise matters affecting those principles. The town, he claimed, had been too long without a Conservative newspaper.

77 Our political principles ... will be unmistakenly Conservative but, whilst doing our utmost for the advancement of the Conservative cause, we shall pay especial attention to all matters of local interest ...

As Gill claimed, columns 3, 4 and 5 were concerned with local issues, but local interests by no means filled the largest part of the Observer, with only 4 columns of the total of 24 reporting local news. More space was devoted to political news and gossip, including a lengthy discussion on why the Conservatives should take office and a lengthier piece on the commercial merits of newspapers for working men. The newspaper also contained a correspondence column, a column devoted to cricket reports, various news items from around the world and reports on the farming markets.

After a few months the Observer achieved some level of success and bolstered by this, the proprietor decided to issue the Saturday edition as an 8 page penny newspaper aimed at the family, commencing on Saturday October 17th,

1885. The Wednesday edition remained unchanged. The success of the Observer enabled Gill to acquire a larger steam-powered printing machine and to rent additional premises in Orford Street, Warrington.

By 1887 the Observer had become a weekly newspaper. The

Wednesday edition was dropped and the new newspaper, produced on Saturdays, increased in size to 7 columns per page, from 6 previously.

78 By 1888 the Observer had become a series of newspapers: the

Leigh Observer (with a circulation of 3,000), the Tyldesley

Observer, the Lymm Oberver, the Newton Division Observer and the Atherton Observer. The title of the Warrington Observer then read as:

Circulating in Warrington, Penketh, Leigh, Atherton, Tyldesley, Astley, Chowbent, Earlestown, Newton, Haydock, Golborne, Ashton, Lowton, Widnes, Farnworth, Lymm, Thelwall, Boothstown, Westhoughton, Culcheth, Newchurch, Croft, Glazebury, Pennington and surrounding districts. On Saturday January 1st, 1888, the Observer carried a notice of further enlargement to the newspaper which would appear in its new form on February 4th. The new form would be combined with new features, one of which would be the introduction of serialised fiction, the first being "One

False Step" bought from the Sheffield Telegraph. In future, the Observer would be 8 columns per page but the columns would be longer, equal to an increase of 12 columns. The price would remain the same. This would give the reader a total of 64 columns, from 56 previously and an original length of 48 columns. The serialised fiction took up an average of 3 columns, usually on the second page. A further new feature of the Observer was a column of competitions/puzzles entitled "Tit-bits."

79 By this time Gill was printing and publishing the Warrington

Observer for the Observer Printing and Publishing Company

Limited at Academy street in Warrington and at 19 Lord

Street in Leigh. Additional features of the Observer included 2 columns of society gossip gleaned from the pages of other publications and 1 column of cuttings from the comic papers. 3 pages were devoted to local and district news, including the back page, with 2 columns featuring local football matches.

The edition published on Saturday December 1st, 1888, lists the addresses of the Observer Printing and Publishing

Company Limited as:

21 Sankey Street, Warrington

42 Bradshawgate, Leigh - both were head offices

Club Buildings, Academy Street, Warrington - the printing and binding works.

By 1895, the Observer had returned to a bi-weekly publication, on Wednesdays for 1 halfpenny and on Saturdays for 1 penny. The Wednesday edition was 4 pages long with 7 columns per page, a total of 28 columns, the first page consisting entirely of advertisements.

The January 2nd edition of 1895 carried a notice informing its readers of the opening of a London office at 203 Gray's

Inn Road, to be managed by a Mr. H.C. Eaton. The same issue claimed readership amongst "the working-classes, farmers and gentry." The second page devoted 5 columns to local and district news, including that from Warrington Borough Court

80 and parish news. Page 3 carried a notice to the effect that the Observer Printing and Publishing Company Ltd., had only

1 Warrington address - in Academy Street. 3 columns were devoted to local news, 1 to sporting gossip, 2 to football match reports and 1 to general features from around the world, for example, "the future of fox hunting." Page 4 had

3 columns of advertising, which were more adventurous and eye-catching than those of the 1880's, as many were illustrated and made use of different fonts, type sizes, bold print and borders. The fourth column was entitled

"Notes on Health" with comments on everything from the incubation periods of various diseases to dental hygiene.

