The Use of Racial and Ethnic Editorial in British Newspapers up to 1950: A Study in Language, Bias, and Perception (see also: Plymouth Murder Trial: Coloured Seaman Accused of Fatal Attack – 1918 on my website, Old British News) Introduction The British press has played a defining role in shaping […]
British News
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Special report on this page: ‘The Use of Racial and Ethnic Editorial in 1918’ Western Morning News – Friday 05 April 1918 ALLEGED MURDER AT PLYMOUTH. COLOURED SEAMAN COMMITTED FOR TRIAL. Albert Wilson, Granby-street, a merchant seaman of colour, was charged at Plymouth Guildhall yesterday with the murder of Charles […]
Leamington Spa Courier – Saturday 17 September 1836 LOCAL INTELLIGENCE. Commitments to the County Gaol:—By F. Lloyd, Esq., Samuel Fantham, charged with stealing, at Birmingham, a double-barrel gun, the property of Edward Powell. —John Smith, charged with stealing, at Aston, a five-pound note, a sovereign, and three half sovereigns in […]
Transcription of the Article from the Liverpool Mercury, Friday 15 February 1839 REWARDS TO POLICE-OFFICERS At the Police-office, on Friday last, a publican by the name of George Upton was summoned before the Magistrates on an information, charging him with having, at eleven o’clock on the night of the 14th […]
Kent & Sussex Courier – Friday 27 March 1896 THE HORSELESS CARRIAGE PROSECUTION. We have this week decided to close the fund raised in these columns to recoup Mr Walter Arnold from the vexatious and excessive penalties in which he was mulcted by the Tonbridge Magistrates for the use of […]
Market Rasen Weekly Mail – Saturday 06 March 1875 LINCOLNSHIRE LENT ASSIZES. The Commission for holding these Assizes will be opened on Thursday, the 11th instant. The following is a calendar of the prisoners awaiting their trial: William Kirkby, 18, farm servant, for committing an unnatural offence, at Appleby, on […]
Yorkshire Evening Post – Monday 31 May 1915 YORKSHIREMEN’S EXPERIENCES AT THE FRONT. HUSSARS IN THE TRENCHES. THE CONTENTS OF A SOLDIER’S PACK. The Yorkshire Hussars, made up of troopers from all parts of the West Riding, took part in severe fighting in France on Whit-Sunday and Monday. Trooper George […]
Hendon & Finchley Times – Saturday 29 April 1882 EDGWARE PETTY SESSIONS. APRIL 26, 1882. Before A. R. Johnstone, Esq. (in the chair), E. F. Noel, and W. A. Tooke, Esq. ALLEGED FRAUD. — John George Murray, of Roe-green, Kingsbury, was charged on a warrant with uttering a false cheque […]
Dial – Saturday 21 January 1860 INSOLVENT DEBTORS’ COURT. IN THE MATTER OF CHARLES SHIPWAY.—This insolvent, described as a Baptist minister, known as the Rev. Charles Shipway, late of Little Hedingham, near Halstead, Essex, who was in the Queen’s Prison, applied to be discharged.—The insolvent was minister of the chapel […]
Hereford Journal – Wednesday 30 December 1846 LEDBURY. TURKEY STEALING. – At the Ledbury Petty Sessions last week, two men named John Smith and William Hough were charged with stealing two turkeys, the property of Mrs. Ann Patrick, of Yarkhill. Smith lives at Malvern; Hough being a lodger in his […]
Liverpool Evening Express – Tuesday 20 January 1925 CHASE AFTER MAN WITH DIAMONDS. STORY OF RAID ON JEWEL SHOP AT WARRINGTON. Evening Express Correspondent. Warrington, Tuesday. John Mackay, a young Irishman, no fixed abode, was committed at Warrington today to the Liverpool Assizes on a charge of breaking into a […]
Chatham Standard – Wednesday 28 June 1950 FELL WHILE PICKING CHERRIES Misadventure Verdict At Inquest On Farm Labourer As the result of a fall from a ladder while picking cherries, 79-years-old Henry James Lockyer, a farm labourer, of 13, Pembury-st., Sittingbourne, died later in St Bartholomew’s Hospital, Rochester, from shock […]
Coventry Evening Telegraph – Wednesday 30 May 1945 Birmingham Trip in Stolen Motor Lorry Receiving a telephone message from the Birmingham police that a lorry from Coventry had collided with a trolley-bus pole there, and they were detaining a youth who was in the lorry at the time, Detective Dickens […]
