The first newspaper in Sussex was the Sussex Weekly Advertiser, or Lewes Journal. Launched in 1749; it covered the whole of the county, including Brighton. The first newspaper in Brighton was the Brighton Herald, which was also the longest-lived, surviving for 8,821 editions from 6 September 1806 to 30 September 1971.
At the time these newspapers were founded they were subject to the Stamp Act, legislation passed in 1712 as a way of pricing copies beyond the means of the working classes, who might be too susceptible to radicalisation. This avoided imposing overt political censorship on the press. The tax was set initially at 1d per whole sheet, ½d for a half sheet and 1s for each advertisement. It increased to 3½d in 1797 and a maximum of 4d per newspaper and 3s 6d on all advertisements in 1815.
In 1819, the Newspaper and Stamp Duties Act—one of the 'Six Acts' intended to suppress sedition after the Peterloo Massacre—required publishers to deposit a bond with the government as surety against possible infringement: £300 for London papers, £200 in the regions.
The Act applied to any newspaper costing less than 6d, that was published more frequently than every 26 days and contained 'any Public News, Intelligence of Occurrences, or any Remarks or Observations thereon, or upon any Matter in Church or State'. A penalty of £20 was imposed for publishing or selling a newspaper without paying the stamp duty.
Printing paper was also taxed. However, newspapers bearing the 4d stamp could be sent free of charge through the mail.
Despite the tax, nine newspapers were founded in Brighton before the Stamp Act was abolished in 1855 and three of them survived into the second half of the 20th century.
The first to launch after that was the Brighton Observer in 1856, followed by five more titles by 1860. The pace then started to quicken but with competition came failure. Of the three papers launched in 1864, none survived more than a few months, although one of these, Brighton Election Reporter, was intended to run for only the duration of the parliamentary by-election that year.
The failures continued right to the end of the 19th century. Of the 54 newspapers in this list, 15 did not survive through a second year. On the other hand, the three earliest titles survived longest—for around 160 years—and another early one, Sussex Express (1851), for over 100 years. And The Argus is still with us, 134 years old.
Unfortunately very few of these newspapers are yet available online. The promised digitisation of the collection from the former Brighton History Centre, now in The Keep at Falmer, has not happened and looks unlikely in the foreseeable future. Paper copies remain available at The Keep. Links are provided to newspapers available online in the British Newspaper Archive, based on the British Library's massive holdings, but can be accessed only by anyone with a subscription. Many more are available as paper copies at the British Library in Colindale, north London.
See Brighton and Hove Leader.
1880 March 30: first edition, price: ½d. Premises at 130 North Street with pigeon loft for news gathering.
1880 June 1: Brighton Daily News incorporated.16.
1889 November 7: East Sussex edition launched, printed in Hastings.
1891: 'several times daily'.
1897 1 January: renamed Evening Argus.
1918 March: price increased to 1d.
1926 February: first photograph printed—of a fire at the Court Theatre in New Road.
early 1940s: circulation falls to 19,000. Hastings plant closed.
1964 October: circulation reaches 100,000.
1977 October 28: first photo-set front page.
2001 June 6: The name is changed to The Argus.
• British Newspaper Archive 1889, July-31 December 1910
1894 July 9-September 8: Only nine issues, then discontinued.16
1854: published first of every month by W J Taylor at 16-17 East Street11.
1880 January 23: Brighton, Hove and Cliftonville Advertiser launched as weekly.16
1881 August 19: name changed to Brighton Advertiser16
1886 June 29: renamed Brighton Pictorial Advertiser16
1890 June 21: renamed Brighton Advertiser and Visitors' Guide16
1925: closed.
See Brighton Gazette.
See Brighton Gazette.
1915: founded at 22 West Street; edited by Cayley Calvert
Frequent title changes
1874 January 30-September 3016
See Brighton Observer
1891 September 19-1894 January 20: 124 issues, then discontinued.16
See Brighton Guardian.
1981 June 25: launched by Southern Publishing Company as a weekly freesheet. (replaces The Advertiser),
1985 March 9: incorporates Brighton and Hove Gazette and Herald.
date? incorporates Brighton & Hove Guardian.
