PLYMOUTH |
The Encyclopaedia of Plymouth History |
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DEVONPORT INDEPENDENT AND PLYMOUTH AND STONEHOUSE GAZETTE On February 9th 1833 the Devonport Independent and Plymouth and Stonehouse Gazette was first published. It supported the Liberal viewpoint. Owned for many years by Mr William Gilborn Byers, it was at first a single sheet and was sold at 4½d, which was out of reach of the average citizen. However, by the 1850s the price was 7d per copy, of which 4d was stamp duty. The newspaper quickly upset the Plymouth and Dock/Devonport Weekly Journal by purchasing a copy of their paper and then copying the news from it, which it would often sell as a special edition. Following the death of Mr Byers on January 23rd 1854 at the age of 62 years, the copyright and plant was first offered for sale but later sold at auction on Tuesday April 25th 1854 to a Mr Croydon for £310, it transpiring that he had purchased it on behalf of its manager, Mr Andrew William Boolds. The list of type that formed part of the sale is of interest: nonpareil, minion, bourgeois, double pica and some 'fancy type'. The plant consisted of a Napier Patent Gripper Machine, a Royal Columbian Press and a Double Royal Columbian Press with inking tables and rollers. Under Mr Boolds' management, which started with the issue of Saturday May 13th 1854, the paper's standing in the community soared. It was increased in size to eight pages and the price was eventually brought down to one penny. In 1891, with the help and support of some of his politcal friends, Mr Henry Francis Whitfeld formed the Devon and Cornwall Newspaper Company in order to acquire the newspaper. The last issue as the Devonport Independent was dated Saturday August 29th 1891 and from September 5th 1891 it became the Western Independent. Mr Boolds died on Thursday October 10th 1901. Plymouth Central Library has a complete run of the Devonport Independent and Plymouth and Stonehouse Gazette from number 1 in 1833 until August 29th 1854.
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