It was significant that few newspapers were established in Wales during the 1820s and 1830s of the 19th century.

 

 

The following newspapers were all short lived:

 

• The Cardiff weekly reporter (Cardiff, 1822),

• The Newport review (Cardiff, 1822),

• Cronicl yr oes [The Chronicle of the age] (Mold, 1836-9)

• The Cambrian gazette: Y Freinlen Gymroaidd (Aberystwyth, 1836)

 

Others however, such as The Monmouthshire Merlin (Newport, 1829-91) and The Welshman (Carmarthen, 1832-1984) were more successful.

 

 

Yr Amserau [The Times]

 

The ordinary Welshman only slowly came to regard a newspaper as one of the essentials of life, and although newspapers increased in number during the 1830s and early 1840s, none became well established until William Rees ('Gwilym Hiraethog') established Yr Amserau [The Times] in Liverpool in 1843. This was the first Welsh newspaper to be successful and became particularly popular when its editor began to publish a series of essays entitled 'Llythyrau 'Rhen Ffarmwr' [Letters from the Old Farme] between 1846 and 1851. The letters, (written in the dialect of the foothills of Hiraethog) dealt with contemporary troubles:

 

• landlords and tithes

• the Corn Laws

• politics

• education

 

 

Baner ac Amserau Cymu [The Banner and Times of Wales]

 

Yr Amserau was bought by Thomas Gee in 1859 and joined with Baner Cymru [The Banner of Wales], a newspaper established 2 years previously. Soon Baner ac Amserau Cymru [The Banner and Times of Wales] became a powerful influence on Welsh life. Liberal in stance, it consistently supported the populace in Radical courses, taking every opportunity to defend nonconformity. From 1861 the paper was published twice weekly for some years, and its owner succeeded in attracting a number of able journalists, such as John Griffith ('Y Gohebydd'). He was appointed London reporter of the Baner and spent much of his time reporting parliamentary debates and attending political meetings throughout Wales.

 

Journalism had by now become a profession in Wales, one which could offer a secure living to those who took it up. One such person was Lewis William Lewis ('Llew Llwyfo'), who was a journalist on several papers in Wales and America.

 

 

An increase in newspapers

 

The number of newspapers published in Wales increased considerably when the tax on advertisements and the stamp duty on newspaper copies were abolished in 1854 and 1865 respectively. Most of the denominational newspapers belong to this period, for example:

 

• Seren Cymru [The Star of Wales] (1851)

• Y Tyst Cymreig [The Welsh witness] (1867)

• Y Goleuad [The Illuminator] (1869)

• Y Gwyliedydd [The Sentinel] (1877)

• Y Llan a'r Dywysogaeth [The Church and Principality] (1881)

 

 

Daily newspapers

 

These were in fact national newspapers in that they provided home and national news and gave leadership on political and social issues. It was not until 1861 that the first daily newspaper was published in Wales, when The Cambria daily leader, a Liberal paper, was established in Swansea - once more the town at the forefront in this field. The South Wales daily news was established in Cardiff in 1872, and The South Wales daily post in Swansea in 1893. By far the most popular daily paper however, which continues to appear today, was The Western mail. It was established as a Conservative newspaper in 1869 to promote the political aims of the Marquis of Bute.