Huntingdonshire Archives
We have very few copies of newspapers or cuttings: references to the few that we have may be found by looking at 'newspapers' in the General Index cards. Better runs of local newspapers may be found in the Huntingdonshire Collection at Huntingdon Library, in the Norris Museum in St Ives, or in St Neots Library.
Huntingdonshire newspapers and where to find them.
Huntingdon, Bedford and Cambridge Weekly Journal, 1825 Huntingdon Library
Huntingdon, Northampton, Bedford and Cambridge Weekly Journal, 1825-1828 Huntingdon Library
Hunts and Cambs Observer, 1890-1893 Huntingdon Library
Hunts Chronicle, 1890-1900 Huntingdon Library
Hunts County News, 1886-1926 Huntingdon Library
Ditto, 1886-1908 Norris Museum
Hunts Guardian and East Midlands Spectator 1870-1893 Huntingdon Library
Hunts Post, 1893 to present Huntingdon Library
Ditto, 1933 to present Norris Museum
Ditto, 1963 to present St Neots Library
Hunts Weekly News, 1889 Huntingdon Library
Lincoln, Rutland and Stamford Mercury, 1812-1826 Norris Museum
Peterborough Citizen and Advertiser, 1963-1973 Huntingdon Library
Peterborough Standard, 1963-1973 Huntingdon Library
St Ives Chronicle, 1889-1901 Huntingdon Library
St Neots Advertiser, 1853-55, 1885-1964,1975-79 St Neots Library
Town Crier (St Ives/Hunts edition) 1988 to present Huntingdon Library
Weekly News (St Neots) 1979 to present St Neots Library.
Cambridgeshire Archives
The first Cambridge newspaper (Cambridge Journal and Weekly Flying Post) appeared in 1744, and it wasn’t until some 144 years later when the first daily paper arrived in 1888 (Cambridge Daily News).
The large time gap was mainly due to the heavy tax that was levied upon newspapers and advertisements, which restricted their circulation and also the production of new titles. When the duty was lifted during the mid 1850s, the price of the newspaper dropped and the number of titles increased along with their circulation.
The early regional papers tended to carry little local information - they mainly concentrated on national and international news (relied on from London prints) and advertisements. Local news gradually increased and by the time the tax was lifted local papers had more pages along with increased detail and variety in content.
Typical articles include reports on crime, court proceedings, reports of accidents, birth, marriage and death notices, obituaries, society meetings, local businesses, advertisements etc.
Holdings
Cambridgeshire Archives has ralatively few copies of newspapers or press cuttings. Our main collection is the Cambridge Chronicle & Journal, 1770 – 1934, which is available on microfilm. The Cambridge Chronicle & Journal was published weekly and leant politically towards the Conservative party and religiously towards the established church. We hold original copies of other local and national newspapers but these are very incomplete.
For a list of newspapers held at Cambridgeshire Archives please click on the link in the right hand column.
Local studies
A more comprehensive run of local newspapers can be found at the Cambridgeshire Collection at Cambridge Central Library. Other local newspapers can be found in the Fenland Collection (Wisbech Library and Ely Library) and the Huntingdonshire Collection (Huntingdon Library and St Neots Library); we advise you to contact them direct for more information.
National collections
For national papers, 1800-1900 you can search the British Library Newspaper Collection which is now available online. Click on the link in the right hand column to access the website