The Kensington Post – Friday 14 October 1927 ACCIDENTS Colliding with a motor ‘bus at the junction of Wesley Road and Shakespeare Avenue, Stonebridge, Miss Emily Cox, of 28 Pitfield Way, Stonebridge, who was riding a bicycle, was injured, and after treatment by Dr. Bateman, was taken home in the […]
Pictorial Times – Saturday 06 March 1847 CRIMES AND CASUALTIES. Fatal Collision in the River. A collision, involving what is supposed to be the loss of seven lives, happened early on Sunday morning in the river, off Old Haven, about two miles below Tilbury Fort. The vessel which is lost […]
Leeds Mercury – Thursday 18 December 1884 THE ALLEGED EXTENSIVE THEFT OF AMMUNITION At the Sunderland Police-court yesterday, before the Mayor and a full bench of magistrates, Thomas Miller, a gunsmith, and John Hefferman, Sergeant-Major of the Sunderland Rifle Volunteers, were charged on remand with stealing over 14,000 rounds of […]
South Western Star – Friday 11 May 1923 “THAT’S ROBBERY—HIGHWAY ROBBERY.” Two Battersea boys, Percy Newcombe (11), 98 Livingstone-road, and John Johnson (9), 91 Livingstone-road, were charged on remand with stealing a £1 note belonging to Mrs. Taylor, of Peter’s-place, Battersea, from her son. Last week Detective Bond stated that […]
Globe – Thursday 27 September 1883 front The Salvation Army Nuisance At Accrington Police-court yesterday, six members of the Salvation Army, named George Hill, Ellen Williams, Phoebe Kiley, Leonard Halsall, Alfred Farmer, and Henry Bradshaw, were summoned for assaulting Joseph Edmundson, cab proprietor, on the 17th inst. The evidence showed […]
Eastern Daily Press – Saturday 02 December 1905 LONDON UNEMPLOYED COLLISIONS WITH THE POLICE FIVE DEMONSTRATORS ARRESTED About 500 unemployed attended what was described as the first of a series of meetings on Tower Hill, London, yesterday. The city police had previously notified the Southwark Unemployed Committee that they would […]
Blackpool Times – Thursday 03 January 1901 Alleged Theft of a Diamond Ring. Defendant Too Ill to Appear. At the Preston General Quarter Sessions, held yesterday, the Chairman, Mr. Worsley-Taylor, Q.C., M.P., stated that the case against Richard Thompson Cubbin, who was charged with stealing a fur-lined overcoat from the […]
Nottingham Journal (Nottingham Daily Express) – Tuesday 30 May 1899 SHOCKING TRAGEDY AT COALVILLE ATTEMPTED MURDER & SUICIDE A sensation was caused in Coalville yesterday morning by the news that a man named William Evans had attempted to murder his wife and then to commit suicide. Inquiries proved that the […]
Yorkshire Gazette – Saturday 03 May 1862 TUESDAY, April 29. – Before R. Evers, Esq. OBSTRUCTING THE FOOTPATH. – A youth named Christopher Marsh was charged with obstructing the footpath near to the Railway Station. He was standing on the flags with the usual apparatus for cleaning the boots of […]
Chichester Express and West Sussex Journal – Tuesday 09 July 1872 THE CHARGE OF PERJURY. In the charge against the men, Basschell and Leggett, adjourned from the last court on a question of jurisdiction, the clerk to the magistrates informed the bench that he had taken the opinion of Mr. […]
Sheffield Independent, Monday, 5 January 1874: Critical Condition of a Drunken Man About eight o’clock on Saturday evening, Police-constable Stone found a man named William Keddy of Arthur Street lying in Bridge Street. He was drunk and bleeding profusely from a wound on the back of his head. The officer […]
Barnsley Chronicle – Saturday 11 February 1860 Vagrancy. James Greenham, an old man, who is said to have had nearly one stone of bread in his possession when he was taken into custody, was charged on Wednesday, at the Court-house, before J. Barff, Esq., with begging alms on Monday. Police-constable […]
Hendon & Finchley Times – Friday 21 December 1928 FINCHLEY TRAGEDY AGED NIGHT-WATCHMAN KILLED BY TRAMCAR NEAR CEMETERY. EXTENSIVE BODY INJURIES. William Herbert Bailey Knight, aged 68, of 54, Durham Road, Tottenham, died in the Finchley Memorial Hospital on Friday, after having been knocked down, earlier in the day, by […]
Berkshire Chronicle – Saturday 03 September 1898 Continental Cottage Garden Society The sixth annual show of vegetable marrows and sunflowers in connection with the above society was held on Saturday afternoon at the “Warwick Arms.” There was a large entry, and some very fine specimens were shown, though not quite […]
