Hot Off The Press – New Titles This Week

This week at The Archive we have added two brand new titles to our collection – the Blackpool Gazette and the Scunthorpe Star – as we’ve added 304,982 brand new newspaper pages in all over the last seven days. Meanwhile, from Chichester to Cleckheaton, from Fraserburgh to Frome, from Pembrokeshire to Perthshire, we’ve updated 34 of our existing titles from across the United Kingdom.

So read on to discover more about all of our new and updated titles of the week, and also to learn how it was believed, at least by the Blackpool Gazette, that the traditions associated with Valentine’s Day were ‘on the wane‘ in the 1890s.

Register now and explore the Archive

Let’s start then by exploring our first new title of the week, which is the Blackpool Gazette. This Lancashire title was established in 1873 with the full title of the Blackpool & Fleetwood Gazette and Fylde News, and it was Conservative in its politics.

Blackpool Gazette | 8 February 1878

Circulating ‘extensively amongst the inhabitants and visitors of Blackpool, Fleetwood, Lytham, St. Anne’s-on-the-Sea, and the whole of the villages in the Fylde agricultural district,’ out of the summer season the Blackpool Gazette appeared weekly on a Friday, but during the summer peak the paper appeared every Tuesday too. This publication schedule reflected Blackpool’s popularity as a seaside resort town, which saw particular growth in the late Victorian era, buoyed by Wakes Weeks amongst factories in England’s industrial north-west.

Indeed, the summer editions of the Blackpool Gazette differed from their out of season counterparts, as they featured extensive and hugely detailed lists of visitors to the town. Grouped by street name, these visitors’ lists swelled the paper to eight pages instead of four, as they provided a list of those staying at the fashionable seaside town.

Blackpool Gazette | 23 August 1878

A thorough local paper, the Blackpool Gazette, which cost only one pence, reported on the latest from the Blackpool Town Council, the Blackpool Police Court and the Patriarchs of Blackpool, with articles providing insight into the town’s development as a resort. Furthermore, the paper printed ‘Local Intelligence’ from the likes of Fleetwood, St. Anne’s, Lytham, Pilling, Bispham, Kirkham and Poulton, as well as printing notices of births, marriages, and deaths.

From 1893 the title became simply known as the Gazette & News.

Our next brand new title of the week is the Scunthorpe Star, which was established in 1889 as the Scunthorpe and Frodingham Star, and General Advertiser for the Ironstone District of North Lincolnshire. Serving the industrial Lincolnshire town of Scunthorpe, this independent title appeared on a weekly basis.

Scunthorpe Star | 11 February 1950

By the 1950s, the Scunthorpe Star filled sixteen pages at the cost of three pence. Taking a robust look at local affairs, the title reported thoroughly on sport in the area, taking in the local cricket league as well as local football team Scunthorpe United. Meanwhile, the Scunthorpe Star detailed the deaths of local personalities, printing obituaries on those local notable figures who had passed away, whilst also reporting on weddings.

Furthermore, the Scunthorpe Star provides a fascinating glimpse of entertainment in the area, as it reported on local dances, what could be seen ‘On Stage and Scree,’ and on ‘Club and Hotel Activities.’ Finally, the paper had a wonderful column entitled ‘Looking Back,’ which reported on news from the newspaper’s archives from 25 and 50 years ago.

Scunthorpe Star | 18 March 1988

By the 1980s the Scunthorpe Star had switched its publication schedule from Saturday to Friday, with the tagline of ‘Simply better.’

That’s it from our duo of new titles, but there are plenty of highlights in store for you this week amongst our 34 updated titles. By far and away the biggest update of the week is to the Newry Reporter, to which we have added over 115,000 brand new pages, whilst we have also updated fellow Northern Irish title the Banbridge Chronicle. With the next biggest update comes Wolverhampton’s Midland Counties Express, with over 28,000 brand new pages joining its ranks.

Up in Scotland, we’ve updated six titles, including the Carluke and Lanark Gazette, the Inverness Courier and the Aberdeen Evening Express. Finally, representing Wales, we’ve added new pages to the Pembrokeshire Herald.

Valentine’s Day in the 1890s – a tradition on the wane?

With Valentine’s Day falling this week, we thought it only right to delve into the pages of our new title the Blackpool Gazette to discover more about the history of this celebration of romance. However, we were surprised by what our search uncovered, as we learnt that the tradition was considered to be ‘on the wane’ in the 1890s.

Blackpool Gazette | 1 February 1878

This was not the case, however, in the earlier years of the Blackpool Gazette. Well ahead of Valentine’s Day on 1 February 1878, the paper was advertising ‘new and beautiful designs’ for Valentine’s cards, to ‘suit all tastes.’ Indeed, the ‘largest selection’ of Valentines ‘in town’ could be found at the Blackpool Gazette office itself, demonstrating the popularity of the tradition.

An ‘old Valentine’ | The Sketch | 14 February 1894

Furthermore, on 27 December 1878 the Blackpool Gazette published a review of a ‘Year’s Work in the Post Office’. This piece described how:

At Christmas, and also on St. Valentine’s Day, 40 hand-carts were employed in Liverpool to facilitate the deliveries in 40 of the busiest districts of that town; a messenger in each case propelling the hand-cart.

The popularity of Valentine’s Day, therefore, in sending cards, was comparable to that of Christmas.

‘Valentine’s Day: Great Expectations’ | Illustrated London News | 11 February 1882

But by Valentine’s Day 1890, everything had changed. A short note in the Blackpool Gazette, published on 14 February itself, ran as follows:

How many of our readers remember the fact that this is St. Valentine’s Day. Its ancient glories have departed, and ‘Ichabod’ may be written in connection with it. The duties of the postmen will not be made much heavier by the valentine in circulation to-day.

Indeed, the decline of Valentine’s Day as popular festival seemed to be terminal. Two years later, on 19 February 1892, the Blackpool Gazette observed how:

This year has given a further confirmation to the opinion that the observance of St. Valentine’s Day is on the wane, or rather that it has almost died out. From a means of indicating the tenderness of the passions it has descended so as to become chiefly a medium of petty jealousies or friendly raillery.

An ‘old Valentine’ | The Sketch | 14 February 1894

The paper backed up its observations by detailing how:

At the Blackpool Post Office the increase in the number of letters was hardly perceptible, and the chief stations have entirely stopped the sale of valentines, which have been superseded by Christmas and New Year and birthday cards.

‘Valentine’s Day’ | Illustrated London News | 11 February 1882

The final mention of Valentine’s Day from the Blackpool Gazette comes two years later again, on 16 February 1894. This time the paper observed how:

St. Valentine’s Day seems to have almost completely fallen into desuetude. There was little or no increase in the volume of correspondence passing through the Blackpool Post Office on Wednesday.

We wonder, therefore, what changed in the over 130 years between now and then, to bring Valentine’s Day back into fashion? We suspect successful commercialisation to bear the blame, however, it is fascinating to imagine a world where this celebration of romance no longer exists.

‘St. Valentine’s Day in London’ | Illustrated London News | 11 February 1899

Discover more about Valentine’s Day, other traditions, and much more besides, in the pages of our Archive today.

New Titles

Updated Titles

This week we have updated 34 of our existing titles.

You can learn more about each of the titles we add to every week by clicking on their names. On each paper’s title page, you can read a free sample issue, learn more about our current holdings, and our plans for digitisation.

You can keep up to date with all the latest additions by visiting the recently added page.  You can even look ahead to see what we’re going to add tomorrow.