From Town Crier to Daily Newspaper
Britain's national press can trace its history back more than 300 years, to the time of William of Orange. Berrow's Worcester Journal, which started life as the Worcester Postman in 1690 and was published regularly from 1709, is believed to be the oldest surviving English newspaper.
William Caxton first brought printing presses to England in 1476. Prior to this, the British population had relied on town criers to keep them abreast of news. Despite this early introduction newspapers were not widely read during the 16th century due to a largely illiterate audience. Take a look at the timetable below and see how the industry took its shape.
Between 1640 and the Restoration, around 30,000 'news letters' and 'news papers' were printed, many of which can be seen today in the British Museum.
The first regular English daily newspaper, the Daily Courant, was launched with the reign of Queen Anne in 1702.
1476
William Caxton sets up the first English printing press in Westminster.
1549
First known English newsletter: Requests of the Devonshyre and Cornyshe rebelles.
1621
First titled newspaper, Corante, published in London.
1649
Cromwell suppressed all newsbooks on the eve of Charles I's execution.
1690
Worcester Postman launched. (In 1709 it starts regular publication as Berrow's Worcester Journal, considered to be the oldest surviving English newspaper).
1702
Launch of the first regular daily newspaper: The Daily Courant.
1709
First Copyright Act; Berrow's Worcester Journal, considered the oldest surviving English newspaper, started regular publication.
1712
First Stamp Act; advertisement, paper and stamp duties condemned as taxes on knowledge. Stamford Mercury believed to have been launched.
1737
Belfast News Letter founded (world's oldest surviving daily newspaper).
1748
Aberdeen Journal began (Scotland's oldest newspaper - now the Press & Journal).
1788
Daily Universal Register (est. 1785) became The Times.
1791
The Observer launched.
1836
The Newspaper Society founded.
1844
The Southport Visiter first published.
1848
The first issue of the Brechin Advertiser was published on Tuesday 3 October 1848.
1853
Ormskirk Advertiser and Birkenhead News first published.
1855
Stamp duty abolished. Daily Telegraph started as first penny national. Manchester Guardian, The Scotsman and Liverpool Post became daily. Shields Gazette is the first of 17 regional evenings founded this year.
1868
Press Association set up as a national news agency.
1889
First Official Secrets Act.
1905
Harmsworth (then Northcliffe) bought The Observer.
1906
Newspaper Proprietors Association founded for national dailies.
1907
National Union of Journalists founded as a wage-earners union.
1915
Rothermere launched Sunday Pictorial (later Sunday Mirror).
1922
Death of Northcliffe. Control of Associated Newspapers passed to Rothermere.
1928
Northcliffe Newspapers set up as a subsidiary of Associated Newspapers. Provincial Newspapers set up as a subsidiary of United Newspapers.
1931
Audit Bureau of Circulations formed.
1936
Britain's first colour advertisement appears (in Glasgow's Daily Record).
1944
Iliffe took over BPM Holdings (including Birmingham Post).
1946
Guild of British Newspaper Editors formed (now the Society of Editors).
1953
General Council of the Press established.
1955
Month-long national press strike. Daily Record acquired by Mirror Group.
1959
Manchester Guardian becomes The Guardian. Six-week regional press printing strike.
1960s
Photocomposition and web-offset printing progressively introduced.
1964
The Sun launched, replacing Daily Herald. Death of Beaverbrook. General Council of the Press reformed as the Press Council.
1969
Murdoch's News International acquired The Sun and News of the World.
1976
Nottingham Evening Post is Britain's first newspaper to start direct input by journalists.
1978
The Times and The Sunday Times ceased publication for 11 months.
1980
Association of Free Newspaper founded (folded 1991). Regional Newspaper Advertising Bureau formed.
1981
News International acquired The Times and the Sunday Times.
1983
Industrial dispute at Eddie Shah's Messenger group plant at Warrington.
1984
Mirror Group sold by Reed to Maxwell (Pergamon). First free daily newspaper, the (Birmingham) Daily News, launched by husband & wife team Chris & Pat Bullivant.
1986
News International moved titles to a new plant at Wapping. Eddie Shah launched Today, first colour national daily launched. The Independent launched.
1987
News International took over Today.
1988
RNAB folded. Newspaper Society launched PressAd as its commercial arm. Thomson launched Scotland on Sunday and Sunday Life.
1989
Last Fleet Street paper produced by Sunday Express.
1990
First Calcutt report on Privacy and Related Matters. Launch of The European (by Maxwell) and Independent on Sunday.
1991
Press Complaints Commission replaced the Press Council. AFN folded. Death of Robert Maxwell (November). Management buy-out of Birmingham Post and sister titles. Midland Independent Newspapers established.
