Sources for the History of the Press

Domestic Records Information 123

These notes briefly describe the unpublished sources noted in the National Register of Archives (NRA), the principal relevant repositories with strong collections relating to the history of the press, other useful links and general works of reference.

1. Indexes to the National Register of Archives

The indexes to the NRA are indexes to the creators of records. It is possible to search for the records of corporate bodies or the papers of families and individuals, and for groups of letters from prominent individuals which are to be found in collections other than their own. It is not possible to use the indexes to search for single letters or papers relating to a certain theme, e.g. typesetting.

Users can access the indexes to the National Register of Archives online at www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/nra. Guidelines on how to undertake searches are available on the search pages.

2. Accessions to repositories

Each year The National Archives contacts approximately 250 of the principal record repositories in the British Isles in order to discover which major and unusual accessions have been received. This information is added to the indexes to the National Register of Archives. It is also edited and used to produce thirty-three thematic digests, including one relating to publishing.  The digests are made available online and distributed for publication in a number of learned journals and newsletters. Further information is available at www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/accessions.

3. Relevant repositories

The following provides details of repositories and institutions that hold major collections relating to the history of the press.

Bodleian Library, Special Collections and Western Manuscripts, Broad Street, Oxford OX1 3BG

Among the collections relevant to newspaper history, the Bodleian Library holds proprietors' minutes and accounts of the Grub Street Journal, 1730-78, the papers of HW Nevinson of the Daily Chronicle, Daily News and Manchester Guardian, 1897-1926, and the correspondence, diaries and papers of Geoffrey Dawson editor of the Times, 1912-19 and 1923-41. Some correspondence of HW Massingham, radical editor and journalist for the Star, Daily Chronicle, Manchester Guardian and Daily News,1908-22, is to be found in the papers of Baron Ponsonby of Shulbrede.

British Library, Manuscript Collections, 96 Euston Road, London NW1 2DB

The British Library has deposits of interest to newspaper historians from the 16th to the 20th century. These include: manuscript newsbooks of the 16th, 17th and early 18th centuries (eg. Sloane MS 1039, 3929; Add MSS 61264-65); Dutch Corantos and examples of English copies (Add MSS 69923-24, 69920-21); correspondence between Sir Roger L'Estrange and the secretary of state, 1684-88, (Add MSS 41803-05); business correspondence and accounts of 18th century London papers, eg. London Daily Post and General Advertiser, 1765-71 (Add MS 38169), and the Whitehall Evening Post, 1795-1801 (Eg MS 2236); the papers of 18th century journalists, most prominently Jonathan Swift (Add MS 4804-06), Joseph Addison, (Add MSS (various), Eg MSS 1971-74, Stowe MSS 227, 141-44, Harleian MS 6944, and Sloane MS 34075); and Richard Steele, ( BL Microfilm, M/494, Add MSS 5145, 32685, 61886-88); the manuscripts of Francis Place (Francis Place Collection) and William Cobbett (Add MSS 31125-27); the correspondence of Mark Lemon editor of Punch, 1863-68 (Add MS 55041); correspondence between HW Massingham and George Bernard Shaw (Add MS 50543); and the personal papers of 19th and 20th century journalists, editors and proprietors such as JA Spender, (Add MSS 46386-94) and Lord Northcliffe (Add MSS 62153-63397).

History of Advertising Trust Archive, 12 HAT House, The Raveningham Centre, Raveningham, Norwich NR14 6NU

The trust was established in 1978 to preserve the records of British advertising in all its aspects, to promote advertising's historical development and to provide a research and study centre.

London School of Economics Library, Archives Division, Lionel Robbins Building, 10 Portugal Street, London WC2A 2HD

Manuscript collections of relevance to newspaper historians include: the papers of Baron Courtenay of Penwith, 1832-1918; letters of the radical and Chartist editor James Bronterre O'Brien during the 1840s; correspondence and papers of AG Gardiner of the Daily News, 1902-19; the papers of George Lansbury, proprietor of the Daily Herald, 1912-24; the diaries and correspondence of Sir Gerald Reid Barry, editor of the News Chronicle, 1936-47; the papers of the journalist Hugh Chevins 1934-75; the business papers of George Bernard Shaw 1885-1950; and the Webb Trade Union Collection.

