The Derbyshire Courier was first published in January 1828 as the Chesterfield Gazette by Chesterfield bookseller and publisher John Edward Roberts. The paper was edited for a short time by Scots traveller and writer, Henry David Inglis. Roberts changed the name to Derbyshire Courier and Chesterfield Gazette in 1829. His son was still publishing it in the 1860’s. Ownership passed to printer, bookseller and stationer, John Toplis. By 1899 it was being published by the Derbyshire Courier Newspaper Steam Printing and Publishing Co Ltd on Tuesdays at a halfpenny with a Saturday edition costing 1d.

The paper was bought by the Edmunds Family (Wilfred Edmunds Ltd), owners of the conservative DerbyshireTimes in 1922 who then amalgamated the two papers under the Derbyshire Times name.