The fifth column was for children, consisting of a story called "An Adventure of Three Boys." The column was entitled "Column for the Young." Column 6 was a mix of various features including clippings from books, superstitions surrounding candles and 1 feature entitled

"How Chinese Criminals are Executed." The final column advertised local goods.

The Saturday issue was 8 pages long with 8 columns to a page, the first page consisting entirely of advertisements and declaring that the newspaper was "printed on paper made in England." Page 2 also had 2 columns of advertisements which were again more eye-catching than those of the 1880's.

3 columns were dedicated to serialised fiction and 1 to children. There was an additional feature of a "Ladies'

Column" which included beauty features and 'how to make .. '

81 features. The final column was entitled "Random Readings" and included an article called "The Musical Corset." The third page had 4 columns of district and local news. The fifth and sixth columns of this page were for mothers and daughters. Written by Madame Rose, they included recipes and fashion items and were illustrated by drawings of outfits. The seventh column was also aimes at women, containing features on children's diets. The final column of the third page consisted of cuttings from the comic papers.

Classified advertisements were to be found on page 4 along with town council proceedings. 7 columns of the fifth page were full of local news with 1 entitled "The London Letter."

The sixth page consisted of local news, sporting gossip and football in equal measures, whilst the seventh page turned the reader's attention to gardening, a story and 5 columns of advertisements for local businesses. The final page featured news items split into districts and 2 illustrated columns of rural life. 1895's Observer was circulated in more than 24 different districts, too many to list here.

The Warrington Observer can be seen as one of Warrington's most successful publications, surviving into the 20th century. The career of this newspaper was cut short by the onset of the First World War. On Saturday August 15th,

1914, there was an announcement declaring that production of the Observer would cease for the present,

82 ... the need for the Observer ... temporarily ceased ... and for thatreason, combined with the difficulties which are present experienced in obtaining an adequate paper supply ... suspend the publication of the paper for a time.

Publication of the Observer never resumed.

4.4 REFERENCES.

1. Nulty, G. Guardian country, 1853-1978. Being the story of the first 125 years of Cheshire county newspapers limited. Cheshire County Newspapers Limited, 1978, p. 32.

2. 70 years progress. The guardian press illustrated.

Mackie and Co., Ltd., 1923.

3. The provincial press no.8: the Warrington guardian. The

Effective Advertiser. October 1st, 1886, pp. 25-29.

4. Steps in the path of progress. The Guardian Press, 1936, p. 16.

5. Warrington guardian anniversary supplement. Cheshire

County Newspapers Ltd., 16th April, 1993.

6. Warrington guardian centenary supplement. Mackie and

Co., Ltd., 1953

83 CHAPTER FIVE.

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS.

The 19th century was a period of both change and growth, and

the English provincial press reflects these characteristics.

Before 1853, there was no newspaper to represent Warrington,

though the early part of the 19th century saw a number of

periodicals produced in the town, such as the Warrington

Olio from 1830 and the Helper from 1850 .. This study has produced no evidence of a cheap press in existence in

Warrington unlike the majority of the industrialised areas

of England at this time. The latter half of the 19th

century saw rapid growth in Warrington's newspaper industry,

as was the case for the provincial press all over the

country. Weeklies and bi-weeklies began to appear at a

rapid rate, spurred on, no doubt, by the repeal of taxes,

which eased the difficulties of starting a newspaper and

allowed newspaper proprietors to invest in technology to

expand circulations.

As the 19th century progressed, so the contents of

newspapers began to change, with more emphasis being placed

on local news and local information provision. The quality

of journalism improved and with it the old practice of

lifting news items straight from the London newspapers began

to disappear. Improvements in communications technology,

such as the electric telegraph, aided this process.