1905: published by Brighton Society and Guardian Press Ltd, 34 North Street, Fridays10.
See Brighton Times.
1875 September: launched.
1875 December: discontinued.10
1876 July 1: founded as daily.16
1885 July 9: renamed Brighton and Sussex Evening Post and Hove Chronicle.16
1886 February 7: Final issue. Discontinued.16
1885 July 9-1886 February 716
See Brighton and Sussex Daily Post
See also Brighton Observer and Fashionable Arrival List.
1859: printed and published by Alfred Hawkins & Co at 35 West Street2. Frequency and publication day not given.
1859 April 20-December 15: printed and published every Wednesday by Edwin Trill at 102 Church Street. Discontinued.2, 16.
1893 February-June.
1864 May 5-June 15: seven issues, then discontinued.
1868 November 2: launched as daily Brighton Daily News and South Sussex Gazette.
1870 January 1: renamed Brighton Daily News
1880 May 31: final issue. Incorporated into the recently founded The Argus
1864 February 10-25: Founded by Leslie Stephen. Six issues only—dated 10, 11, 12, 13, 15 and 25 February—price ½d, copies given to newsboys for nothing.16, 17
A set of all six editions of this newspaper was presented to the British Library by Millicent Garrett Fawcett, wife of the unsuccessful Liberal candidate, Henry Fawcett (see Elections), who wrote: 'When my husband was first a candidate for Brighton in 1864, none of the existing Brighton papers would put in anything in his support: and his friend Mr Leslie Stephen started and edited and in the main wrote, a little paper called the Brighton Election Reporter.'
1853 January 18: Brightion Examiner, Sussex County Journal and General Advertiser launched as twice weekly, Tuesdays, Fridays. Liberal. Proprietor: John Frederick Eyles, 33 Western Road and 77 North Street. Price 5d. Circulation in 1853: 43,389 .
1858: price: 3d.
1890 May 13: renamed Brighton Examiner, Visitors' Arrival List: Hove and Preston News.
1895 March 29: renamed Brighton Examiner, Visitors' Arrival List: Hove, Preston and County News.
1891: published by Eyles & Son1.
1896 May 29: last edition.16
1858 July 31: founded.16
1865 August 12: last edition. Incorporated into Brighton Fashionable Visitors' List.
1865 July 4: first edition.
1866: published at 5 Bartholomews, Tuesday and Saturday.
1878 May 7: renamed Brighton Standard & Fashionable Visitors' List [qv]
1874 October-1875 November. Discontinued.16
1821 February 22: first edition of Brighton Gazette, Sussex and General Advertiser or Worthing, Eastbourne and Hastings Fashionable Chronicle. Weekly, Thursdays, price: 6d. Conservative. Published by E H Creasy. Based at Donaldson's Library (corner of Old Steine and St James's Street).
1832: publisher is John Baker, 152 North Street .
1835: printed in Church Street in premises adjoining Central National Schools.
1839: publisher is Creasy & Baker, 168 North Street .
1851: publisher is Charles Curtis, circulation 65,0002.
1852: published at Pavilion Dormitories (behind North Street—same as Prince's Place?). circulation 71,5002.
1853: circulation 72,0002.
1858: published at Prince's Place by Charles Curtis & Son, price: 5d.
1861 October 3: price is reduced to 3d, following the repeal of paper duty.
1864: office at 168 North Street (with Curtis & Son, printers), printing at Prince's Place.
1891: becomes Brighton Gazette and Sussex Telegraph, published by Towner & Curtis, 150 North Street, Thursday and Saturday1.
Brighton Gazette office, 1900s [RS James Gray Collection]
1905: renamed Brighton Gazette, Hove Post and Sussex Telegraph, published by W J Towner & Son Ltd at 10 Union Street.
Date (post 1888?) acquired by Southern Publishing Company. at 130 North Street.
1938 April 2: becomes the Brighton and Hove Gazette.
1965 November 19: incorporates the Southern Weekly News.
1971: incorporates the Brighton Herald and becomes the Brighton and Hove Gazette and Herald.
