The ''Coventry Herald'', ''Coventry Herald and Observer'' or the ''Coventry Herald and Free Press'' was a newspaper that was established in 1808 by Alderman
Nathaniel Merridew, a ribbon warehouseman and Congregationalist, in
Coventry, England
Coventry ( or ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its ...
and ran in print until 1940.
[
]
Coventry Herald (1808—1830)
Merridew's Whig and Dissenting views were initially represented by the newspaper and it was the recognized publication of the Liberal party in Coventry.[ a political disagreement in 1828 with the Liberal party led to a competing newspaper, the ''Coventry Observer'' to be formed in 1828.][
]
Coventry Herald and Observer (1830—1863)
These papers were later merged into a single paper under Henry in 1830.[ Henry's business failed and he sold to John Turner (1842), and later opened a boarding hotel in ]Boulogne-sur-Mer
Boulogne-sur-Mer (; pcd, Boulonne-su-Mér; nl, Bonen; la, Gesoriacum or ''Bononia''), often called just Boulogne (, ), is a coastal city in Northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department of Pas-de-Calais. Boulogne lies on the C ...
.[ Successive owners include Charles Bray (1846)][ While owned by Bray, the newspaper published some of the earliest prose writing of ]George Eliot
Mary Ann Evans (22 November 1819 – 22 December 1880; alternatively Mary Anne or Marian), known by her pen name George Eliot, was an English novelist, poet, journalist, translator, and one of the leading writers of the Victorian era. She wrot ...
.
Coventry Herald and Free Press (1863—1940)
The newspaper changed names again in 1863, after merging with the '' Free Press and Midland Express'' in 1863.Joseph Chamberlain
Joseph Chamberlain (8 July 1836 – 2 July 1914) was a British statesman who was first a radical Liberal, then a Liberal Unionist after opposing home rule for Ireland, and eventually served as a leading imperialist in coalition with the C ...
to purchase it, because Chamberlain would have changed the political alignment of the newspaper.[ Note: the information can be accessed by clicking on the (i) icon.] The paper stopped publication in 1940.[
]
Archives
Historical copies of the ''Coventry Herald'', dating back to 1824, are available to search and view in digitised form at The British Newspaper Archive. [Digitised copies of the ''Coventry Herald'']
/ref>
The Coventry Observer (2014—)
''The Coventry Observer'' is local weekly newspaper published by Bullivant Media.
References
1808 establishments in England
Organisations based in Coventry
Newspapers published in the West Midlands (county)
{{UK-newspaper-stub