As the newspapers themselves began to change, so did the

pattern of ownership and control. The family business,

84 handed down from generation to generation, had been the general form of ownership throughout the 19th century,

though this pattern was not dominant in Warrington, due perhaps, to the fact that many of its newspapers had short

runs lasting as little as a few months. The latter part of

the 19th century saw the gradual change from family run businesses or single ownership by one or two individuals acting as publisher, printer and journalist, to limited

companies. The Guardian, for example, became a limited

company in 1873. Some of Warrington's newspapers appeared

and died with one owner, as did, for example, the

Advertiser, owned throughout its run by George Powlson.

Most of the newspapers which did not form limited companies

did not survive into the 20th century.

In the early days of the newspaper industry, the proprietor

was often the printer, the publisher, the journalist and the

editor, as was, for example, the Advertiser's proprietor,

George Powlson. As the industry expanded and circulations

increased, these roles often became more defined, involving

a number of individuals. In Warrington, the tradition of

the single proprietor/printer/publisher etc. still survived

in a number of newspapers until the 20th century. It was

often difficult, however, to determine the name of the

proprietor of a newspaper if the back page did not carry

that individual's name. Unfortunately, many of these

individuals have been lost to history as secondary sources

were not revealing in a number of cases. Proprietors tended

85 to be men of substance, having their own businesses. Many were general printers, retailers and stationers as well as newspapermen. Politically they generally held one of two affiliations - Liberal, as was Shaw Green, the proprietor of the Warrington Borough Press or Conservative, as was George

Powlson, the proprietor of the Warrington Advertiser.

Rarely were they Radicals - indeed no evidence can be found of support for the Radical movement amongst the press ownership of 19th century Warrington. In one or two cases complete neutrality was evident. Alexander Mackie, for example, declared his Warrington Guardian to be independent in all things political and re~igious and never altered this approach throughout his lifetime, despite being a

Conservative supporter privately. Often newspaper proprietors were involved in the community. Many were

involved in law or local politics, education or other businesses. Alexander Mackie of the Warrington Guardian was

a member of the Warrington Board of Guardians and was elected Mayor late in his life.

Warrington's public had a large choice from a number of

newspapers - weekly, bi-weekly and newspapers with more than one edition. The Borough Press, for example, was a weekly newspaper, the Warrington Guardian began production of a mid-week edition in 1874, and the Warrington Evening Post produced two editions on the same day. There were even a number of free newspapers. For a short time the Wednesday edition of the Warrington Guardian was free and the

86 Chronicle and Gazette, produced as a supplement to the

Standard, was free from 1861. The traditional weekly dropped dramatic"ally in price during the latter half of the

19th century due to the repeal of taxes, investment in printing technology and expanding circulations caused by a growth in the population and increased literacy resulting form the 1870 Education Act. In 1853, the average price of a newspaper in Warrington was 5d. This price had dropped to

1/2d. by the end of the 19th century. The increase in the number of readers and the inevitable increase in the number of newspapers encouraged competition between the newspapermen which had the effect of lowering prices - what is termed today as market forces.

Newspaper proprietors had a number of reasons for beginning a new newspaper. For some the reason was the increase in

Warrington's population and the importance of Warrington as a centre of industry - this reason was cited by the

Warrington Borough Press. This newspaper also gave as a reason for commencement the fact that no newspaper existed in Warrington which was produced by Warringtonians for

Warringtonians and, as a result, local opinions were not being given a mode of expression. For most the reason was political. If an individual felt that certain political views were not adequately represented in the press, then a new newspaper was often the result, as was the case for the

Warrington Advertiser. Powlson felt that the Conservative

Party had no organ within the press. For one proprietor the

87 reason was much simpler - Alexander Mackie began production

of the Warrington Guardian simply because he had no

competition.