1985 March 9: last edition; incorporated in the Brighton and Hove Leader.
• British Newspaper Archive 1825-1896, 1899-1910, 1912 (6,400 issues)
1822 April 22: launched as a fortnightly 40pp literary journal with general and social news, edited and published by R Sickelmore jnr, 63 Cavendish Street, Brighton. Price 6d.
1823 closed.
• Volume 1 available on Google Books
1827 January 31: launched as weekly Brighton Guardian, Lewes Free Press, Sussex, Surrey, Kent and Hampshire Journal by Levi Emmanuel Cohen at 34 North Street; liberal/radical. Wednesdays.
1851: circulation 55,0002, employed 14 printers and reporters, one clerk and one porter.
1852: circulation 55,0002.
1853: circulation 62,0002.
1858: price: 4d.
1891: published by Angus Fraser Walbrook, 34 North Street, Wednesdays1.
1898 January 5: renamed Brighton & Hove Guardian and Visitors' Register.
1901 September: incorporated in Brighton & Hove Society.
• British Newspaper Archive 1832-1877 (intermittent, 729 issues)
1806 September 6: first edition, published by H Robertson Attree and Matthew Philips; editor: Robert Sicklemore. Liberal.
1808 May: Philips out. Offices move to top of North Street5.
1810 January: manager William Fleet in partnership with Attree.
1810 April: Attree out.
1815: first newspaper to report Napoleon's escape from Elba.
date? moves to Prince's Place.
1830: first newspaper to report start of the French revolution.
1839: John Bishop (future local historian) working for the company.
1843: William Fleet's son Charles in partnership.
1848: first newspaper to report arrival of Louis Phillipe at Newhaven.
1851: circulation 60,0002.
1852: circulation 60,0002.
1853: circulation 61,0002.
1858: price: 4d.
1864: William Fleet retires. John George Bishop in partnership with Charles Fleet.
1880 June: Charles Fleet retires, leaving Bishop in sole charge.
1891: Saturdays1.
1902 July 19: renamed Brighton Herald and Hove Chronicle.
1905: published by William H Attwick, Prince's Place. Saturdays10.
1934: new building opens on west side of Prince's Place (right, as seen in the 1965 film Be My Guest), bearing the Brighton coat of arms.
1938: at 2 Pavilion Buildings and 2 Regent Street7.
1971 September 30: final edition (no 8621). Incorporated into Brighton and Hove Gazette.
• British Newspaper Archive 1833, 1861-1862, 1870, 1873, 1877, 1881, 1885, 1889, 1891
1880 January 23-1881 August 1216
See Brighton Advertiser
1856 November 28: launched as weekly.
1858: Published by Ebenezer Lewis, 54½ West Street. Fridays, price: 1d3.
1859: Title shortened to Brighton Observer. (Brighton Arrival List separated with different publisher?)
1864: 53a North Street4.
1874 January 30: renamed Brighton and Hove Daily Mail16
1874 October 1: renamed Brighton Observer and Mail16
1876 January 21: renamed Daily Mail and Observer16
1876 March 25: renamed Brighton Observer.
1835 February 24: Founded by George Faithfull, a month after losing his parliamentary seat in the general election, and published Tuesdays by William Heaves Smithers, 143 North Street7. It is Radical in politics but attracting a middle-class readership.
1836 April 22: charged at the Sussex Sumemr Assozes in Lewes with libel against the Rye Poor Law Union.
1836 July 5: renamed Brighton Patriot and South of England Free Press.
1836 July 27: changes its plea in the libel case to guilty and issues an apology.
1839 August 13: Final edition. The paper is discontinued, having lost readers and becoming associated with the Chartist cause.
1840 January 19-July 12: The title is briefly revived in The Southern Star and London and Brighton Patriot, published in London.
• British Newspaper Archive 1835-1839 (complete: 232 issues)<
• British Newspaper Archive 1835 February 24-1839 August 13
1888 June 29-1890 June 1416
See Brighton Advertiser
1906: launched as weekly entertainment guide.
1936: closed.
1858: Published by Charles E Verrall (auctioneer and appraiser also at 16 Clifton Street) at 14 Prince Albert Street4.