Illustrated Police News – Saturday 18 January 1890 THE WEST END SCANDALS. [WITH GROUP OF PORTRAITS SKETCHED IN COURT.] At Bow-street Police-court, on Friday, before Mr. Vaughan, Arthur Newton, solicitor, of Great Marlborough-street; Frederick Taylerson, his articled clerk; and Adolphus De Galla, interpreter, again appeared on an adjourned summons, charging […]
Bournemouth Daily Echo – Monday 20 August 1900 BOURNEMOUTH BOROUGH POLICE COURT. TO-DAY. Before the Mayor (Mr. J. C. Webber), Major Gen. Stansfeld, Mr. G. W. Rebbeck, Mr. C. W. Wyatt, and Mr. H. C. Stockey. AN ERRAND BOY’S THEFT. William Evans, an errand boy in the employ of Mr. […]
Age (London) – Saturday 19 April 1845 THAMES-POLICE. On Monday Ellen Cox, the wife of a labourer, was brought before Mr. Broderip, charged with an assault on her husband. Edward Cox, the complainant, said he lived at No. 18, Dock-street, Whitechapel, and that he was unfortunately married to the woman at the […]
Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette – Thursday 31 March 1842 SOMERSETSHIRE SPRING SESSIONS The following are the names of the prisoners tried at these Sessions, with the nature of the offences, and the result of the trials: Felonies: Transportation—For Life: George Gullick, an old offender, for stealing a lantern, the […]
Birmingham Daily Post – Thursday 28 December 1865 BIRMINGHAM POLICE COURT YESTERDAY Before Messrs. T.C.S. Kynnersley (Stipendiary), J. Poncia, S. Buckley, H. Van Wart, and S. Thornton. STEALING A WATCH. — John Kenyon (18), labourer, having no home, was charged with having stolen a silver watch, value 30s., from the […]
Illustrated London News – Saturday 18 September 1852. WILLS The will, with four codicils, of the late J. M. W. Turner, R.A., has, during the past week, been admitted to probate. The personality was valued at £140,000. There were nine executors appointed; five only have proved, namely: the Rev. H. […]
Saint James’s Chronicle – Thursday 26 December 1844 BOW-STREET.—On Tuesday Robert Hobson, the keeper of a receiving-house for the postage of letters at Walthamstow, was brought up for final examination, charged with embezzling the sum of 1s. 10d., being the postage of a letter to Calcutta, the particulars of which […]
Worthing Gazette – Wednesday 28 December 1892 Worthing Police Court Petty Sessions, This Day—Before Mr. T. Gaisford (Chairman), the Mayor (Alderman E. C. Patching), Lieut.-Colonel Wisden, Major A. Henty, Mr. H. H. Hargood, and Mr. C. L. M. Teesdale. Captain Drummond, the Chief Constable, occupied a seat on the Bench. […]
In December 1705, Britain was involved in the War of the Spanish Succession (1701–1714). This conflict arose from disputes over who should succeed to the Spanish throne after the death of the childless Charles II of Spain in 1700. The war pitted two major alliances against each other: The Grand […]
Runcorn Weekly News – Wednesday 24 December 1913 KNOCKED DOWN IN THE DARK AT DITTON. TWO MEN INJURED IN MOTOR VAN ACCIDENT. STRANGE AFFAIR IN STEWARD’S LANE. The somewhat serious injuries sustained by two men by being knocked down by a motor van in Steward’s Lane, close to the Ball […]
Birmingham Daily Post – Tuesday 22 January 1889 WEST BROMWICH. CHARGES OF THEFT.—Yesterday, at the Police Court, John Rhodes (45), of no fixed abode, was charged with stealing 3lb. of pork of the value of 1s. 6d., the property of Thomas Davis, of Great Bridge Street, West Bromwich. On Saturday […]
WINSLOW PETTY SESSIONS, DECEMBER 14 1892 Before Geo. R. Greaves, Esq., and the Hon. C. Fremantle. STRAY CATTLE AT LITTLE HORWOOD William King, farmer, was charged with allowing his cows to stray on the highway at Little Horwood on the 19th Nov. P.C. Tredway said shortly after one o’clock in […]
Morning Post – Wednesday 20 December 1905 [Stanley Gardner, a rogue stockbroker, was charged with obtaining money by false pretences in a high-profile fraud case. Victims across the UK lost hundreds of pounds in fake share schemes. #OnThisDay #History #TrueCrime] Stanley Gardner, 35, described as an outside stock and share […]