Leeds University Library, Special Collections, The Brotherton Library, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT

The Brotherton Library holds the letters and papers of William Linton Andrews, editor of the Leeds Mercury and Yorkshire Post, 1923-60, and the records of the Morning Post which are to be found in the papers of Algernon Borthwick, Baron Glenesk.

Parliamentary Archives, Houses of Parliament,London,SW1A 0PW

The correspondence of a significant number of nineteenth and twentieth century newspaper magnates is to be found here, either in the papers of newspaper peers, or in the collections of prominent politicians who became peers. Collections include the papers of RD Blumenfeld, journalist for the Daily Mail,1900-04, and later editor of the Daily Express, 1904-32; those of John St Loe Strachey of the Spectator, 1898-1925, including his correspondence with Lord Astor, JA Spender and Geoffrey Dawson. The collection of Lord Beaverbrook, 1879-1964, is undoubtedly the most considerable. It is a mine of information for students of the press and politics in the first half of the twentieth century containing as it does Beaverbrook's correspondence with Alfred, Cecil and Harold Harmsworth, Viscount Camrose, Cecil King and Roy Thomson, among others. Alfred Harmsworth's correspondence with Lloyd George is to be found in the Lloyd George collection. Geoffrey Dawson's correspondence with Bonar Law is in Bonar Law's papers. For more information see A Guide to Historical Collections of the 19th and 20th Centuries preserved in the House of Lords Record Office (HLRO office memo no. 60, 1978).

John Rylands Library, Manchester University, 150 Deansgate, Manchester M3 3EH

John Rylands Library holds the archives of the Manchester Guardian and Manchester Evening News, 19th-20th century, which include the papers of the newspapers' proprietors and editors, journalists and correspondents.

The National Archives, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 4DU

With the exception of a small collection of colonial newspapers for the 1830s-1850s, among colonial miscellanea series, The National Archives does not hold newspaper collections. However, newspapers were regularly forwarded to government departments for information and intelligence, for example newspapers of a politically sensitive nature can be found among papers relevant to prosecutions for seditious libel in TS 24 . Examples of working class newspapers of the 1820s and early 1830s, like Berthold's Political Handkerchief and Cleave's Weekly Police Gazette, and Chartist publications like the Northern Star, can be found in HO and MEPO series for the relevant years. There are also records relating to departmental press offices, censureship of the press, publicity and propaganda, for example records of the Official Press Bureau 1914-19 (HO 139 ) and of the Information Services (INF 4 ) are concerned with the first world war, censorship, the Ministry of Information and propaganda. Other records include manuscript newsletters, (like those to Sir Francis Radcliffe) 1673-96 (ADM 77 and ADM 78 ), ledgers relating to Newspaper Stamps, 1831-70 (IR 69 ) and Stationers' Registers, 1842-1924 (COPY 3 ).

National Library of Scotland, Manuscript Collections, George IV Bridge, Edinburgh EH1 1EW

Holds the papers of a number of Scottish journalists.

National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth SY23 3BU

Collections include the records of the Western Mail & Echo Ltd and the papers of the newspaper proprietor Sir Thomas George Jones.

News International Record Office, 1 Virginia Street, London E98 1ES

The News International Record Office houses the archive of the The Times and its supplements and of News International. The archive was officially set up for the compilation of History of the Times, and then opened to a wider scholarship in 1967. The archive incorporates both business and personal papers including: account books of The Times, 1823-38, editors' office diaries, 1857-1975, managers' copy letter books, 1849-1915, foreign editors' copy letter books, c1870-1910, and papers relative to members of staff, 19th and 20th century; the papers of John Walter I, 1778-1813, the correspondence of JT Delane, 1841-77, the papers of Lord Northcliffe, 1908-22, the correspondence of Lord Astor of Hever, and the diaries of William Howard Russell, 1857-1904.

