A substantial proportion of Darlington & Stockton Times readers live in rural areas, and it contains information and news relating to farming issues.[4]
It was one of the last UK newspapers to devote its front page entirely to adverts; a practice that persisted until 1997.
Compact format replaced broadsheet in 2009.[1]
History
Title
The Darlington & Stockton Times was first published with four broadsheet pages, on a single sheet, in 1847 as the:
Darlington & Stockton Times and Barnard-Castle, Richmond, Auckland, Middlesbrough, Hartlepool, Teesdale and Swaledale Journal.[1]
That was soon changed to:
Darlington & Stockton Times and Barnard-Castle, Richmond, Auckland, Middlesbrough, Hartlepool, Teesdale and Swaledale Journal and South Durham and North Yorkshire Advertiser[1]
before in 1894, the full title became:
Darlington & Stockton Times and Barnard-Castle, Richmond, Auckland, Middlesbrough, Hartlepool, Teesdale and Swaledale Journal and South Durham and North Yorkshire Advertiser and Ripon and Richmond Chronicle.[1]
Objectives
Before publication, Brown advertised the newspaper would
..labour to promote the diffusion of liberal principles, and the progress of peaceful and enlightened measures for the removal of national Abuses, and for securing the just Rights and Privileges of all men and the safety and welfare of the Country... Our views are in favour of Peace, Temperance, a reformed criminal code, thorough Sanitary Regulations, and the Extension of unfettered Education to all.
In the event, page one of the first edition contained only auction news, insurance and general advertisements. Meetings of the Darlington Abstinence Society and Stockton Institute of Literature and Science filled page two, but it sold out.[6]
Ownership
1847
Liberalphilanthropist and barrister, George Brown established the newspaper, with printer Henry Atkinson, in Barnard Castle. He employed Henry King Spark as a compositor, and subsequently moved the newspaper to the better connected and larger market of Darlington.[1][6]
1849
George Brown moved back to Barnard Castle and sold his newspaper to property developers Robert and William Thompson.[1]
1864
The Thompsons' business failed and their newspaper was purchased by the now wealthy Henry King Spark. He used it in his bids to establish Darlington as a parliamentary borough, and be its first mayor and member of parliament. Darlington became a borough and Spark embarrassed the powerful, liberalPease family but he was not elected to either position. In 1870, liberals, including the Pease family, established the Northern Echo to counter the Darlington & Stockton Times' influence in Darlington.[1][7][6]
Arnold Rowntree and Charles Starmer controlled, liberal aligned and Northern Echo owning, North of England Newspaper Company Ltd purchased the Darlington & Stockton Times. The newspaper retained its unionist voice.[9][8][1][10]
1921
North of England Newspapapers Company Ltd purchased by Charles Starmer and Pearson's, King and Hutchings Ltd. King and Hutchings Ltd subsequently renamed Westminster Press Ltd.[11][12][8]
1937
Pearson take complete control of Westminster Press Ltd.[13][8][14]
^ abcdefMulpetre, Owen (2010). W T Stead and the New Journalism(PDF) (Thesis). Teesside University. Archived(PDF) from the original on 7 July 2022. Retrieved 25 August 2022 – via Attacking the Devil.