Peterborough Central Library collects newspapers that either
originate in Peterborough or cover the City's news. These are,
principally, the Peterborough Advertiser from 1854
(renamed on various occasions, the last of which took place in May
1989 when it became the Citizen); Peterborough Times
(1865-1874); the Peterborough Standard from 1872 (re-named
the Herald and Post in August 1989); the Peterborough
Express (1884-1917); the Peterborough Citizen
(1903-1946); and the Evening Telegraph (from 1960 onwards,
with earlier editions from 1949 as "page-changes" in the Northants
Evening Telegraph).
Before 1854 local news was carried by either the Northampton
Mercury or the Stamford Mercury, and we have the latter for the
period 1800-1855. All the newspapers can be accessed on 35mm
microfilm from which printed copies of articles can be made. The
Peterborough papers have varying coverage of Fenland and northern
Huntingdonshire news, whilst the Stamford Mercury continues to
cover the western part of the Soke of Peterborough.
The newspapers are an exceedingly valuable source for the
history of Peterborough because of the paucity or superficiality of
the secondary printed sources. Indeed, they can be seen as a 150
volume history.
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