On this day

December 25, 1903

cover page of Northampton Mercury published on December 25, 1903

Northampton Mercury

Issues

10,288

Pages

149,358

Available years

1770-1875, 1877-1954, 1986-1990, 1992-2003

The Northampton Mercury was established in Northampton in 1720 by printers William Dicey and Robert Raikes who also published the Gloucester Journal. In 1725 Raikes and Dicey dissolved their partnership. Raikes continued as sole proprietor of the Gloucester Journal while Dicey retained the Northampton Mercury. Early issues of the paper included woodcut illustrations and mostly foreign news with little or no local news.

Advocating liberal principles, the Mercury was described by Mitchell in 1846 as a paper for the common good, not bound by any particular interest, party or sect.

The paper remained in the Dicey family until 1885 when the trustees of Mrs Ann Mary Dicey sold it to Samuel Smith Campion. Campion, who also took over the role of editor, was a founder member of the Institute of Journalists.

For this newspaper, we have the following titles in, or planned for, our digital archive:

  • 1733–1931 Northampton Mercury
  • 1931–88 Mercury & Herald.
  • 1988–92 Northampton Mercury & Herald.
  • 1993–95 Northampton Mercury.
  • 1995–2007 The Mercury.

This newspaper is published by National World Publishing Ltd in Northampton, Northamptonshire, England. It was digitised and first made available on the British Newspaper Archive in Mar 28, 2011 . The latest issues were added in May 22, 2024.