Sometimes when I can’t think of anything to write, I need to go looking for inspiration. Today, being in the state of not knowing what to write here, I went looking for inspiration in the British Newspaper Archives. I thought I’d have a look and see what was in the newspapers this day in 1892.
The London Evening Standard, as with many newspapers, leads with births, adverts and listings, as many front pages did in those days. Their top-left advertisement was for a funeral service, and that was followed by the birth of a daughter to Mr J A G Bengough of Gloucestershire. It’s not until page two that you get to the tightly packed columns of text and political news.
There were no headlines, as such, and every single letter and number had to be placed in the printing frame by hand, and backwards. It still amazes me that newspapers looked like this and were put together by hand.
Also on this day in 1892, a Wednesday, you could have had the choice of newspapers. In London, where I am looking, I have the Standard, the Morning Post, The Sportsman, Globe, Pall Mall Gazette, St James’ Gazette, Islington Gazette, Sporting Life, the Hackney and Kingsland Gazette, the Public Ledger and Weekly Advertiser, and the Commercial Gazette, among others. That last one had an image on its front page, so I went to examine it in more detail. It was this:
An advertisement for the Zeeland Steamship Company, running between England and the continent twice daily by paddle steamer. However, because I lived in the house my character Larkin Chase lives in in the Delamere Files series, I opted to look at the Hackney and Kingsland Gazette, to see what was happening in my ‘hood’ 132 years ago today.
Again, a front page of advertisements for church events, schools, doctors, breweries, and many other businesses, because although only a few pages long, the H & K Gazette needed income from advertising to survive. House and shop sales cover page two, some theatre news, and then, finally, some local news. A woman didn’t like the people at the Cock pub in Mare Street and smashed their plate glass windows. Damage estimated at £25.00, the culprit was committed for trial. Then, there’s a strange thing where, it seems, the Salvation Army was using the plight of London’s match girls to sell their own matches. Their advert/piece states that if we all used Salvation Army matches, the ‘poor match girls in East London would be saved from much suffering, anguish, disfigurement and often death.’ I mean, talk about layering it on a bit thick, not to mention being hypocritical.
Later on, there is some cricket information which would have pleased Doctor Markland, a whole column dedicated to the Conservative and Liberal Unionist electors, and then some interesting deaths. A 71-year-old sleepwalker fell from a window (suspicious), and at 10.20 in the morning, a middle-aged man expired while pushing his heavy barrow through Stoke Newington, poor chap. Doctor Markland would have had a field day with the next short story. It concerns a man who, while watching a cricket match, was struck on the head by the ball and later died. There will be an inquest.
The last page of the publication takes us back to advertisements and notices. So, when people ask me where I get my ideas from, very often, they come from browsing through these old newspapers of the past. If you are interested, the British Newspaper Archive can be found here.
Don’t forget the Historical Novel promotion is still running, highlighting various books and periods, and all are available on KU. Click the pic to uncover all the covers.
