Exeter and Plymouth Gazette

The Exeter and Plymouth Gazette was published in Exeter in 1827 by Woolmer and Thacker. Its title was Woolmer’s Exeter and Plymouth Gazette and it was a weekly publication of 4 pages, priced at 7d. As a Conservative publication, it enjoyed the patronage of the gentry and clergy, advocating mainly agricultural interests and supporting the Established Church. It circulated generally through Devon, Cornwall and parts of Dorset and Somerset.

Edward Woolmer was a staunch Conservative, a noted public figure in Exeter and was extensively involved in local government. A freeman of the city, he was town clerk in 1831, twice Mayor of Exeter, 1833 and 1845 and he chaired the Improvements Commission.

Thomas Latimer, a strong liberal campaigner for parliamentary reform, penal reform and local government transparency and accountability, worked for the Gazette in 1830. However following Latimer’s scathing remarks in the Gazette against the conduct of the Bishop of Exeter, pressure was put on Woolmer to dispense with his services. It is difficult to reconcile Latimer’s beliefs with the tenets of the conservative Gazette. He went on to become owner and editor of the liberal Western Times in 1835.

In 1863, a daily offshoot of the weekly Exeter and Plymouth Gazette was launched called the Exeter & Plymouth Gazette Daily Telegram. It was first published as a single sheet costing a halfpenny, but by 1869 it varied between 2, 3, or 4 pages. An advert on 3 Jan 1874 stated that “the Telegram is permanently enlarged to 4 pages daily”. The Gazette was also enlarged to 8 pages.