OUR NEWSPAPER LIBRARY

The past at your fingertips

One of the most important sources of first-hand evidence of how our ancestors lived has to be in newspapers – especially local newspapers.

Through the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries and into the 21st newspapers, originally published weekly but later as daily and evening newspapers as well, have reported the happenings in Norfolk (and from the rest of the country and the world beyond to Norfolk).

Although they are meant to be a cheap form of passing on the news and normally end up thrown out with the rubbish after a few days it is surprising how many survive and provide glimpses into the past.
Although news sheets appeared sporadically in the 1600s it was not until 1701 that the first regular provincial weekly newspaper appeared – and it happened in Norfolk.

In September of that year Francis Burges of Norwich produced a four-page foolscap sheet, which he called the Norwich Post. Very few copies remain, the issue numbered 348 is in the British Museum.
It was published “near the Red Well” - probably near the top of what is now Redwell Street.

In 1714, the Norwich Mercury began in London Street (then known as Cockey Lane) where it remained for 158 years. It was one of many newsheets that grew in Norwich.

Original bound volumes of the Norwich Mercury from 1750 are still held in the Archant archives along with many other Norfolk newspapers published over the centuries whose companies eventually came to form Archant.

Rosemary Dixon and Frances Pearce in the library of Archant Norfolk, publishers of Norfolk Roots

Most of the later ones started life in the 19th century, such as the Norfolk Chronicle, which ran from 1838 to 1854; Norfolk News (1845-1883); People’s Weekly Journal (1864-1922), Thetford and Watton Times (1880 onwards), Yarmouth & Gorleston Times (1880-1939); Dereham & Fakenham Times (1881 onwards); Diss Journal (1909-1922); and the Downham Gazette & Journal from 1880.

Also, of course, the Archant flagship newspaper the Eastern Daily Press, which was launched in 1870, and the Evening News from 1882.

In the early days of some of these newspapers your ancestors would have had to be very rich or very naughty (according to the terms of the time) to merit a piece in the newspaper.

Apart from reporting world and national news the papers tended to restrict their reports to the activities of the aristocracy and the wrongdoings of others, as they appeared in court.

In the 19th century, however, reports of other events increased and there was more likelihood of “ordinary folk” getting a mention.

One of the first things springing to mind has to be obituaries and old newspapers can provide fascinating facts about your forebears – but don’t rely on them absolutely.

Information may have been provided by children, or even grandchildren, and some details may be based on hazy knowledge. They will give you some good pointers as to where to look, however. After all the informants may have attended a silver or golden wedding celebration and would, therefore, have a good idea of the the date of the original marriage.
Where these obituaries can help is in providing details of later events in life.

Inquest reports in newspapers are often more accurate than obituaries because the information provided to the court often came from official records.
Other areas where the newspaper can be of help is if an ancestor ran a business.

Advertisements for shops and other forms of business were frequently run in newspapers, and often on the front page.

Here also you will find the names of people involved in major events, although unfortunately often tragic ones such as a ship sinking, a train crashing or some other disaster.

The reason so many newspapers were restrained in the amount of space given over to news was because the political influence of newspapers had been quickly appreciated by governments and the Stamp Act of 1712 imposed a duty of a halfpenny on each half-sheet and a penny on each whole sheet. A considerable amount when weekly wages for ordinary people were still worked out in pennies.

An early victory for campaigners for press freedom came in the 18th century when the radical politician John Wilkes obtained the right to publish parliamentary reports.

It was not until 1855, however, that the Stamp Act was repealed and until that time newspapers carried the imprint to show they had paid the tax.