The Leamington Spa Courier was the first newspaper to be published in Leamington and was founded in 1828 as a weekly broadsheet by John Fairfax and James Sharp senior. However political differences encouraged the two to go their separate ways. Fairfax, a Liberal, left the Courier to start the unsuccessful Leamington Chronicle, but ultimately became proprietor of the Sydney Morning Herald.
The Courier was bought by George Christopher Liebenrood. It was a Conservative paper, strongly pro-Church of England, aimed at agricultural, commercial and manufacturing interests.
The paper was then purchased by bookseller and printer Joseph Glover. Glover became a prominent citizen of the town, a Justice of the Peace from 1876 and nominated for Mayor in 1891, which post he declined. He was also President of the Provincial Newspaper Society in 1870 and Chairman of the Press Association in 1874. Control passed to his son, Frank, who married musical composer Ethel Harraden. Frank Glover was Chairman and managing director of Leamington Spa Courier Ltd when he died in 1929.
For this newspaper, we have the following titles in, or planned for, our digital archive:
- 1828–39 Leamington Spa Courier
- 1838–78 The Royal Leamington Spa Courier, and Warwickshire Standard
- 1878–1913 Leamington Spa Courier and Warwickshire Standard
- 1914–54 Royal Leamington Spa courier and Warwickshire standard.
- 1950–88 Leamington Spa courier and Warwickshire standard.
- 1988–89 Royal Leamington Spa courier.
- 1989–2003 Leamington Spa courier (1989)
- 2003–05 Courier (Leamington, England).
