This week we have added 95,674 pages to The Archive – meaning that we now have over 32,000,000 pages available to search. We are delighted to have two brand new titles joining us this week – West Midlands title the Sandwell Evening Mail and Field, which describes itself as ‘the country gentleman’s newspaper.’

We are also pleased to welcome updates to eleven of our existing titles, with updates to five of our Irish titles, as well as titles from Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Nottinghamshire, Warwickshire and London. Details of these updates are included at the end of this blog post.

New publication Field is a fascinating window into the world of the Victorian country gentleman. We have plans to publish pages spanning 1853 to 1911, and we have already published the years 1859, 1878 and 1882, with 14,686 pages available to search.

Field | 15 June 1878

Field covers a variety of topics, including angling, racing, farming and country houses – and is an electric mix of advertisements (for saddles, estate sales, chicken feed, sherry and artificial teeth – to name a few), correspondence (where is the best shooting to be had within an hour or two of London?) and articles covering a range of topics (changes in fishing laws, the introduction of steam technology to farming).

Field | 5 February 1859

As seen in the above illustration of Smith’s latest steam ploughing apparatus, Field also contains some marvelous drawings depicting a variety of subjects, from racing through to an illustration of some ‘celebrated dogs.’

Field | 1 January 1859

These ‘celebrated dogs’ belonged to the Honourable Grantley Berkeley, a politician who served as an MP for Gloucestershire West between 1832 and 1852. In 1836 he came up with the proposition to allow women to be admitted the gallery of the House of Commons, which was finally granted seven years later. After politics, he spent most of his time engaged in field sports, and writing about his outdoor activities.

His three dogs, as depicted in Field, were named Druid, Brutus and Chance. Druid was a ‘noble bloodhound,’ sired from bloodhounds belonging to the Marquis of Bath and the Earl of Malmesbury. Druid is lauded for his ‘sagacity, industry, stoutness, steadiness, nose, and speed as well as an unvarying soundness of limb.’ Indeed, the writer believes that Druid ‘stands unrivaled in kennel history. Druid must now be ten years old, but is in possession of the strength and elasticity of a much younger dog.’ However, his temperament is ‘very savage and uncertain,’ and Mr Berkeley is ‘the only person he shows an inclination to obey.’

Chance, the red setter, is depicted in the background of the group. He does not go ‘at a great speed,’ although his ‘nose, steadiness, and sagacity cannot be surpassed.’ Finally Brutus, a black retriever, is described as being ‘most sagacious,’ and ‘a most handsome black dog.’

Grantley Berkeley was a regular contributor to Field – writing a regular piece called ‘Recollections of a Sportsmen.’ Field provides a fascinating and unique record of country life in the Victorian era. Of particular interest are the advertisements contained in the newspaper, which highlight the wide variety of products necessary to furnish the country way of life, and how many manufacturers depended on rural pursuits to make their living.

Field | 15 June 1878

New Titles

Updated Titles

This week we have updated eleven of our existing titles.

You can learn more about each of the titles we add to every week by clicking on their names. On each paper’s title page, you can read a FREE sample issue, learn more about our current holdings, and our plans for digitisation.

Register now and explore the Archive

You can keep up to date with all the latest additions by visiting the recently added page.  You can even look ahead to see what we’re going to add tomorrow.