British Newspaper Archives - Latest updates

Recent "Hertfordshire" update at the British Newspaper Archives include 11 new years of the Hertford Mercury, the Buck Herald between 1910-1953 and the Bedfordshire Times between 1887 and 1950.

Bedfordshire Times - 1887-88, X, 91-97, X, 99-1906, X, 08-26, X, 28-40, X, 44, X, 50
Bucks Herald - 1833-51, X, 53-1900, X, 02-09, 10-32, X,  34-53
Cambridge Chronicle - 1813-31, X, 36, X, 48, X, 59, X, 61-2, X, 67, X, 71,X, 75, X, 77, X, 89
Cambridge Independent - 1839-73, X, 75-92, X, 94-5, X, 98-9, X, 1910, X, 13-20
Chelmsford Chronicle - 1783-91, X, 98, X, 1819, X, 32-7, X, 39-66, X, 68-9, 70, 71-83, 84, 85-98, X, 1900-50, 
Essex Newsman - 1870-96, X, 99-1910, X, 12-50
Essex Standard - 1831-44, X, 46-72, X, 75-95, X, 99-1900
Hertford Mercury - 1834-7, X, 40-68, 69-79
Herts Guardian - 1852-6, X, 59-60, 61, 62-65, 66, 67
Luton Times - 1856-62, X, 66-73, X, 75-80, X, 85, X, 94-1914
Watford Observer - 1863-7, 68, 69-70

Old Hertfordshire News on British Newspaper Archives

Newspapers

Hertfordshire is currently not very well covered in the British Newspaper Archive (also on FindMyPast) and often you have to hope that Hertfordshire news might be covered just over the boundary in an adjacent county. I was delighted to find that they started on the Watford Observer. I have therefore updated my list of papers that are worth checking for local news, marking updates since my last update on the subject nine months ago with green.

Bedfordshire Times - 1935
Bucks Herald - 1833-51, X, 53-1900, X, 02-09
Cambridge Chronicle - 1813-31, X, 36, X, 48, X, 59, X, 61-2, X, 67, X, 71, X, 75, X, 77
Cambridge Independent - 1839-73, X, 75-92, X, 94-5, X, 98-9, X, 1910, X, 13-20
Chelmsford Chronicle - 1783-91, X, 98, X, 1819, X, 32-7, X, 39-66, X, 68-9, X, 71-83, X, 85-98, X, 1900-50
Essex Newsman - 1870-96, X, 99-1910, X, 12-50
Essex Standard - 1831-44, X, 46-72, X, 75-95, X, 99-1900
Hertford Mercury - 1834-7, X, 40-68
Herts Advertiser - [1925 withdrawn?]
Herts Guardian - 1852-6, X, 59-60, X, 62-65, X, 67
Luton News - 1917-8, X, 50, X, 53-4
Luton Times - 1856-62, X, 66-73, X, 75-80, X, 85, X, 94-1914
Watford Observer - 1863-7, X, 69-70

I have not included Middlesex and London Newspapers.

One easily overlooked factor is that there are missing years and I have therefore highlighted the gap years. I have not indicated places where a year is incomplete.

A 100 year old Lady photographed by Downer of Watford

Post Cards, etc

Sarah Rowbottom, aged 105

Frank Downer, of Watford, started taking photographs in Watford in about 1863 and developed a thriving business producing pictures in all shapes, sizes and formats including many view and news post cards and an early pictorial newspaper, the Watford Illustrated.  I am always interested in reporting on more examples of his work to complement the online biography I am building up about him.

Old News

Can You Help?

I have just found (on the British Newspaper Archives) a 1865 article from the Hertford Mercury which describes a photograph he had taken of Sarah Rowbottom, who was over 100 years old, and apparently had spent part of her life living in Bushey. The article reports "We have before us a portrait of this centenarian, taken by Mr. Frederick Downer, of Watford, an accomplished photographer, whose skill in the art he cultivates has seldom been surpassed. ..."  [Copy of Article]

Do any copies of this picture still exist? If so please let me know. I would love to have a digital image to add to Downer's biographical pages.

The Reformer Newspaper (published in Hertford) is now online

The British Newspaper Archive is regularly being updated and I note that within the last month the a number of issues of The Reformer for 1834-5 have been added (under the heading Hertfordshire Mercury & Reformer) and also 1868 issues of the Hertfordshire Mercury - so that the combined issues now stretch from 1834-1868. While it will be many years before all the papers that have are online, new material is always being added.