1992
Management buy-out by Caledonian Newspapers of Lonrho's Glasgow titles, The Herald and Evening Times.
1993
Guardian Media Group bought The Observer. UK News set up by Northcliffe and Westminster Press as rival news agency to the Press Association. Second Calcutt report into self-regulation of the press.
1994
Northcliffe Newspapers bought Nottingham Evening Post for £93m. News International price-cutting sparked off new national cover-price war.
1995
Lord Wakeham succeeded Lord McGregor as chairman of the PCC. Privacy white paper rejected statutory press controls. Most of Thomson's regional titles sold to Trinity. Newsquest formed out of a Reed MBO. Murdoch closes Today (November).
1996
A year of buyouts, mergers and restructuring in the regional press. Regionals win the battle over cross-media ownership (Broadcasting Act). Newspaper Society launches NS Marketing, replacing PressAd.
1997
Midland Independent Newspapers is bought by Mirror Group for £297 million. Human Rights and Data Protection bills are introduced.
1998
Fourth largest regional press publisher, United Provincial Newspapers, is sold in two deals: UPN Yorkshire and Lancashire newspapers sold to Regional Independent Media for £360m and United Southern Publications sold to Southnews for £47.5m. Southern Newspapers changes its name to Newscom, following acquisitions in Wales and the West (including UPN Wales in 1996). Death of Lord Rothermere. Chairmanship of Associated Newspapers passes to his son Jonathan Harmsworth. Death of David English, editor-in-chief of Daily Mail and chairman of the editors' code committee.
1999
Trinity merges with Mirror Group Newspapers in a deal worth £1.3 billion. Newsquest is bought by US publisher Gannett for £904 million. Portsmouth & Sunderland Newspapers is bought by Johnston Press for £266m. Major regional press groups launch electronic media alliances (e.g., This is Britain, Fish4 sites.) Freedom of Information bill introduced. Associated launches London's free commuter daily, Metro.
2000
Newscom is sold to Newsquest Media Group for £444m, Adscene titles are sold to Southnews (£52m)and Northcliffe Newspapers, Belfast Telegraph Newspapers are sold by Trinity Mirror to Independent News & Media for £300m, Bristol United Press is sold to Northcliffe Newspapers Group, and Southnews is sold to Trinity Mirror for £285m. Daily Express and Daily Star are sold by Lord Hollick's United News & Media to Richard Desmond's Northern & Shell, publisher of OK and soft-porn titles. Launch of Scottish business daily Business a.m. and more Metro daily frees. Newspaper Society launches internet artwork delivery system AdFast. Communications white paper published.
United sells Express Newspapers to Richard Desmond's Northern & Shell.
2001
RIM buys six Galloway and Stornaway Gazette titles, Newsquest buys Dimbleby Newspaper Group and Johnston Press buys four titles from Morton Media Group. UK Publishing Media formed. Sunday Business changes name to The Business and publishes on Sunday and Monday.
2002
Johnston Press acquires Regional Independent Media's 53 regional newspaper titles in a £560 million deal. Northcliffe Newspapers Group Ltd acquires Hill Bros (Leek) Ltd. Queen attends Newspaper Society annual lunch. New PCC chairman, Christopher Meyer, announced. Draft Communications Bill published. The Sun and Mirror engage in a price war.
2003
Conrad Black resigns as chief executive of Hollinger International, owner of Telegraph group. Claverly Company, owner of Midland News Association, buys Guiton Group, publisher of regional titles in the Channel Islands. Archant buys 12 London weekly titles from Independent News & Media (December) and the remaining 15 the following month (January 04). Independent begins the shift to smaller format national newspapers when it launched its compact edition. Sir Christopher Meyer becomes chairman of the Press Complaints Commission. DCMS select committee chaired by Gerald Kaufman into privacy and the press. Government rejects calls for a privacy law.
2004
Phillis Report on Government Communications published (January). Barclay Brothers buy Telegraph group and poach Murdoch Maclennan from Associated to run it. Kevin Beatty moves from Northcliffe Newspapers to run Associated Newspapers. Trinity Mirror sells Century Newspapers and Derry Journal in Northern Ireland to 3i. Tindle Newspapers sells Sunday Independent in Plymouth to Newsquest. Times goes compact (November).
2005
Johnston Press buys Score Press from EMAP for £155m. Launch of free Lite editions for London Evening Standard and Manchester Evening News. Times puts up cover price to 60p, marking the end of the nationals' price war. Guardian moves to Berliner format after £80m investment in new presses. DMGT puts Northcliffe Newspapers up for sale; bids expected to open at £1.2 billion. Johnston Press buys Scotsman Publications from Barclay Brothers for £160m.
2006
DMGT withdraw sale of Northcliffe.