First issued in Truro by Thomas Flindell (1767-1824) on 2 July 1803, the Royal Cornwall Gazette soon established itself as a weekly. Flindell remained editor until 1811. The orientation of the paper was Conservative at the outset and remained so. The price of issue no. 1458 of Saturday 4 June 1831, was 7d. The issue contains four pages, of six columns per page. At this time, the Proprietor was T.R. Gillett, Jun(ior). Besides the usual space devoted to Editorial, Letters and Foreign intelligence, page four has reports on Scotland, the Surrey sessions, [a] Terrific Thunderstorm and the price of a portrait of Thomas Lawrence. From 1841, the paper was edited by Edward Osler (1798-1863), a surgeon, who developed strong interests in literature, the sciences and hymns.

Issue no. 2479 of 27 December 1850, proudly announces: "The Oldest Paper in Cornwall". The number of pages has increased to eight, with the price being 4d. The printer and publisher is given as George Wilkinson Kneebone; each issue for the year 1850 is signed with his name. Page three of this issue has Legal, Railway and Mining reports. An enjoyable entry under the miscellaneous heading reads: "The New York Herald pompously informs its readers "...that there is hardly a country-house in Great Britain the business of which is not regulated by a Yankee clock!" and that American pills, clothes pins and other nic-nacs are pronounced a perfect blessing by English housekeepers." The circulation of the paper was estimated in 1882 by Hubbard to be some 12,000 copies, the cover price being 1d.

Towards the end of the century, publication continued to be weekly. For issue no. 4536 of 3 July 1890, the eight pages contain as much variety as ever, with Fashions for July vying for space alongside the London Markets, or local news, such as that concerning Cornishman Walter Hick, who was fined heavily for sending diseased meat to London.

The paper continued publication until May 1951, when it was incorporated with the West Briton .