Towards the end of the 19th century newspapers in Warrington

were both cheaper and had a different content trend than

previously. This study does not claim to be a detailed

analysis of content but certain trends are detectable. The

provision of local news increased hugely during the 19th

century; the early editions of the Guardian, for example,

devoted only a few columns to local news, but by the end of

the 19th century often devoted pages to local material. The

Warrington Borough Press indeed devoted itself almost

exclusively to local and district news items. The later

newspapers also began to provide the public with local

information and local advertising such as rail time-tables,

Post Office rates and opening hours, tide-tables for

Liverpool etc. The reasons for the trend towards the

provision of local news and information were twofold; the

general development in the provision of services during the

19th century and efforts by the press to exploit the

public's need for information in order to increase

circulations. The local newspaper was the means by which

local businesses attracted custom through advertising.

Advertising from local businesses contributed a large

proportion of a local newspaper's revenue. The relationship

was symbiotic. Advertisements were often for local social

events as well as business. The newspaper was the means by

88

------which people became aware of these events. Indeed, the importance of advertising to the local community cannot be over-emphasised. So, the local newspaper was at the heart of a provincial community - the population's link to its businesses and its society. Through the provincial newspaper the population became aware of events occuring in their own community, whether tragic, political, social or commercial - events which they needed or wanted to know about. Provincial newspapers also provided a link with the world outside of their own community by providing summaries of important national and international events, especially in the area of politics. In the days before radio, television and the Internet, the provincial newspaper may indeed have been the only link between an individual and the world as a whole.

Warrington can be seen as a typical example of a developing industrialised town during the 19th century. Largely, its newspaper industry was a reflection of this. As the town's population increased, diversified and became more literate, so its newspaper industry increased, diversified and improved in quality. The large numbers of newspapers with different approaches and different loyalties can be seen as a reflection of an area consisting of many different trades and industries and, therefore, many different people with different stations in life and different loyalites and wants.

89 APPENDIX 1

THE WARRINGTON GUARDIAN - ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

PEAK CIRCULATION POINTS

1873 - 14,000 1876 - 17,000 1878 - 20,000 1880 - 30,000 1887 - 21,000

COMPANY CHAIRMEN

Alexander Mackie - 1880 - 1882 John Rylands- 1882 - 1898 Alderman W. McNeill- 1898 - 1907

CHIEF EXECUTIVES

Alexander Mackie - Joint Managing Director - 1880 - 1882 Alexander Mackie - Managing Director - 1882 - 1888 Edward Brewtnall- Joint Managing Director - 1880 - 1882 Committee of Directors - 1888 - 1891 Thomas EIi Gibson - 1891 - 1910

EDITORS

Alexander Mackie - 1853 - 1873 Edward Brewtnall - 1873 - 1892 William Sansome - 1894 - 1897 Thomas Weston - 1897 - 1913

THE GUARDIAN SERIES DURING THE 19TH CENTURY

1853 - The Warrington Guardian 1860 - The Northwich Guardian 1860 - The Winsford and Middlewich Guardian 1860 - The Knutsford Guardian 1862 - The Runcorn Guardian 1862 - The Altrincham Guardian 1879 - The Sale Guardian APPENDIX 2

TITLES PRODUCED IN WARRINGTON DURING THE 19TH CENTURY (not explored in main body of text)

PERIODICALS:

The Butterfly - December 31st, 1825 - April 21st, 1827 The Helper: A Journal of Human Improvement - January - November, 1850 The Herald of Peace - 1830 -? The Magpie The Warrington Monthly Illustrated Journal (continued as Pemberton's Monthly Illustrated Journal) - May 1st, 1868 - ? The Warrington Observer - June 2nd, 1830 - ? The Warrington Olio - Saturday August 21st, 1830 -? The Sunrise - finished December 1900

NEWSPAPERS:

The Town Council Reporter - 1852 - ? The Register - 1860 -? BIBLIOGRAPHY

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