Press Association Ltd, 85 Fleet Street, London EC4P 4BE

The Press Association was founded by provincial newspaper proprietors in 1865 to organise a system of news collecting and reporting in London. An agreement was made with Reuters to transmit foreign news in 1868, and a joint service operated between 1870 and the 1960s. The main archive collections at the Press Association include corporate administrative and financial records of the Press Association c1868-c1986, of the Exchange Telegraph Co Ltd and PA c1906-64, and of Reuters c1865-1950.

Reading University Library, PO Box 223, Whiteknights, Reading RG6 6AE

The department of archives and manuscripts at the University of Reading acquires the archives and manuscript collections of British publishing and printing firms. Major collections include George Bell & Son, Longman & Co, Macmillan & Co, Routledge Kegan Paul Ltd, the Bodley Head and Chatto and Windus.

St Bride Printing Library, St Bride Institute, Bride Lane, London EC4Y 8EE

The main archive collections held by this public reference library include business and related records of specialist printing and publishing firms, for example, Taylor and Francis, minutes and associated records of printing organisations (eg Association Typographique Internationale, Double Crown Club, Printing Historical Society) and trade union material, including documents of trade and labour relations in London, reports of the London Society of Compositors and records of printers' provident, welfare and pension societies.

Stationers Company, Stationers' Hall, Ave Maria Lane, London EC4M 7DD

Archive of the Worshipful Company of Stationers incorporated by royal charter in 1557. Records include: charters of incorporation, decrees and ordinances; apprentice registers and those of freemen and liverymen; Court Registers; registers of publication, 1554-1842; wardens' accounts, financial records and transfer lists relating to the English Stock.

Modern Records Centre, Warwick University, University Library, Coventry CV4 7AL

The Modern Records Centre holds archives of trade union organisations concerned with all aspects of the press and newspaper production. The most prominent of these are the National Graphical Association (constituent and predecessor bodies, 1820-), Society of Lithographic Artists, Designers, Engravers and Process Workers (SLADE), 1885-, and the National Union of Journalists, (National Executive Committee papers), 1909-55. The Centre also holds the papers of a small number of socialist journalists. For further information see John Bennet and Richard Storey, Trade Union and Related Records (University of Warwick, occasional publications no.5, (6th ed.), 1991).

4. Newspapers

The following provides details of repositories that hold printed newspaper collections. Searchers should note that the NRA does not collect information concerning printed collections.

Copyright Libraries

The British Library's Newspaper Library holds the copyright collection of British newspapers from the mid-nineteenth century onward. It also holds British provincial and Irish newspapers from the early eighteenth century onward and an extensive collection of newspapers from Commonwealth countries received through Commonwealth copyright deposit. For national and local newspapers of Scotland and Wales, searchers should refer to the copyright collections of the National Library of Wales and the National Library of Scotland.

Specialist Collections

For earlier and specialist newspapers, searchers may wish to refer to the following: a small number of 17th century printed broadsheets are held in the Coke Collection in the British Library's Manuscript Department (Add MSS 69922-23); 17th century papers and civil war tracts are held in the Thomason Collection in the BL's Printed Books Department, and eighteenth century newspapers are to be found in the Burney Collection at the BL and in the Nichols Collection at the Bodleian Library, Special Collections and Western Manuscripts; some late 18th and early 19th century newspapers are to be found in the Place Newspaper Collection at the British Library's Department of Printed Books; copies of the Beehive and early editions of the Daily Herald are held by the British Library of Political and Economic Science and a collection of newspapers from the General Strike of 1926 is held by the St Bride Printing Library. For newspapers and pamphlets relevant to the women's suffrage movement, searchers are directed to the The Women's Library (formerly the Fawcett Library). Newspapers produced in Britain in oriental languages should have been deposited in the British Library's Oriental and India Office Collections.

