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The Sherborne Mercury is a defunct regional newspaper, published in Sherborne, Dorset, United Kingdom. It began publication in 1737, predating the national Times by nearly a half century, and, after merging with the Western Flying Post in 1749, was published as late as 1867, [1] when it further merged into the Western Gazette .
The Sherborne Mercury was first issued in February 1737, [lower-alpha 1] published by Henry Bettinson in Sherborne, a town in Dorset. [5] Another newspaper, the Western Flying Post, was first issued issue in 1743, founded by Robert Goadby in Yeovil, a town in Somerset. [5] In 1749, the publications merged, with the resulting newspaper printed in Sherborne—the first combined issue was dated January 30. [5] Subsequently, it was published under a series of names, as outlined in a below section.
In 1867, the newspaper (then operating under Western Flying Post naming) merged with the Western Gazette , which had been founded in 1863 in Yeovil. [5] The merged result was initially known as The Western Gazette and Flying Post, but eventually came to be known simply as the Western Gazette again. [5]
The Sherborne Mercury was a hugely influential newspaper,[ according to whom? ] particularly as its news coverage and distribution went well beyond that of the boundaries of Dorset. Before any newspaper was published in Cornwall, the Sherborne Mercury had many subscribers and distribution throughout Cornwall, as far west as Penzance, It covered many Cornish news items, and was read by key businessmen and members of the professional class in the county.
The hawkers, news boys and news carriers were known as Sherbornes. This name was also applied to hawkers and carriers of other regional and local newspapers in the West Country.
Archive copies of this local paper can be found in the County Archives offices of the aforementioned Dorset and Cornwall, along with Wiltshire and Devon, testament to its historical importance as a newspaper of record in the West Country. It remains a popular source for genealogists and local historians. The Newspapers.com archive site also includes many editions of the paper.
Names of the newspaper, starting in 1749 when the Sherborne Mercury and Western Flying Post merged, included the following (bold text indicates prominent wording of the masthead):
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Sherborne is a market town and civil parish in north west Dorset, in South West England. It is sited on the River Yeo, on the edge of the Blackmore Vale, 6 miles east of Yeovil. The parish includes the hamlets of Nether Coombe and Lower Clatcombe. The A30 road, which connects London to Penzance, runs through the town. In the 2011 census the population of Sherborne parish and the two electoral wards was 9,523. 28.7% of the population is aged 65 or older.
Yeovil is a town and civil parish in Somerset, England. The population of Yeovil at the last census (2021) was 49,698. It is close to Somerset's southern border with Dorset, 126 miles (203 km) west of London, 41.8 miles (67.3 km) south of Bristol, 6 miles (9.7 km) west of Sherborne and 27.6 miles (44.4 km) east of Taunton. The aircraft and defence industries which developed in the 20th century made it a target for bombing in the Second World War; they are still major employers. Yeovil Country Park, which includes Ninesprings, is one of several open spaces with educational, cultural and sporting facilities. Religious sites include the 14th-century Church of St John the Baptist. The town is on the A30 and A37 roads and has two railway stations.
Archant Limited is a newspaper and magazine publishing company with headquarters in Norwich, England. The group publishes four daily newspapers, around 50 weekly newspapers, and 80 consumer and contract magazines. The company is a subsidiary of Newsquest, which is owned by American newspaper publishing company Gannett.
Dorchester West railway station is one of two railway stations serving the town of Dorchester in Dorset, England. The station is managed by Great Western Railway. The station is located on the Heart of Wessex Line between Castle Cary and Weymouth, 161.63 miles from the zero point at London Paddington, and is at the southern end of a single track section from Maiden Newton. The line becomes double at the station and remains so to just before nearby Dorchester Junction, where the line joins the South West Main Line from London Waterloo to Weymouth.
East Somerset was the name of a parliamentary constituency in Somerset, represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom between 1832 and 1918.
