We’ve added 315,856 new pages to The Archive this week, taking our total page count up to a mind-boggling 85,317,265. We’re delighted to welcome two new English newspaper titles – the Darlington Telegraph and the Sandwell Chronicle – to our collection.
We’ve also updated 15 of our existing titles, so there are fascinating new pages from Belfast to Biggleswade for you to discover.
Read on to learn more about this week’s new and updated titles, and uncover a spooky story or two from within this week’s new pages…
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The Darlington Telegraph
This week’s first new title is from the County Durham town of Darlington. We’ve added 1,928 pages of the Darlington Telegraph, from 1854-1855 and 1858-1865.
These pages offer a fascinating insight into daily life in County Durham in the mid-19th century.
During this period, Darlington was transformed from a small market town to an industrial and manufacturing hub thanks to the advent of the Stockton and Darlington railway in 1825. By 1923, the town was home to three railway works, the largest of these being the Darlington Works, founded in 1863.
We’ve added 358 issues of this publication to The Archive for you to explore.
The Sandwell Chronicle
This week’s second new newspaper title is the Sandwell Chronicle, a weekly publication circulated in the West Midlands borough of Sandwell. We’ve added over 4,000 modern pages for this publication.
Covering the years 1992 and 1996, there are 103 issues for you to discover.
‘Sic semper tyrannis‘: looking back at the Lincoln assassination
We’re crossing the Atlantic this week, to take a look at a momentous chapter in the history of the United States which took place over 150 years ago.
1865 was a pivotal year for the young nation: it saw the end of the Civil War and the beginning of the Reconstruction Era. On 14 April, shockwaves were felt across the international press with the news that President Abraham Lincoln had been assassinated. He was shot by John Wilkes Booth at Washington D’s Ford’s Theatre.
Over 3,500 miles away – in the English town of Darlington, County Durham – the news of Lincoln’s death was reported in the local newspapers. The Darlington Telegraph was no exception.
From this week’s new title, we can get a fascinating insight into how the dramatic news was received across the pond.
This article from 29 April 1865 includes a telegram from Lincoln’s Secretary of War, Edwin Stanton. We get a detailed description of the events, as Stanton described that:
‘During a pause in the performance, the assassin entered the box… hastily approached the President from behind and discharged a pistol at his head’.
But the story didn’t end there. Darlington’s community received more information from the Darlington Telegraph on the tragic event a week later.
On 6 May, readers learnt that Lincoln’s funeral had been held in Washington. A picture is painted of a nation in mourning, as ‘the people… assemble at all churches throughout the country’ during the ceremony at noon.
The clippings illustrate something that may surprise us: that local newspapers can provide a fascinating insight into global events, as they happen in real-time. From sports and culture to international politics, you’ll find all manner of topics covered by this week’s two new publications.
New titles
| Title | Years Added |
| Darlington Telegraph | 1854-1855, 1858-1865 |
| Sandwell Chronicle | 1992, 1996 |
Updated titles
This week we have updated 15 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, and learn more about our current holdings and our plans for digitisation.
| Title | Years Added |
| Batley News | 1994-1996, 2001-2002 |
| Belfast News-Letter | 1959, 1961, 1995, 1999 |
| Biggleswade Chronicle | 1995, 1999, 2001-2002 |
| Burnley Express | 1999-2003 |
| Harrogate Advertiser and Weekly List of the Visitors | 1995-1996, 1999, 2002 |
| Hastings and St Leonards Observer | 1994-1995, 2000-2003 |
| Lancaster Guardian | 1993-1995, 1999-2002 |
| Leigh Chronicle and Weekly District Advertiser | 1873, 1915-1916, 1950 |
| Louth Standard | 1990-1992 |
| Morecambe Guardian | 1992, 1997, 1999-2002 |
| Sleaford Standard | 1990-1991 |
| St. Andrews Citizen | 1989-1990 |
| Sunderland Daily Echo and Shipping Gazette | 1990 |
| Thame Gazette | 1982, 1986, 1999-2000 |
| Whitby Gazette | 1992, 1994, 1996, 2000 |
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.
