The ''Sheffield Iris'' was an early weekly newspaper published on Tuesdays James Montgomery, John Holland and James Everett, ''Memoirs of the Life and Writings of James Montgomery'' in Sheffield, England. The first newspaper to be published in Sheffield to see any degree of success was the ''Sheffield Weekly Journal'' in 1754. This was bought out in 1755 by the ''Sheffield Weekly Register'', and was thereafter published in Doncaster.J. E. Vickers, ''A Popular History of Sheffield''

''Sheffield Register''

The ''Sheffield Register'' was the next newspaper to be established in the town. It was founded by Joseph Gales, a

Unitarian Unitarian or Unitarianism may refer to: Christian and Christian-derived theologies A Unitarian is a follower of, or a member of an organisation that follows, any of several theologies referred to as Unitarianism: * Unitarianism (1565–present ...

, who supported various

Radical Radical may refer to: Politics and ideology Politics *Radical politics, the political intent of fundamental societal change *Radicalism (historical), the Radical Movement that began in late 18th century Britain and spread to continental Europe and ...

causes, advocating religious tolerance, Parliamentary reform and the abolition of slavery, and opposed boxing and bull-baiting."Gales, Joseph", ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' In June 1787, he began publishing the ''Sheffield Register'', initially in partnership with David Martin,

R. E. Leader Robert Eadon Leader (2 January 1839 – 18 April 1922) was a journalist, Liberal activist, and historian. He published many books on the history of the Sheffield area. He was the son of Robert Leader, Alderman and Town Trustee, and proprietor of ...

,
Reminiscences of Sheffield
' from offices in Hartshead. James Montgomery denied that he or Joseph Gales met Thomas Paine at this time (Holland, John, and James Everett. Memoirs of the life and writings of James Montgomery. 7 vols. London: Longman, Brown, Green and Longmans, 1854-56.1:79; 1:156n). The newspaper focussed on reporting local news, and on reprinting tracts by reformers such as Paine and Joseph Priestley. This was a novelty, as most provincial newspapers of the day simply reprinted stories from the London press. In 1789, Martin left the partnership. Gales' politics became more prominent, and the newspaper celebrated the French Revolution and acted as the mouthpiece of the

Sheffield Society for Constitutional Information Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire ...

, an artisan-based political organisation established by Gales in 1791 which called for radical reforms. The ''Register'' was extremely popular in the early 1790s, selling up to 2,000 copies of each issue. Gales established a companion fortnightly political journal, ''The Patriot'', in 1792. The same year, the poet James Montgomery was appointed as clerk and bookkeeper for the newspaper offices."Montgomery, James", ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' In 1794, the Government began arresting leaders of the Corresponding Societies, and Gales wrote articles decrying this. Gales was suspected of writing a letter offering to sell pikes to the London society, but was on business in Derby when troops arrived to arrest him.Marjorie Bloy
The Sheffield Corresponding Society
/ref> Alarmed as to his safety, Gales published his final issue of the ''Register'', before fleeing to Hamburg in Germany. His wife Winifred remained behind to sell the ''Register'' to Montgomery, who relaunched the newspaper as the ''Sheffield Iris'' and adopted a less radical editorial line. Montgomery initially used capital supplied by the Unitarian minister Benjamin Naylor.

''Sheffield Iris''

Despite moderating the newspaper's line, Montgomery was prosecuted for

sedition Sedition is overt conduct, such as speech and organization, that tends toward rebellion against the established order. Sedition often includes subversion of a constitution and incitement of discontent toward, or insurrection against, estab ...

in 1795 for publishing a poem on a handbill which celebrated the fall of the Bastille, and was sentenced to three months in prison. On his release, he negotiated Naylor's withdrawal and became sole proprietor. In August, he wrote a report offering mild criticism of an incident in Norfolk Street, where a popular protest was attacked by a militia, resulting in two deaths. He was again prosecuted, this time for malicious

libel Defamation is the act of communicating to a third party false statements about a person, place or thing that results in damage to its reputation. It can be spoken (slander) or written (libel). It constitutes a tort or a crime. The legal defini ...

, and was imprisoned for six months. While he was in prison, John Pye-Smith took over as editor, and kept the paper running. On Christmas Eve 1816 the paper published Montgomery's carol, " Angels from the Realms of Glory", which was to become one of the most popular Christmas carols sung in England. The ''Iris'' remained a successful newspaper, but Montgomery developed other interests and, in the face of increased competition, from the '' Sheffield and Rotherham Independent'' and the '' Sheffield Mercury'', he sold it in to local bookseller John Blackwell in 1825. Blackwell appointed the poet John Holland as editor, and despite frequently expressing his dislike for the role, Holland spent much of the rest of his life as a newspaper editor.J. H. Stainton,
The Making of Sheffield, 1865–1914
' (1924) The ''Iris'' ceased publication in 1848. A ''Sheffield Iris'' newspaper was briefly revived in 1855, following the removal of

stamp duty Stamp duty is a tax that is levied on single property purchases or documents (including, historically, the majority of legal documents such as cheques, receipts, military commissions, marriage licences and land transactions). A physical revenu ...

, but lasted only until the following year.

References

{{Authority control Publications established in 1787 Publications disestablished in 1848 Defunct newspapers published in the United Kingdom Mass media in Sheffield 1787 establishments in England