Cowdroy's Gazette
| Owner(s) | 1795–1814: William Cowdroy Snr 1814–1824: William Cowdroy Jnr 1824–1828:Archibald Prentice |
|---|---|
| Founder(s) | William Cowdry Snr |
| Publisher | 1795–1814: William Cowdroy Snr 1814–1824: William Cowdroy Jnr 1824–1828:Archibald Prentice |
| Editor | 1795–1814: William Cowdroy Snr 1814–1824: William Cowdroy Jnr 1824–1828:Archibald Prentice |
| Founded | 1795 |
| Political alignment |
Conformist non-Tory glish |
| Headquarters | Manchester |
Conformist non-Tory
The Manchester Gazette was a conformist non-Tory newspaper based in Manchester, England.
Founded by William Cowdroy (previously editor of the Chester Chronicle) in 1795, the newspaper was written and printed by him and his four sons. Although considered of poor quality, it sold because it was the only non-Tory newspaper in Manchester.
After the death of William Snr in 1814, his son William Jnr became the new editor. Selling only 250 copies weekly, Cowdroy engaged his non-conformist friends of the first Little Circle to contribute articles. Archibald Prentice, John Shuttleworth and John Edward Taylor all became regular columnists, and by 1819 the Gazette was selling over 1,000 copies a week.
The Gazette had been highly critical of the treatment of the Blanketeers in March 1817, to the extent that it was in return criticised for 'highly libellous' statements, but felt itself vindicated when charges against the alleged ringleaders were dropped in September 1817. In 1819, during the days leading up to the Peterloo massacre, the Gazette compared the authorities' behaviour favourably with that seen in 1817, but did not endorse it:
Upon the present occasion, Government have acted with much greater propriety than in 1817 … but a wise policy would endeavour, rather by temperate and conciliatory conduct, to detach the people at large from those who have assumed the station of their leaders, than to maintain a hollow and insecure tranquillity by the exhibition of military force.
Whilst favouring Reform, the Gazette was highly critical of radicals who it said "live by ranting and railing against abuses" and of their use of mass meetings:
.. the violent resolutions generally passed there – the intemperate harangues of the travelling speechmakers – the very questionable character of many, if not most of these persons – … all these are things which do infinite mischief – which utterly precludes moderate men from wishing them success – and throw all the timid into the ranks of their opponents .
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