Gloucester Journal

Written by John Lovell of The Citizen

Much of the news came from London and meant little to those outside the capital. One bizarre and more local item in the first edition, however, was the confession and dying words of Francis Smith who was executed at Hereford for murdering his uncle.In 1725 the partnership between Raikes and Dicey ended and Robert Raikes alone controlled the paper until years later when he was joined by his son. The first Raikes showed his strength of character in printing some of the proceedings of the House of Commons and was brought before the Bar of the House for the offence. The paragraph he printed cost him a £40 fine but he had struck an early blow for Press freedom. In 1758 the younger Robert Raikes took over after the death of his father and based the business in the old timbered house in Southgate Street, still known as Robert Raikes House (now a pub), opposite St Mary de Crypt.By this time the size of the newspaper had increased as had the number of advertisements which generated quite a sum in duty for the Government. One feature beginning to appear was correspondence from local readers and the paper began to publicise causes in which the editor was interested. In The Journal of November 3, 1783, Robert Raikes published for the first time details of Sunday Schools. It's evident from the Journals edited by the younger Raikes that he had considerable sympathy for prisoners in local jails and for the under-dog generally. The role he played in the formation of Sunday Schools may be somewhat unclear but there is little doubt he did much to publicise the scheme. A thespian, Samuel Ryley, who ran a local theatre, wrote of Raikes at the end of the 18th century: "An excellent man. I think of him with gratitude and mention his name with respect almost bordering on adoration. Oft have I seen this him walking to church at seven in the morning followed by at least 100 children, who, but for him, might have lived and died in ignorance. The clergy, strange to say, opposed him, the people in general scarcely approved the plan or lent assistance to its success." Raikes obviously had many admirers and some critics - in fact the actress Fanny Burney in 1788 found him rather pompous but his reputation extended far beyond the city and he both received and was received by many eminent friends and supporters including Royalty.Robert Raikes, newspaper proprietor, social and prison reformer, educationalist and philanthropist and family man died in 1811 aged 75. In 1802 Raikes had sold his interest in The Journal to David Walker who had experience in publishing the Hereford Journal. He in turn was followed by his two sons, Alexander and David.Because of the Stamp Tax and other costs the price of The Journal rose to 7d but in 1836 with the reduction of the tax it went down to 5d and there was a further reduction to 4d in 1855. By 1838 its circulation averaged 32,000 copies a week and we are told in an editorial that "the thirst for information which seems now to be daily increasing can only be met by a greater increased coverage of most subjects."The Walker family's connection with The Journal continued until 1871 when it passed to Thomas Henry Chance, a Birmingham jour-nalist who was proprietor until 1906. In 1879 shortly after the 150th anniversary of The Journal he was joined as a partner by Mr Samuel Bland who three years previously had started The Citizen.In 1870 the first Education Act offering elementary education for all was enacted although it wasn't until 1876 attendance at school was compulsory. In consequence of a more literate population the interest in popular newspapers grew.