Lyme Regis was a parliamentary borough in Dorset, which elected two Members of Parliament (MPs) to the House of Commons from 1295 until 1832, and then one member from 1832 until 1868, when the borough was abolished.
Dorset is a county in South West England. The county is largely rural and therefore does not have a dense transport network, and is one of the few English counties without a motorway. Owing to its position on the English Channel coast, and its natural sheltered harbours, it has a maritime history, though lack of inland transport routes have led to the decline of its ports.
Local World Holdings Ltd. was a large regional newspaper publisher in the UK that published around 100 print titles and more than 70 websites. It was formed in 2012 by David Montgomery, a former chief executive of Trinity Mirror, to buy the Daily Mail and General Trust's Northcliffe Media business, and the Yattendon Group's Iliffe newspaper group.
The Western Gazette is a regional newspaper, published every Thursday in Yeovil, Somerset, England. The newspaper and digital operation is based at the Yeovil Innovation Centre.
Chard Junction railway station was situated on the London and South Western Railway’s West of England Main Line about 1 mile (1.6 km) southeast of the village of Tatworth in Somerset, England. It was the junction of a short branch line to Chard. It was opened in 1860 as Chard Road, and closed in 1966. An adjacent milk depot was served by its own sidings from 1937 to 1980. Chard Junction signal box remained open to control Station Road level crossing and a passing loop on the long section of single track railway between Yeovil Junction and Pinhoe until March 2021, when control was passed to Basingstoke.
Robert Goadby (1721–1778) was an English printer and publisher in Sherborne, Dorset. He was a Whig supporter, and influential through his newspaper, the Sherborne Mercury. He also made available the standard version of the supposed autobiography of the rogue Bampfylde Moore Carew. Goadby, his wife and others have been given credit for this popular work that gave Carew the status of folk hero.
The Salisbury and Yeovil Railway linked Salisbury (Wiltshire), Gillingham (Dorset) and Yeovil (Somerset) in England. Opened in stages in 1859 and 1860, it formed a bridge route between the main London and South Western Railway (LSWR) network and its lines in Devon and Cornwall. Its trains were operated by the LSWR and it was sold to that company in 1878. Apart from a short section in Yeovil it remains open and carries the London Waterloo to Exeter service of South Western Railway.
West Hendford Cricket Ground was a first-class cricket ground in Yeovil, Somerset. The land for the ground was first leased by Yeovil Cricket Club in 1874 and was also used for a range of other sports, most significantly hosting Yeovil Rugby Club in the 1890s and then again from 1935 until the ground was closed. Significant improvements were made to the ground during the 1930s, including the opening of a new pavilion jointly funded by the Rugby and Cricket clubs. The ground was demolished in 1944 when Westland Aircraft extended their factory, and both Yeovil Cricket Club and Rugby Club moved to Johnson Park.
Northcliffe Media was a large regional newspaper publisher in the UK and Central and Eastern Europe. In 2012 the company was sold by Daily Mail and General Trust (DMGT) to a newly formed company, Local World, which also bought Iliffe News and Media from the Yattendon Group. In October 2015, Trinity Mirror, later Reach plc, bought Local World.
Robert Oke, H.M. was the first chief inspector for the Newfoundland Lighthouse Service and served from at least 1848 to 1870. Oke installed the first light mechanism at the Cape Bonavista Light in 1842, and installed the famous Isle of May light mechanism at the Cape Pine Light in 1850, which was later moved to Harbour Grace Island and finally to Cape Bonavista, where it can be viewed today.
Yeovil Grammar School was a grammar school in Yeovil, Somerset, which was founded or refounded about 1860 and closed in 1906 when its only headmaster, Henry Monk, retired.
The Blackmoor Vale LTC Tournament was a late Victorian era men's tennis tournament founded in August 1880. It was first staged at Sherborne, nr Blackmore Vale, North Dorset, England and ran through until 1883 when it was abolished.