Local Knowledge of Local Newspaper Collections

While on holiday in Yorkshire last week I stopped off at Harrogate and was reminded how valuable local knowledge of local newspaper collections can be.

For several years I've been trying to track down copies of the very rare Burniston's Northern Luminary, printed at Knaresborough. Its not particularly old, but the one copy I have seen is extremely well written and lists a number of marriages of the local registry office - which might indicate non-conformity - but with only one copy to work from it is difficult to evaluate. Copies are listed in the British Library at Colindale - but unfortunately whenever I've requested to see them they have not been able to be located (presumably they are at Colindale but misfiled)

No copies of the paper were listed in the Harrogate library catalogue but very kindly I was put in contact with an expect in the local history collection and indeed the library does have some original copies, and I'll receive a list of holdings in the next week or so - and probably make another visit to study them.

Many local libraries have at one time held local regional newspaper collections - unfortunately original newspapers if handled roughly can be damaged - especially mid to late Victorian issues (when paper quality starts to dip as prices came down). So while interest in local and family history increased in the 1980's microfilm was seen as the logical step. Unfortunately with tight budgets, maintenance of original newspaper collections probably became an issue and many local holdings of original newspapers were disposed of infact as far as I can tell much of my own 18th and 19th Century UK Regional collection was formerly held by libraries (Dorset , Oxford, Yorkshire)

Despite the dispersal and possibly destruction of some collections (I walked in a newspaper "graveyard" a few years ago) local holdings do survive. The Gibson Guide - which I've already highlighted as essential reading, concentrated on major collections only and so it is always worth considering contacting the local library in the largest town near to where your ancestors lived and enquiring what, if any local material they hold.

Best Regards
Richard H