1904: Published at 35 East Street by Brighton Standard and Fashionable Visitors List and subtitled 'A Record of the Season's Social Happenings'. Heavy advertising content and lavish photography (mainly portraits) in book format (40pp + cover). Price 6d.
1927-28 edition: subtitled 'The Magazine de Luxe for Brighton Boudoirs & Drawing Rooms'. Price: 1s.
Most editions can be downloaded from the Royal Pavilion & Museums collection.
1887 January 8: launched as weekly. Published Friday, price 1d, by J Robertson, 34 North Street.
1927: closed.
1865 July 4: founded as Brighton Fashionable Visitors' List.
1878 May 7: renamed. Published Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, price 2d.
1891 (and earlier?): published by Edward Fox Patmer, 35 East Street, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday
1904: began publishing The Brighton Season.
1953 March 4: discontinued.10.
1864 May 7-1865 March.16
1860: launched as weekly.
1866: published at 205 Western Road. Saturdays.
1867: published by William Pearce .
1891: published by William Edward Nash, 205 Western Road, Fridays1.
date? Nash renames it Brighton & Hove Times10.
1915: closed.
1853 May 7-July.16
1973 March: founded, price 4p. Radical/anarchist. Principal outlet: Infinity Foods.18
1989 July: issue 132. Discontinued.
1874 October-December: three monthly issues only.16
1880 October 22: launched.
1884 May 17: discontinued.16
1880 October 22-1884 May 17: 22 issues only. Discontinued.16
1878 August 30-1880 January 16. Discontinued.16
1898 January-September. Discontinued. 4.
1874 October 1-1886 January 1416
See Brighton Observer
1878 November 16-1882 April. Discontinued16
See The Argus.
1890 October 1: founded at Cambridge.
1891: publication moved to Brighton.16
1895 October: ceased publication.
1891 May-June: three issues only.16
1880 June 5: founded as Passing Notes16.
1881 October 1: renamed.16
1882 September 23: final edition. Discontinued.16
1897 April 24: founded.16
1902 ?: closed
1896 November 13: founded.16
1905: published by Emery & Sons, 70 Church Road, Hove, Saturdays10.
1905: branch office: 20 King's Road10.
1888 January: Published every Sunday and Wednesday, price 1d. Editor, 68 Fleet Street, EC; City Editor, 3 Copthamm Street, EC; sold at Smith's bookstalls at Victoria and London Bridge, Willing's bookstalls, in Brighton at 31 King's Road; W Halliwell, 19 North Road, Mr Tilney, Ship Street (opposite the Post Office), A Barnsley, 32 Trafalgar Street and at most newsagents.
1897 September 2: launched by Southern Publishing Company, 130 North Street.
1926 May 3: last edition.
1905: branch office at 20 King's Road10.
1880 June 5-1881 September 24.16
See Hove Courier and West Brighton Era.
1880 January: founded. Also published in London.16
1876 December 16: first edition, published by Southern Publishing Company, weekly, Saturdays.
1965 June 11: last edition.
1965 November 19: incorporated into the Brighton Gazette.
1745: Founded 'on Whig principles'.
c1800: published by W & A Lee.
1845: published by G P Bacon (son of late editor of Norwich Mercury). Office at 64 High Street, Lewes.
• British Newspaper Archive
1837: founded in Lewes as Sussex Agricultural Express, Surrey Standard, Weald of Kent Mail, and County Advertiser by John Baxter (1781-1858) and his youngest son William Edwin Baxter, who continued as publisher after his father's death. Published Tuesdays and Saturdays. Conservative. Brighton agent: Edmundus Burn (see Sussex Express).
1889: renamed Sussex Express.
1905: published by W E Baxter, 35 High Street, Lewes10.
1914: bought by F J Parsons of Hastings.
1938: mrged with Sussex County Herald.
1950: masthead now reads Sussex Express & County Herald, East Sussex News, South Eastern Advertiser, Surrey Standard, Kent Mail, Hastings & St Leonards Express, West Sussex Journal, Eastbourne Observer, Brighton Observer and Hove Mail and Hastings and Bexhill Independent
1975-1996: various owners.