Middlesex Chronicle – Saturday 20 January 1906 POLICE COURT. Monday. Before: Mr. A. S. Montgomery (chairman), Mr. J. Carver, Mr. M. Davenport, Mr. G. J. Haffenden, Mr. V. Griffiths, Dr. Satchell, Mr. C. J. Cross and Mr. R. Willey. THE INFLUENCE OF DRINK. Winifred Reardon (29), of Notting Hill, was […]
The 1887 Board of Trade report revealed that 919 people were killed and 3,590 injured on UK railways. Of these, 121 deaths and 1,297 injuries involved passengers, with only 25 fatalities caused by train collisions; the rest resulted from other incidents, often due to passenger carelessness. Railway workers and contractors […]
October 26, 1898 | ST. JAMES’S GAZETTE THE ANTIQUARIAN ROMANCE. MORE REMARKABLE EVIDENCE. Mr. Lushington sat again specially at Bow-street yesterday for the further hearing of the charges against Herbert Davies, twenty-five, “private surgeon,” of Castlenau-gardens, Barnes, of forging entries in Mangotsfield parish register, tampering with monuments and coffins, forging […]
Throughout history, many newspapers have had fleeting existences, often created in response to specific events, movements, or ambitions that were unsustainable in the long term. These rare and short-lived publications offer unique insights into the moments they captured, often serving niche audiences or addressing radical ideas. Their limited runs and […]
Thanet Advertiser – Friday 04 April 1947 This is a fascinating newspaper advertisement from 1947 for a service called Rediffusion. Here’s a breakdown: Rediffusion Technology in 1947 What is Rediffusion? Rediffusion was a service that allowed people to listen to crystal-clear radio broadcasts without owning a traditional radio set. Instead […]
The Morning Post – Wednesday 31 March 1830 This article describes an event reported in The Morning Post newspaper, dated 31 March 1830. It recounts a shocking and socially disgraceful incident that took place in a crowded marketplace. In summary, the article portrays a deeply degrading episode in which societal […]
Family notices in old newspapers are important because they provide essential details about individuals, relationships, and communities, offering a rich resource for genealogical research and insights into social history. Here is an example: Gloucester Citizen (Thursday 8th December 1927): BIRTHS, MARRIAGES AND DEATHS. Notices of Births, Marriages and Deaths, In […]
The handling of meat in Britain during the 1800s was an area of significant concern due to the lack of comprehensive food safety regulations, leading to widespread public health issues and increasing media coverage of scandals and legal cases. Thame Gazette – Tuesday 17 September 1867 A butcher in Walworth […]
FRIGHTFUL ACCIDENT ON THE NORTH KENT RAILWAY. Also on this page: The State of Rail Safety in the UK During the 1850s Importance of Historical News Articles for Historians and Genealogists Free to use British Newspaper Research Service COLLISION OF TRAINS. Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard – Saturday 04 July 1857 […]
Tavistock Gazette – Friday 22 October 1875 Tavistock Football Club. — At a meeting held at the Queen’s Head Hotel, on Monday last, Mr. G. Gibbings in the chair, it was resolved: — That the club be called the “Tavistock Football Club.” That the annual subscription be 3s. That the […]
In its era, “The Poor Man’s Guardian” was a defiant voice of the working class, a radical, illegal newspaper that challenged oppressive laws and censorship, pushing for press freedom, workers’ rights, and social reform during a time of political repression and economic inequality. Poor Man’s Guardian – Saturday 26 December […]
RIOTS IN TRAFALGAR SQUARE. Illustrated Police News – Saturday 19 November 1887 Sunday’s proposed demonstration in Trafalgar Square to demand the release of Mr. O’Brien and other Irish patriots ended in a most futile manner. It is absurd to suppose that an unorganised body of men like the demonstrators proved […]
Western Times – Friday 06 December 1940 This news article provides an interesting snapshot of wartime Britain, revealing how the upheaval of daily life affected young people. It offers a glimpse into the juvenile justice system of the time and the community’s efforts to address and correct youth crime amid the broader […]
