Liverpool Mercury

The Liverpool Mercury was an English newspaper that originated in Liverpool, England. As well as focusing on local news, the paper also reported on both national and international news allowing it to circulate in Lancashire, Wales, Isle of Man and London.

Liverpool Mercury
Founder(s)Egerton Smith
Founded5 July 1811 (1811-07-05)
Ceased publication1904
CountryUnited Kingdom

History

Founded by Egerton Smith in 1808 the newspaper cost 7d and was published weekly, covering news relating to the city's busy port. By 1858 the newspaper switched from being a weekly paper to a daily, with an extended edition published on Fridays. The paper's second edition was claimed to be 72 columns long, making it one of the largest newspapers in the world. During the early 1900s the Mercury merged with rival paper Liverpool Daily Post to become the Liverpool Daily Post and the Liverpool Mercury whose first edition was published on 14 November 1904.[1][2]

The Liverpool Mercury supported the successful bid by Thomas Colley Porter to become Lord Mayor of Liverpool in 1827. Parliamentary historian Margaret Escott says that the election, in which Porter beat Nicholas Robinson by 1780 votes to 1765, was "the most expensive, venal and violent mayoral contest" up to that time. Votes were bought at prices ranging between £6 and £50, with the candidates spending in total around £8000-10000 each. The two sides co-operated with a subsequent inquiry that resulted in three people being prosecuted and disenfranchised for bribery.[3]

References
  1. "The Liverpool Mercury is born in 1811". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 20 June 2017.
  2. "Liverpool Mercury". britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk. Retrieved 20 June 2017.
  3. Escott, Margaret (2009). "Liverpool Borough". In Fisher, D. R. (ed.). The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1820-1832. Cambridge University Press.
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