1977: adopts a tabloid format.
1996: acquired by Sussex Newspapers subsidiary of Johnston Press. Four local editions published Fridays.
• British Newspaper Archive 1857, 1859, 1861, 1867, 1877, 1883, 1888-1896, 1897 June-1962
1868 November: first UK daily halfpenny paper; small printing works in Lewes Road, published by Henry J Infield.
1871: Henry J Infield, age 24 (wife Frances, 28 + four children), proprietor, employing 12 men and seven boys.
1888: publisher incorporated as Southern Publishing Company.
1950s: only surviving daily morning paper in south of England outside London.
1956 March 3: last edition; incorporated into Evening Argus.
1880 July 6: launched as daily evening paper.
1891: published by William Edward Nash, 205 Western Road, four times daily.
1915: closed.
1851: published by Edmundus Burn at 23 North Street, Brighton9.
1859: ditto2.
See Sussex Agricultural Express.
1859 August 20: founded.
1860 September 8: last edition. Discontinued.16
1888 February 11: first weekly edition.
1888 July 21: last of only 24 issues. Discontinued.16
1749: launched as first newspaper in Sussex.
1822 June 24: renamed Sussex Advertiser, or Lewes and Brighthelmstone Journal.
1842 April 12: name shortened to Sussex Advertiser.
1851-55: agent is Arthur Wallis at 5 Bartholomews14 15.
1859: agent is William Pearce at 5 Bartholomews2.
early 1900s: closes.
• British Newspaper Archive
1867 October 9: first edition. Published by Treacher, 1 North Street, Wednesday1, 16.
1905: Still in print.10.
1866: John Beal (agent), East Street. Thursdays5.
1891: ditto1.
1905: ditto10.
1869: founded, price ½d.
1871 September 6: last edition.16
1888: incorporated by Henry John Infield, publishing Sussex Daily News.
1880 March 30: first edition of The Argus.
1891: Infield family (four sons, two daughters, three servants) living at 10 Bolton Gardens West, Kensington, London. John H is a 'student at Bar'.
1897 September 2: Morning Argus launched.
1901: Infields living at Sylvan Lodge, 2 Upper Lewes Road.
1905: offices at 130 North Street, West Pier entrance, 142a Church Road, Hove and at Battle, Chichester, East Grinstead, Eastbourne, Hastings, Horsham, Lewes, Littlehampton, Rye, Tunbridge Wells, Worthing and London10.
1911: John Henson Infield and family (wife, step-daughter, ward and three servants) living at 118 Marine Parade, Brighton.
1921: son Jonathan (John= J Henson?, eldest son) Infield (d 1942) becomes chairman and managing director.
1926 May 3: last edition of Morning Argus.
1926: acquires Robinson printing works and adjacent building in Robert Street to house printing and typesetting, latter was previously still at 130 North Street.
1942: nephew Edward Infield Willis becomes chairman and managing director.
date: 50 North Street acquired.
1951: 50 North Street rebuilt as Argus House.
1965: Westminster Press buys 70 per cent stake, E I Willis remains chairman.
date? Willis retires and Westminster Press takes full control.
1972: hot metal replaced.
1976 end: Argus House sold. All departments now at Robert Street.
1981 June 25: Brighton and Hove Leader launched as a weekly freesheet. (replaces The Advertiser),
1990: new plant at Enterprise Industrial Estate in Hollingbury to cost £20m, offices and journalists remain at Robert Street.
1Kelly 1891
2Post Office Directory 1859
3Taylor 1854, ad p55 (based on 'last stamp return')
4Melville 1858
5Folthorp General Directory 1864
6Post Office Directory 1866
7Pigot 1832
8Carder (s108)
9Pigot 1839
10Kelly 1905
11Taylor 1854
12Kelly 1867
131871 Census, RG10 piece 1086 folio 86 page 12
14Post Office Directory 1851
15Post Office Directory 1855
16Catalogue of Printed Books in the British Museum: Newspapers 1905
17Frederic William Maitland: The Life and Letters of Leslie Stephen
18'Brighton Voice' in Wikipedia
Page revated 28 August 2026