Hull Packet – Tuesday 01 February 1803 This newspaper article from 1803 describes a violent murder that took place at Greenwich Hospital, a historical institution that housed retired sailors or “pensioners.” The story is notable for the brutal and premeditated nature of the crime, as well as the murderer’s complete lack of […]
Much like today, news media has always demonstrated its sensational side. The Illustrated Police News was a highly popular newspaper especially during the Victorian and Edwardian era, full horror and shock. Here is a classic case from 1909 reporting a murder in North London with sensational images on the front […]
At Shire Hall in Nottingham, crimes were dealt with and recorded in the newspapers along with many names and help for historians years on. This free to use service (covering the period 1750 – 1950) aims to assist individuals interested in their UK family history or British history in general. […]
Since auction websites like eBay entered the online arena the success of moneymaking ventures by some has in a way caused serious social and devastating historic damage. I am referring here to the thousands who have unwittingly taken advantage of these websites by selling off literally tons of “family junk”, […]
The Exeter Bank had been established in 1769 along with England’s first hotel, The Royal Clarence, destroyed by fire in 2016. Mr. Short was in Oxford in July 1776 and placed this advertisement in the Oxford Journal on Saturday 6th July: Oxford, 5th July. 1776. LOST, last Night, – An […]
The Nottingham Review and General Advertiser for the Midland Counties – Friday 04 June 1830 reports the extraordinary story of a recently deceased 100 year old man with a long and dubious past. “The veteran rogue. On Friday the 21st ult., John Shepherd was interred in Ripponden churchyard. The deceased […]
A lamplighter in Whitechapel, going about his business in the early hours of Wednesday the 14th of July 1869, was set upon and assaulted. Various excuses were made when the case went to court as was reported in the Clerkenwell News: “At Worship-street, yesterday, James Hart, 23, described as a […]
What became the amazing Princetown Railway over Dartmoor from Yelverton to Princetown was fraught with danger during it’s creation. During it’s building phase there were news stories of danger caused by the weather or those constructing it. Exeter and Plymouth Gazette – Friday 29 December 1882 reported an event of […]
The Morning Post on Tuesday, the 7th of October 1845 was reporting a significant number of accidents involving children. It highlighted only too well the plight of youngsters during this era and how their lives were quite frequently endangered by the lack of care, attention or action from adults around […]
Born in the late 1700s in Trinidad, Peregrine Clarke came to England as a servant. Described in the media as a “handsome young man of colour” he seemed to be quite a charmer. He did have quite an extraordinary life. His time in England ended suddenly when found guilty of […]
News coverage of events during the First World War in a way marked a new beginning of the manner in which correspondents cover conflict. The journalists working 100 years ago have left behind a unique and outstanding record of this dramatic moment in history. In the coming years you will […]
Morning Post – Wednesday 28 December 1831 The case of the John Chapman an occasional body-snatcher. Marlborough Street – Carriage robbery. “John Chapman, a fellow well-dressed, who was a few months since convicted at Kingston for body-snatching, was yesterday placed at the bar for re-examination before J.E. Convant Esq., charged […]
Friday 24th July 1908 and crowds of Edwardian Devonians welcome home their Olympic sporting hero Fred Holman when he arrived by train at Queen Street (Central) Railway Station. Dawlish man Fred had victoriously won the 200 metres Breast Stroke Contest in London. Hundreds were ready to carry Fred shoulder high […]
As the Victorian age was slowly coming to a close the brave and exciting Edwardian era was to bring a brief and thrilling period for invention and development. Experiments in wireless broadcasting were already underway, cable telegraph transmissions throughout the Empire were already established, the motor car was beginning to […]