Abraham Walter Paulton (1812–1876) was an English politician and journalist.
Life
He was son of Walter Paulton of
Bolton, Lancashire, where he was born into a
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
family. He was sent to
Stonyhurst College
Stonyhurst College is a co-educational Catholic Church, Roman Catholic independent school, adhering to the Society of Jesus, Jesuit tradition, on the Stonyhurst, Stonyhurst Estate, Lancashire, England. It occupies a Grade I listed building. Th ...
to be educated for the priesthood, but on leaving at the age of sixteen or seventeen he was apprenticed to a surgeon named Rainforth at Bolton.
Paulton took interest in politics, especially in the
Corn Laws, and became a public speaker. In July 1838 he was in the Bolton Theatre when a lecturer on the corn laws faltered. Paulton took the stage, succeeded with audience, and undertook to lecture on the same subject the following week. Paulton gave up on the medical profession, was introduced to
Richard Cobden, and engaged himself as a lecturer for the
Anti-Corn-Law League.
Paulton was asked in April 1839 to edit the ''Anti-Corn-Law Circular'' (''Anti-Bread-Tax Circular'' from April 1841) published in
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
. It was succeeded in September 1843 by the ''League'' newspaper, which had its headquarters in London, and Paulton moved there as editor. The operations of the League were brought to a close in 1846 by the
repeal of the corn laws, and in 1848 Paulton returned to Manchester, and with Henry Rawson, purchased the ''
Manchester Times
The ''Manchester Times'' was a weekly newspaper published in Manchester, England, from 1828 to 1922. It was known for its free trade radicalism.
From 1828 to 1847, the newspaper was edited by Archibald Prentice, a political radical and advocate ...
'', a newspaper representing the views of the more advanced section of the Liberal party. It was later amalgamated with the ''
Manchester Examiner'', becoming the ''Examiner and Times''. It was run by Paulton from 1848 to 1854.
His successor as editor was
Henry Dunckley.
In 1854 Paulton married the daughter of
James Mellor of
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
, and from that time resided in London, or at his country house, Boughton Hall,
Surrey
Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...
. He died at Boughton Hall, on 6 June 1876, leaving a son and a daughter, and was buried at
Kensal Green cemetery.
See also
*
James Mellor Paulton
References
;Attribution
{{DEFAULTSORT:Paulton, Abraham Walter
1812 births
1876 deaths
English male journalists
19th-century British journalists
19th-century English male writers