Provincial newspapers

Searchers whose topics are concerned with provincial newspapers are advised to check reference libraries and county or local repositories in relevant provincial centres in the first instance. For local papers of London, searchers are directed to the relevant London borough archives; contact details can be found on the ARCHON Directory at www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/archon.

5. Useful links

Access to Archives (A2A) (www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/a2a)

A2A aims to create a virtual national archives catalogue, bringing together a critical mass of information about the rich national archival heritage and making that information available globally from one source via the World Wide Web. The records are held in geographically dispersed archives offices in England.

Archives Hub (www.archiveshub.ac.uk)

The Archives Hub provides a single point of access to descriptions of archives held in UK universities and colleges. At present these are primarily at collection-level, although where possible they are linked to complete catalogue descriptions. The Archives Hub forms one part of the UK's National Archives Network, alongside related networking projects.

Archives in London and the M25 area (AIM25) (www.aim25.ac.uk)

AIM25 is a major project to provide electronic access to collection level descriptions of the archives of over fifty higher education institutions and learned societies within the greater London area.

CartoonHub: A National Hub for British Cartoons and Caricature (library.kent.ac.uk/cartoons)

The CartoonHub project, constitutes the largest archive of catalogued and indexed cartoon images on the internet, around 43,000 at present. It spans 150 years up to 1969 and includes works by Low, Haselden, Joseph Lee and Leslie Illingworth.

International Institute of Social History (www.iisg.nl/collections)

Founded in 1935 the IISH has personal papers and organisational archives from Germany, Russia, France, Great Britain, Italy, Austria, Switzerland and Belgium relevant to socialism, anarchism, communism and the internationalist movements. Researchers should contact the Institute for information relevant to the papers of journalists active in these movements, and for the archives of international trade unions, for example, the International Federation of Lithographers, Printers and similar trades.

NEWSPLAN (www.newsplan.co.uk)

The NEWSPLAN London and the South East web-site provides details of about 2,500 titles of local newspapers, past and present, relating to the London and South East region of the United Kingdom.

Press Association News Library and Photos Library, 85 Fleet Street, London EC4P 4BE

The Press Association, established as a co-operative in 1868, is the national news agency of the UK and the Republic of Ireland. The News Library maintains press cuttings almost wholly from the Fleet Street national newspapers. The Photos Library includes all work of Press Association photographers.

Scottish Archive Network (SCAN) (www.scan.org.uk)

The Scottish Archive Network was established: to create an electronic network and search room linking the catalogues of nearly 50 Scottish archives; to provide a range of additional electronic services including a Knowledge Base of Frequently Asked Questions on Scottish history, together with exhibitions, publications, discussion groups, all of which will enhance and encourage the use of Scottish archives; to create a computerised index to the wills of Scots from 1500 to 1875, and to link this to digital images of the wills, thus opening up a vast historical resource.

Scottish Archive of Print and Publishing History Records (www.sapphire.ac.uk)

The SAPPHIRE Project has been created as a collaborative project developed in partnership with a range of educational, professional and non-commercial organisations concerned with preserving the social, economic and cultural history of the men and women who worked in the print and publishing industries within Scotland. The project is developing a substantial oral history archive and database which will be permanently deposited within the Edward Clark collection, a major collection relating to printing, publishing and print media held at Napier University.

The Women's Library (www.thewomenslibrary.ac.uk)

The Library is perhaps best known for its archives relating to women's suffrage and to women's political and social emancipation in Britain and in the countries of the Commonwealth. The Library also holds a an extensive collection of feminist periodicals and newspaper cuttings.

6. Surveys and works of reference

The most comprehensive reference work on Victorian newspapers and periodicals, including holdings in 700 North American and UK libraries, and illustrated with title-page facsimiles. Similar volumes have been produced for 19th century Ireland and Scotland.

(ri2212) Last updated: 24 November 2009 | © Crown Copyright 2002