The London Gazette

The London Gazette is one of the official records of the British government, and one of the most important in the UK. The London Gazette claims to be the oldest surviving English newspaper. It was first published on 7 November 1665. It is not a normal newspaper with typical news stories. The London Gazette is still published each weekday, except for Bank Holidays. Most issues since 1752 are online. They are free to read.

There are also The Belfast Gazette and The Edinburgh Gazette.

History

The London Gazette was first published on 7 November 1665. It was then called the Oxford Gazette. Charles II and the Royal Court had moved to Oxford to escape the Great Plague of London. Courtiers were unwilling to touch, let alone read, London newspapers. They thought they would make them ill. When the King returned to London after the end of the plague the Gazette moved too. The first called the London Gazette was number 24. It was published on 5 February 1666. The Gazette was not a newspaper in the modern sense. It was sent in manuscript by post to subscribers. It was not printed for sale to the general public.

Traditions

In time of war, dispatches from conflicts are published in the London Gazette. People mentioned are said to have been mentioned in despatches. When members of the armed forces are promoted, that is announced in The Gazette. The person is said to have been “gazetted”.

Being "gazetted" (or "in the gazette") sometimes also meant becoming bankrupt. Notices of engagement and marriage also used to be published in the Gazette.

References

Other websites

• Official website
• TSO (The Stationery Office) - They publish The Gazette.

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