Down Recorder
Encyclopedia
The Down Recorder is a weekly newspaper
published in Downpatrick
, County Down
, Northern Ireland
. It is owned by W.Y. Crichton & Co.
s). Pilson was an astute businessman who found out that the English daily papers were delivered to Newry
port on their way to Belfast
and arranged for copies to be delivered to his Downpatrick printworks early where he copied the imperial news, thus getting the up-to-date news on the streets hours before the other papers were delivered to the town. In those days there was no such thing as copyright and papers shamelessly stole each other's copy. This strategy enabled the paper to grow from its initial print run of 875 impressions to over 5000 copies within a few months. Conway Pilson relinquished control of the paper in 1876 to Joseph S. Clarke, and died in 1883, aged 73. Clarke died in 1890. His widow married W.Y. Crichton in 1894 and their family continues to produce the paper to this day. From 6 December 2000 an on-line version of the paper became available.
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
published in Downpatrick
Downpatrick
Downpatrick is a medium-sized town about 33 km south of Belfast in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is the county town of Down with a rich history and strong connection to Saint Patrick. It had a population of 10,316 at the 2001 Census...
, County Down
County Down
-Cities:*Belfast *Newry -Large towns:*Dundonald*Newtownards*Bangor-Medium towns:...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. It is owned by W.Y. Crichton & Co.
History
The paper was first published, as The Downpatrick Recorder, on 31 December 1835. It was the first newspaper published in Downpatrick and was owned by Conway Pilson. It cost 4d per issue or there was an annual subscription (in advance) of 18/- (18 shillingShilling
The shilling is a unit of currency used in some current and former British Commonwealth countries. The word shilling comes from scilling, an accounting term that dates back to Anglo-Saxon times where it was deemed to be the value of a cow in Kent or a sheep elsewhere. The word is thought to derive...
s). Pilson was an astute businessman who found out that the English daily papers were delivered to Newry
Newry
Newry is a city in Northern Ireland. The River Clanrye, which runs through the city, formed the historic border between County Armagh and County Down. It is from Belfast and from Dublin. Newry had a population of 27,433 at the 2001 Census, while Newry and Mourne Council Area had a population...
port on their way to Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
and arranged for copies to be delivered to his Downpatrick printworks early where he copied the imperial news, thus getting the up-to-date news on the streets hours before the other papers were delivered to the town. In those days there was no such thing as copyright and papers shamelessly stole each other's copy. This strategy enabled the paper to grow from its initial print run of 875 impressions to over 5000 copies within a few months. Conway Pilson relinquished control of the paper in 1876 to Joseph S. Clarke, and died in 1883, aged 73. Clarke died in 1890. His widow married W.Y. Crichton in 1894 and their family continues to produce the paper to this day. From 6 December 2000 an on-line version of the paper became available.