19th Century British Library Newspapers Part I and Part II

Now Available in NewsVault! The most comprehensive range of national, regional and local newspapers in 19th century Britain ever made available in a digital collection, 19th Century British Library Newspapers Part I and Part II provide a range of publications to reflect the social, political and cultural events of the times.

Taken directly from the extensive holdings of the British Library, the selected publications provide coverage of well-known historic events, cultural icons, sporting events, the arts, culture and other national pastimes. At a time when newspapers were emerging as a prerequisite medium of commercially-minded societies and major cities, their pages — from articles to advertisements — provide researchers with unique, first-hand perspective.

Users can search across a large range of titles, not typically available at any one institution, and can perform full-text searches, use hit-term highlighting and view specific article types.

Summary: 19th Century British Library Newspapers Part I includes 49 national, regional and local publications taken directly from the extensive holdings of the British Library. Featuring key British newspapers selected from throughout the United Kingdom, it provides a comprehensive view of British and world news, culture and society during the 19th century. Part II brings an additional 22 titles that expand the regional coverage and provides a wider political perspective through the addition of some more conservative newspapers. The publications for both Part I and Part II were selected by a board of British newspaper experts.

Significance: With England's emergence as the global power of the 19th century, newspapers began to experience a higher degree of freedom of the press. The pages of its newspapers not only documented the historical, economic and political events but also reflected the social and cultural ideas, trends and conflicts. 19th Century British Library Newspapers provides unique perspective on all aspects of British society — from the Victorians to the industrialists — through articles, essays, advertisements, illustrations and more.

Source: 19th Century British Library Newspapers is the product of a partnership with the British Library, holders of the most significant collection of British newspapers.

Structure: From monumental historic events, such as the battle of Trafalgar and the total defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte, to day-to-day news, such as the opening of the first electric tube railway or the construction of the English Channel, 19th Century British Library Newspapers Part I and Part II covers it all. The first-person perspectives and reporting techniques are highly valued by both the serious historian and the more casual researcher. This comprehensive collection features:

• Titles from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales – 49 titles in Part I and 22 titles in Part II
• Titles in specialist areas such as Victorian radicalism and Chartism
• Bibliographic headnotes for each newspaper, explaining its importance
• Contextual essays regarding the role of newspapers in the Victorian age
• A chronological overview of 19th-century Britain
• Many illustrations with examples of early photography
• Global coverage
• Newspapers selected on the basis of their importance

A sample list of newspapers available in Part I:

• Brighton Patriot and South of England Free Press
• The Bristol Mercury
• The Caledonian Mercury
• The Champion
• Daily News
• The Examiner
• Freeman's Journal
• Genedl (Wales)
• Glasgow Herald
• The Graphic
• Hampshire Telegraph
• The Hull Packet
• Jackson's Oxford Journal
• The Leeds Mercury
• Liverpool Mercury
• Lloyd's Illustrated Newspaper
• The Manchester Examiner
• Northern Echo
• The Northern Liberator
• The Northern Star
• Western Mail

A sample list of newspapers available in Part II:

• The Blackburn Standard
• Dundee Courier
• The Essex Standard
• Isle of Man Times
• Lancaster Gazette
• Leicester Chronicle
• The Morning Post (London)
• Royal Cornwall Gazette
• Sheffield Independent
• The Standard (London)
• The Wrexham Weekly Advertiser
• The York Herald

Articles include:

• Coverage of the battle of Trafalgar, The Morning Chronicle, Nov. 7, 1805
• The last moments of Lord Nelson, The Morning Chronicle, Nov. 9, 1805
• The battle of Waterloo and other Napoleonic wars, The Morning Chronicle, June 22, 1815
• Crimean wars and the battle of Balaklava, The Examiner, Nov. 4, 1864
• Who is Miss Florence Nightingale, The Examiner, Oct. 28, 1854
• Zulu war, Glasgow Herald, Feb. 20, 1879
• Jack the Ripper, The Police Illustrated News, Sept. 8, 1888
• The cricket match that started the Ashes, The Pall Mall Gazette, Aug. 30, 1882
• The Industrial Revolution and the Age of Iron, Liverpool Mercury, Oct. 9, 1829
• The design and building of Tower Bridge, The Graphic, June 26, 1886
• Poetry, Lord Alfred Tennyson's The Charge of the Light Brigade, The Examiner, Dec. 9 1854

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