The ''Monmouthshire Beacon'' is a weekly tabloid newspaper covering the areas of

Monmouthshire Monmouthshire ( cy, Sir Fynwy) is a county in the south-east of Wales. The name derives from the historic county of the same name; the modern county covers the eastern three-fifths of the historic county. The largest town is Abergavenny, with ...

, south

Herefordshire Herefordshire () is a county in the West Midlands of England, governed by Herefordshire Council. It is bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh counties of Monmouthshire ...

and western

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean. The county town is the city of Gl ...

. It has been in continuous publication since 1837. Since 1980 the newspaper has been part of the

Tindle Newspaper Group The Tindle Group is a British multimedia company operating regional newspapers and radio stations across the British Isles. It publishes over 200 local newspapers in the UK, a number of which are over 100 years old. The company is based in F ...

of local newspapers owned by Farnham Castle Newspapers and chaired by Sir

Ray Tindle Sir Raymond Stanley Tindle (8 October 1926 – 16 April 2022) was a British newspaper and radio entrepreneur. He founded the Tindle Group of regional newspapers and radio stations. Early life After leaving school he went on to enlist in the ...

(1926-2022).Monmouthshire Beacon
British Newspapers Online, accessed 20 January 2012 The newspaper's editorial office is at Cornwall House, Monnow Street,

Monmouth Monmouth ( , ; cy, Trefynwy meaning "town on the Monnow") is a town and community in Wales. It is situated where the River Monnow joins the River Wye, from the Wales–England border. Monmouth is northeast of Cardiff, and west of London. I ...

. The ''Beacon'' is published every Wednesday. Its sister paper, the ''

Ross Gazette Ross or ROSS may refer to: People * Clan Ross, a Highland Scottish clan * Ross (name), including a list of people with the surname or given name Ross, as well as the meaning * Earl of Ross, a peerage of Scotland Places * RoSS, the Republic of Sou ...

'', covers nearby south

History

The first issue was published on 14 October 1837, priced at 4½ d (1.9p). It was printed by Thomas Farror at Castle Hill, Monmouth, and published by him at Agincourt Square. The first editor was Richard Ramsey Dinnis (assisted by the Rev. George Roberts). This paper had to compete with the ''Monmouthshire Merlin'' which had started publication eight years earlier. The ''Merlin'' had been started by Charles Hough in 1829, but it had bankrupted him by 1831 and it was his co-owner Reginald James Blewitt who eventually built the ''Merlin'' to have the largest newspaper circulation in Wales by 1854. The Beacon's attacks on R.J.Blewiit were so strong that the Merthyr paper disagreed with the Beacon despite their shared politics. The ''Beacon'' was backed by the Ironmaster Sir Joseph Bailey Bt. and local conservatives. It was said that the ''Beacon''s circulation was only just over 500 and was thought to run at a loss, with copies being given away. Cornwall House

In 1840, the ''Beacon'' produced a 200-page special report on the trial of the Chartist leaders in the Shire Hall. Monmouthshire Beacon: About Us
accessed 20 January 2012 A similar issue was published by the ''Monmouthshire Merlin'' but they took different lines. The ''Merlin'' defended the

Whig government In British politics, a Whig government may refer to the following British governments administered by the Whigs: * Whig Junto, a name given to a group of leading Whigs who were seen to direct the management of the Whig Party **First Whig Junto, th ...

whilst the ''Beacon'' blamed it for an uprising that had led to the ring-leaders being sentenced to death. Although the ''Beacon'' did not support the uprising and realised that those involved were obliged to "be dealt with as enemies and aliens". In 1840 there was also a ''Monmouthshire Advertiser'' but this was absorbed into the ''Monmouthshire Beacon and Advertiser'' by 1850. Around 1840, John Dix claimed to have been editor of this paper but supporting evidence is not available. The ''Beacons printing works and offices moved to the new

Market Hall A market hall is a covered space or a building where food and other articles are sold from stalls by independent vendors. A market hall is a type of indoor market and is especially common in many European countries. A food hall, the most usual ...

in Priory Street in 1876.Monmouth Civic Society, ''Guide to the Monmouth Heritage Blue Plaque Trail'', n.d., p.10 In 1963, the newspaper's offices and print works were completely destroyed, together with much of the building itself, when a fire started in its paper store.Gathering the Jewels: The New Market Hall fire, Monmouth, 1963
accessed January 2012 Its offices then moved to 50 Monnow Street, and in 1987 moved again to Cornwall House, where the new offices were opened during the newspaper's 150th anniversary year by

Princess Margaret Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, (Margaret Rose; 21 August 1930 – 9 February 2002) was the younger daughter of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, and the younger sister and only sibling of Queen Elizabeth ...

Notes

{{Tindle Newspapers published in Wales Publications established in 1837 Weekly newspapers published in the United Kingdom Monmouth, Wales