Yorkshire Post Archive: Back Issue Newspapers

Yorkshire Post Archive: Back Issue Newspapers

The Relevance of Dated Newspapers

With the advent of digital media and online databases, it might seem like newspapers have gone the way of the dodo. It’s difficult to see how an old newspaper, filled with outdated news updates, fits into that society. However, Wikipedia doesn’t hold everything. There’s only so much that history textbooks and encyclopedias can provide about the past. Old newspapers provide a perspective that even the best websites can’t match. Newspapers let you see the what people truly cared about.

The History of The Yorkshire Post

One of Britain’s first daily newspapers, the Yorkshire Post was founded as the Leeds Intelligencer in 1754. In 1866, the paper changed its name and moved from a weekly to a daily publication schedule. The first issue of the rechristened paper contained the following statement: “the political principles of this journal are Conservative; while supporting every practical improvement, it will resist organic changes ... It will be at once conservative and progressive, a foe to democracy and revolution, but the firm friend of all constitutional reform. “ Even in modern times, this statement remains the Yorkshire Post’s  guiding principle.

At its prime in the 1950s, The Yorkshire Post boasted a daily circulation of over 100,000. By 2012, this figure dropped to 40,000.  A huge change came to the paper when its parent company, Johnston Press, merged it with the Yorkshire Evening Post.  Staff, editors and even whole departments were consolidated into one cohesive whole across both Leeds and Dinnington.  In 2013,  demolition of the paper’s original Wellington Street premises began. All that remains of this British architectural staple is an iconic, lonely tower, pointing at the sky. Currently, the Yorkshire Post has a weekly circulation rate of about 40 thousand.

Interesting Facts About The Yorkshire Post

  • The abdication of Edward the VII was first alluded to in the Yorkshire Post.
  • After 46 years of being gone, the word “The” was reintroduced to the paper’s title in 2014.
  • The same year that the Yorkshire Post launched saw the first use of the word serendipity.

Yorkshire Post Archives

To find back issues of The Yorkshire Post or to check availability of the newspaper, follow these steps:

  1. Visit the UK historical newspaper archive page.
  2. Select the date you’re interested in
  3. Choose your desired newspaper and edition.
  4. Select the pack you wish to purchase. There are a variety of delivery and gift options to fit your needs.
  5. Make sure to add a name to the certificate of authenticity along with your chosen date and message if the purchase is a gift.