Over the past seven days here at The Archive we have been busily adding new titles and new pages, spanning over 150 years of history, from 1801 to 1959. Consequently, we are delighted to welcome not one, not two, but five brand new titles from across England and Northern Ireland, as well as updating five of our existing titles. In total, we have added 95,268 new pages in what is a bumper week for us at The Archive.

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Heading up our exciting run of new titles is Cheshire’s Alderley & Wilmslow Advertiser. Founded in 1874, this title was published in the village of Alderley Edge, which lies fifteen miles south of Manchester. It later merged with the County Express and East Cheshire Observer to become the Wilmslow Express Advertiser.

Alderley & Wilmslow Advertiser | 15 January 1875

Another local title to be added to The Archive this week is the Cannock Chase Courier. This newspaper first appeared on 4 May 1889 as the Cannock Chase News. Just four editions later, and this title saw a change of name to the Cannock Chase Courier. Published in Cannock, one of the most populous areas of Staffordshire, the Cannock Chase Courier is no longer in print.

Rounding off our new local English titles this week is the Lynn Advertiser. Published in King’s Lynn, Norfolk, it was founded in 1842 by John Thew. Three years later, it had a weekly circulation of 800 copies. That same year, 1845, it was noted how ‘the want of such a medium of intelligence in the Western Division of this extensive county, had long been felt.’ The first attempt at a newspaper in the area was the Lynn and Wisbech Packet in 1760, but the newspaper failed after just two years. The Lynn Advertiser saw more success however, covering news from Norfolk as well as from its adjoining counties, later becoming the Lynn Advertiser, Wisbech Constitutional Gazette and the Norfolk and Cambridgeshire Herald.

Lynn Advertiser | 19 January 1850

We move over to County Antrim, Northern Ireland, for our next title, namely the Lisburn Standard. Published in Lisburn, a city lying eight miles southwest of Belfast city centre, the Lisburn Standard begun in 1877. It mainly espoused a neutral viewpoint, and circulated in Lisburn and its environs, covering local and national news before ceasing publication in 1959.

Our final new title this week has a particularly religious agenda. Established on the 12 March 1761, the Saint James’s Chronicle was published in London three times a week. It was an outspoken and unashamedly Protestant title, supportive of the Church of England and the 39 Articles. Although not an official Church of England title, the St James’s Chronicle became the English Churchman in 1843, and is still published to this day as a Protestant family newspaper.

St James’s Chronicle | 16 May 1801

Our five updated titles this week are all English local newspapers. Three hail from Yorkshire: the Halifax Guardian, which was founded in 1832 and was the paper read by the Brontë family, the Huddersfield Daily Chronicle, which ran between 1850 and 1916 with a liberal and progressive agenda, and finally the Barnsley Independent, which was a weekly title, beginning life as the Barnsley Times.

We also have updates this week to Staffordshire’s Burton Chronicle, which was founded by Joseph Tresise, and the historic Cheshire local the Chester Courant.

John Keats – A Final Review

On 6 July 1820, two hundred years ago, the Saint James’s Chronicle published the below announcement:

NEW POEMS – This Day Are Published

Lamia, Isabella, The Eve of St. Agnes, and other Poems. By John Keats, author of ‘Endymion.’

Saint James’s Chronicle | 6 July 1820

This announcement was innocuous enough to readers of Saint James’s Chronicle then, perhaps, but to readers today it has huge literary significance. Romantic poet John Keats was to die in February 1821, aged just 25, and so Lamia, Isabella, The Eve of St. Agnes and Other Poems was the last volume of his poetry that he would live to see published.

Today, we look back at this volume of poetry as one of the most important publications in literary history, and the Saint James’s Chronicle gives us a fascinating insight as to how it was received by Keats’s contemporaries.

Illustrated London News | 26 October 1872

Some time after the above advertisement appeared in its pages, on 7 November 1820, the Saint James’s Chronicle published a review of Keats’s poems, which was originally published by the Edinburgh Review. The review begins positively:

We had never happened to see either of these volumes till very lately, and have been exceedingly struck with the genius they display, and the spirit of poetry which breaths through their extravagance. 

Saint James’s Chronicle | 7 November 1820

The reviewer goes on to laud ‘a second spring in our poetry,’ and how ‘few of its blossoms are either more profuse of sweetness, or richer in promise, than this which is now before us.’ The reviewer casts some concern on Keats’s youth, however, and how that impacts his poetry:

Mr Keats, we understand, is still a very young man; and his whole works, indeed, bear evidence enough of the fact. They manifestly require, therefore, all the indulgence that can be claimed for a first attempt.

But all is not lost – the reviewer sees ‘rich lights of fancy’ in Keats’ poems, and notes how it is ‘impossible to resist their…sweetness, or to shut our hearts to the entertainments they so lavishly present.’ In all, the review represents a resounding success for Keats, who was at this point travelling to Rome on the advice of his doctors, as he was suffering from advanced tuberculosis.

Illustrated London News | 2 November 1895

Passing away in February 1821, at the tragically young age of 25, John Keats did see some recognition for his genius in his lifetime, as evidenced in our newspapers.

New Titles

Updated Titles

This week we have updated five 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.

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.