From its inception to the present day, the transportation and delivery of the Royal Mail has experienced quite the evolution. Its vehicles for transportation have, over the years, made headlines. Sadly, they were not necessarily good headlines to make; from accidents to robberies, our newspapers tell it all. The infamous Great Train Robbery of 1963 received particular attention in the newspapers. The robbery was the largest of its kind, with more than £2 million stolen from a Royal Mail train. …
Headlines from History
One of the best parts of sending mail is in acquiring all your stationery needs. From pens to paper and envelopes to writing desks, there were many stationery items showcased in newspaper adverts over the years. Newspapers could keep their readers abreast on the latest developments in stationery, and the latest in homonym jokes! (Click on an image to enlarge) The latest thing in stationery is an envelope that is its own letter-book. Each envelope is attached by perforations to …
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Who doesn’t love getting a postcard in the mail? Postcards have a long history, and so does our love for them! We’ve found a few examples of historic postcards — many of which highlight the prevalent sense of humour at the time of their creation. Start your newspaper journey by registering today
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Where would we be without post offices! Believe it or not, but post offices did not always exist. You can learn about their origins in The British Newspaper Archive. You may also discover details about your local post office — when it opened or when previous iterations closed! Among detailing the post office’s evolution, the above article also includes an anecdote that relates to a time when the recipient of a letter was obliged to pay the postage: ‘The …
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The love of stamps is no joke; those dedicated to such a love are known as philatelists, and the study of those delicate bits of paper is called philately. Newspapers may not be an obvious source for researching stamps, but they can, in fact, offer a glimpse into the history and evolution of stamps in the United Kingdom and elsewhere. We’ve found a few examples to showcase what treasures you can discover in the historic newspapers on The British Newspaper …
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With Prince Harry’s wedding underway today, we’re sharing all our posts from this past week’s #RoyalWeddings theme. (With a few extras thrown in!) Enjoy! Tickets for royal weddings are nothing new, as we see from this notice about the wedding of the Princess Royal to the Prince of Orange in 1734 A description of George III’s German bride in 1761 Her Majesty is of middle stature, at present rather what may be called short than tall, but as she is …
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Crime stories have filled newspapers since the seventeenth century. From sensational murders to notices seeking the return of stolen property, you will find stories relating to crime in all of our newspapers. While crime-related news can be found in almost every title, we do hold several newspapers dedicated to crime and punishment. Title Years Cleave’s Weekly Police Gazette 1835, 1836 County Courts Chronicle 1847-1870, 1885-1896 Illustrated Police Budget 1899 Illustrated Police News 1867-1938 Lloyd’s Companion to the Penny Sunday Times …
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If you are interested in the history of theatre, music, dance, circuses, travelling troupes, opera or any of the performance arts then The British Newspaper Archive is an invaluable source. Reports of recitals, reviews of plays, and critiques of musical performances can be found in all of our newspapers. We also hold a selection of specialised titles related to the performing arts. Our newspapers date from the 1700s to the 2000s and within their pages you can trace the history …
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Much can be learned on the topic of literature from historic newspapers: book reviews, author biographies, histories of adaptations, and more. For this blog post, we will look at what the newspapers have to offer on the topic of children’s literature. Explore the below articles to discover what books were being read by and recommended for children. Click on an image to enlarge then use the arrows to move image by image throughout the collection. In the image viewer, you …
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2018 marks the 200th anniversary of the publication of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, the iconic novel about the young scientist, Victor Frankenstein, and the monster he created in his laboratory. In this post, we will take a look at the history of the novel, a critical early review, the novel’s origins, and its various adaptations for the stage and screen. Publication The Morning Post printed a notice of the publication of a new novel, ‘Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus’, by an anonymous author. The …