Manchester Gazette
| Owner(s) | 1795–1814: William Cowdry Snr 1814–1824: William Cowdry Jnr 1824–1828:Archibald Prentice |
|---|---|
| Founder(s) | William Cowdry Snr |
| Herausgeber | 1795–1814: William Cowdry Snr 1814–1824: William Cowdry Jnr 1824–1828:Archibald Prentice |
| Gegründet | 1795 |
| Political alignment | Conformist non-Tory |
| Sprache | Englisch |
| Hauptsitz | Manchester |
The Manchester Gazette was a conformist non-Tory newspaper based in Manchester, England.
Founded by William Cowdroy in 1795, the newspaper was written and printed by him and his four sons. Although considered poor quality, it sold because it was the only non-Tory newspaper in Manchester.[1][2]
After the death of William Snr in 1814, his son William Jnr became the new editor. Selling only 250 copies weekly, Cowdroy engaged his non-conformist friends of the first Little Circle to contribute articles. Archibald Prentice, John Shuttleworth and John Edward Taylor all became regular columnists, and by 1819 the Gazette was selling over 1,000 copies a week.[1][2]
However, in 1819 the paper became involved in the agenda that led to the Peterloo Massacre. Although not supportive of the rally created by the rival radical and openly non-conformist Manchester Observer, subsequent liberal articles and editorialship lead to successive police raids on press in the Manchester area, which resulted in the shut-down of the Manchester Observer.[1]
In 1821, the 11 members of the first Little Circle excluding Cowdroy decided to advance their liberalist agenda, and resultantly helped then cotton merchant John Edward Taylor form the Manchester Guardian, which he edited for the rest of his life and they all wrote for.[1]
In 1822, Cowdroy Jnr died, and ownership of the newspaper passed to his wife. In 1824, after circulation had been struggling for a period, Richard Potter and John Shuttleworth assisted then editor Archibald Prentice to raise the £1,600 required to buy the Gazette from Cowdroy's wife. Turning it into a more radical non-conformist newspaper, Prentice struggled against the now established reformist agenda of the Guardian, and in 1828 went bankrupt forcing closure of the Gazette.[1][2]
Prentice went on to form the Manchester Times.
References
- Stanley Harrison (31 Oct 1974). Poor Men's Guardians: Survey of the Democratic and Working-class Press. Lawrence & W; 1st Edition edition. ISBN 0-85315-308-6.