Local newspapers
Warning! You could become addicted! There is nothing more fascinating than browsing through old newspapers.In old newspapers you can:
- Check out Aunty Edna and Uncle Bill's Golden Wedding report.
- Read about life on the Home Front in World War Two.
- Find local critics' responses to Jimmy Hendrix's British Tour.
- Discover the sentences for crimes 200 or ten years ago.
- Re-discover the news headlines of the day you were born.
Start reading and, whether or not you find what you are seeking, you will be sure to find something that will amaze, amuse and challenge you to read on.
Derbyshire's first newspaper was the Derby postman published in 1721. It was soon followed by the long-lived Derby Mercury, first published in 1732 and surviving until 1933.
To search the Derby Mercury and other local and national newspapers on-line use our free online information resources available to library members from home.
Until the 19th century, this was the only County newspaper. It carried some local news and advertisements but mainly provided national news reports.
After the appearance of another Derby newspaper, the Derby Reporter and General Advertiser in 1823, there followed a steady stream of newspapers in other parts of the county. These included the Derbyshire Courier (1828) and the Derbyshire Times (1854) in Chesterfield. Other newspapers soon started up at Alfreton, Belper, Buxton, Glossop, Ilkeston, Long Eaton, Matlock and Ripley.
By the end of the 19th century, 94 Derbyshire newspapers had been published and you can read most of them, on microfilm, in Derbyshire libraries.
More about Derbyshire newspapers
All kinds of fascinating information can be found in the papers:
Advertisements reflect the trading patterns of the day, showing prices of goods and styles and design features.
Obituaries and news items provide biographical information on both notable people and ordinary families to whom extraordinary things happened.
Economic historians can follow the rise and fall of market prices and wages, railways, trade unions and family businesses.
Other aspects of life regularly featured are quack medicines, theatre and cinema news, farm and property auctions, bankruptcies, election addresses and political meetings and lurid crime reports.
No better source exists for leisure and sporting activities, such as cricket, football, boxing, horse-racing and fairs.
A number of free newspapers have also appeared on the publishing scene during the last thirty years. Some are advertising newspapers only, such as the Chesterfield Advertiser. Others cover news of local community activities, sometimes better than the traditional titles. Most local papers, free and paid for, are still collected today.
Most newspapers are not indexed so it will usually be necessary to have a firm date for an event, or be prepared to search the microfilmed newspapers.
Very few libraries now have original newspapers because the originals have been "loved to death" by repeated handling. Microfilm copies are now the accepted format for public use.
In fact many of the local newspapers you can read in Derbyshire libraries were never preserved locally but have been brought back home by purchase of microfilm from the British Library newspaper collection held in London.
Before you make a special visit to consult a newspaper we strongly advise you to contact the library. You will be able to make sure the dates you require are available and book a microfilm reader.
It is possible to obtain paper copies of articles of interest, immediately in larger libraries, or by placing an order.
List of newspapers in Derbyshire Libraries
Here is a list of the most important newspaper titles held on microfilm in Derbyshire libraries.
Download your copy from the More information section below to read all about it.Many other short lived but useful newspapers are also available. To find out the full range consult the East Midlands NEWSPLAN website (opens in a new window).
Related documents
The following document is in Portable Document Format (PDF). You can download the PDF software for free from the Adobe website (opens in a new window)