''The Town'' was a British newspaper that was published between 1837 and 1840. It generally covered the scandals and nightlife of London. Many of the topics written about in the paper were considered extremely vulgar at the time and it was often criticized for discussing these topics.

Renton Nicholson Renton Nicholson (4 April 1809 – 18 May 1861) was an English impresario, businessman, actor, and writer. He is best known for his Judge and Jury Society performances and for his ownership of the newspaper '' The Town''. After being o ...

, the editor and part owner of the paper, became embroiled in several legal disputes due to the articles that he published.

Content

''The Town'' was founded by the printer Joseph Last in order to cover the "flash life" culture of London. Last initially hired his friend Renton Nicholson to serve as editor. Nicholson later became a part owner of the paper. The first issue of ''The Town'' was published in June 1837. The paper consisted of four pages in a large format featuring illustrations. Frequent topics discussed included scandals, theatre and taverns. They often published drawings of waitresses and courtesans. In the early days of its publication, ''The Town'' underwent rapid growth. ''The Town'' influenced a number of other publications. Among the notable papers that it influenced include ''Peter Spy'' and ''Paul Pry''. Some

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

papers directly copied material that was first published in ''The Town'' without crediting them.

Contributors

Archibald Henning Archibald Henning (1805–1864) (date of death also given as July 4, 1861) was a British illustrator best known for the illustrations that he drew for ''Punch''. Works Before working for ''Punch'', Henning first contributed drawings to '' The ...

, who later worked for ''

Punch Punch commonly refers to: * Punch (combat), a strike made using the hand closed into a fist * Punch (drink), a wide assortment of drinks, non-alcoholic or alcoholic, generally containing fruit or fruit juice Punch may also refer to: Places * Pun ...

'', contributed many drawings of London residents to ''The Town''. He often depicted controversial figures in London society on the first page of the paper.

Ebenezer Landells Ebenezer Landells (Newcastle 1808 – 1 October 1860 London) was a British wood-engraver, illustrator, and magazine proprietor. Life Born in Newcastle, Landells was apprenticed to the wood-engraver Thomas Bewick. In 1829 he moved to London, ...

was another early contributor who later moved to ''Punch''. Although he was initially the editor of the paper, Nicholson later purchased an ownership stake in the paper. He wrote most of the early features in the paper himself, but eventually hired new writers to author most of the articles. He hired

Edward Litt Laman Blanchard Edward Litt Leman Blanchard, often referred to as E. L. Blanchard (11 December 1820 – 4 September 1889), was an English writer who is best known for his contributions to the Drury Lane pantomime. He began writing plays and other literature to ...

to write for ''The Town'' when Blanchard was only seventeen years old. Blanchard wrote for the paper from 1837 to 1839, contributing what he later described as "social essays and dramatic notices". He later reflected fondly on his days with the paper.

Criticism

Many commentators attacked ''The Town'' for its vulgarity.

Edmund Yates Edmund Hodgson Yates (3 July 183120 May 1894) was a British journalist, novelist and dramatist. Early life He was born in Edinburgh to the actor and theatre manager Frederick Henry Yates and was educated at Highgate School in London from 1840 t ...

characterized it as "atrociously blackguard". Its articles covered subjects that most other publications refused to discuss. Some claimed that the paper was known for "invading private life and holding up respectable men to ridicule". Some commentators praised ''The Town'' for exposing swindlers. The vice society once indicted Nicholson for "corrupting public morals" because of articles that he published. He claimed that this charge was retaliation against him for bringing the transgressions of powerful people to light.

Controversy

Barnard Gregory Barnard Gregory (1796–1852) was a British journalist, publisher and actor. He published ''The Satirist'' from 1831 to 1849. He used this paper to publish the scandals of residents of London and often blackmailed his targets. Several articles th ...

, who published ''

The Satirist ''The Satirist, or the Censor of the Times'' was a controversial 19th-century British newspaper which featured reports of scandals involving well known residents of London. It was published by Barnard Gregory, who faced multiple libel charges ...

'', engaged in a high-profile campaign against ''The Town''. Gregory first attacked Joseph Last in ''The Satirist''. After reading of the attack, Nicholson retaliated against Gregory in several articles that were published in ''The Town''. Gregory then pressed charges against Nicholson because of the content of the articles. The case never went to trial because Gregory was soon imprisoned due to an unrelated case. Though the controversy initially fueled the paper's sales, the circulation decreased sharply after the controversy subsided. The paper never recovered and folded in 1840.

References

Bibliography