Established August 11, 1711, and continued to be published every week without intermission from that date. During the 135 years it has had only five proprietorships. Circulates extensively through Newcastle, North and South Shields, Sunderland, Durham, and the Northern counties. Advocates no party politics all information is recorded historical; it takes particular interest in the agricultural, shipping, and mining welfare of the district, and devotes some space to literature (Mitchell, 1846).
Issues from 18 Jul 1724 to 24 Apr 172? are in the Burney collection at Bloomsbury. "At Lamberton, near Berwick, Kingsley, ensign in the 8th Reg., aged 16 to Miss Maria Taylor, aged 17" ( Newcastle Courant of Aug. 9, 1806).
"On the 3rd inst., at Berwick Church, William Jeffrey Towler Kingsley, Esq., of London, to Miss Maria Taylor, daughter of Mr. John Taylor, formerly printer and bookseller, Berwick, being the third time the young couple have been married their united ages scarcely exceed 34. These were the parents of the Rev. William Towler Kingsley, Rector of South Kilvington, who was born at Berwick on June 28, 1815, immediately after the Battle of Waterloo, at which his father fought". (J.C. Hodgson. N&Q p.136).
"Charles Henry Cook was a noted dissenter and reformer, was the Union voice from Durham in the south to Scotland" (Lopatin).
One of three papers supported by Newcastle and the surrounding regions in the 1740s (Harris, p.13).
White changed the format of the publication from half sheets to a pamphelet format in approximately 1712 to avoid paying taxes.
The Newcastle Courant was sold for £8,000 in 1832 (Lee, p.52).
"The second newspaper published in Newcastle and the second in the Northern Region (also the first successful newspaper as its only predecessor, the Newcastle Gazette , lasted only 2 years)" (Newsplan).
Black writes that the Courant was a source for results of horse races, advertisments for property for sale, as well as Plantation news in the 18th century. A great issue in the spring of 1792 was anti-slavery. Lastly, the Courant was loyalist in the American War of Independence.
Source: The Waterloo Directory of English Newspapers and Periodicals: 1800-1900.
For this newspaper, we have the following titles in, or planned for, our digital archive:
- 1710–12 The Newcastle Gazette, or, Northern Courant
- 1713–1884 The Newcastle Courant etc
- 1884–1900 The Newcastle Weekly Courant
