George Newnes
Encyclopedia
Sir George Newnes, 1st Baronet (13 March 1851 Matlock Bath
, Derbyshire
– 9 June 1910 Lynton
, north Devon
) was a publisher and editor
in England.
minister
at the Glenorchy Chapel, Matlock. He was educated at Silcoates School
and then at Shireland Hall, Warwickshire
, and the City of London School
. In 1875 he married Priscilla Hillyard.
.
He began his career in publishing in 1881 when he founded Tit-Bits
. The magazine was initially published in Manchester, containing extracts from books and other publications. He funded the magazine by opening a vegetarian restaurant in Manchester. The addition of competitions increased the readership of the periodical, and in 1884 Newnes moved publication to London. He began to work with W T Stead
, with whom he founded the Review of Reviews
in 1890. Tit-Bits reached a circulation of 700,000 by the end of the 19th century. It paved the way for popular journalism — the Daily Mail
was founded by Alfred Harmsworth, a contributor to Tit-Bits, and the Daily Express
was launched by Arthur Pearson, who worked at Tit'Bits for five years after winning a competition to get a job on the magazine.
Arguably his best known publication was The Strand Magazine, begun in 1891, in which Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
was first able to publish his Sherlock Holmes
mystery
series. He also founded other magazine
titles, including The Westminster Gazette (1873), The Wide World Magazine
(1888), and Country Life
(1897). In 1891 his publishing business was formed into a company that bore his name, George Newnes Ltd. The company was reconstructed in 1897 with a capital of 1,000,000 pounds, and began the publication of books.
Politically, Newnes was Liberal
, and he refounded the Westminster Gazette
to support the party when the Pall Mall Gazette
became a Unionist
paper. In 1885
he was elected as Member of Parliament
(MP) for the newly-created constituency of Eastern Cambridgeshire or Newmarket
. He held the seat for ten years, before his defeat by the Conservative
millionaire horse-breeder, Harry McCalmont
in 1895
. In 1895 he was created a baronet
"of Wildcroft, in the parish of Putney
, in the county of London
; of Hollerday Hill, in the parish of Lynton, and Hesketh House, in the borough of Torquay
, both in the county of Devon." He re-entered the Commons in 1900
as MP for Swansea
, and held the seat until he retired at the January 1910 general election.
Newnes built a large home in Lynton, north Devon. He played a major part in the development of the twin towns of Lynton and Lynmouth
. He built an innovative cliff railway to join the two towns, and also provided the town hall and other amenities. Largely as a result of Sir George's efforts, the 19-mile Lynton and Barnstaple Railway
opened in 1898 ostensibly to bring visitors from the mainline railways at Barnstaple.
Sir George Newnes died at his Lynton home in June 1910, having suffered ill health from diabetes for some time. He was succeeded in the baronetcy by his son, Frank Newnes, who had served as MP for Bassetlaw
, Nottinghamshire
from 1906–1910.
George Newnes Ltd continued publishing long after his death, with magazines such as Practical Mechanics
and Practical Television
. In 1963, the company became part of IPC Media
, now a branch of Time Warner
's publishing arm, Time Incorporated. Today Newnes books continue to be published by Elsevier
.
Matlock Bath
Matlock Bath is a village south of Matlock in Derbyshire, England. Built along the River Derwent, it developed, in the 19th century, as a spa town and still thrives on tourism.-History:In 1698 warm springs were discovered and a Bath House was built...
, Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
– 9 June 1910 Lynton
Lynton
Lynton is a small town in Devon, England. It lies on the northern edge of Exmoor and is located at the top of a gorge above Lynmouth, to which it is connected by the Lynton and Lynmouth Cliff Railway...
, north Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
) was a publisher and editor
Editing
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, and film media used to convey information through the processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate, and complete...
in England.
Background and education
His father, Thomas Mold Newnes, was a Congregational churchCongregational church
Congregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing Congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its own affairs....
minister
Minister of religion
In Christian churches, a minister is someone who is authorized by a church or religious organization to perform functions such as teaching of beliefs; leading services such as weddings, baptisms or funerals; or otherwise providing spiritual guidance to the community...
at the Glenorchy Chapel, Matlock. He was educated at Silcoates School
Silcoates School
Silcoates School is a public school in Wakefield, England. It was founded in 1820 as the Northern Congregational School at Silcoates House, for the board and education of the sons of non-conformist clergy; it was located close to Ossett and Horbury, which both had unusually large nonconformist...
and then at Shireland Hall, Warwickshire
Warwickshire
Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
, and the City of London School
City of London School
The City of London School is a boys' independent day school on the banks of the River Thames in the City of London, England. It is the brother school of the City of London School for Girls and the co-educational City of London Freemen's School...
. In 1875 he married Priscilla Hillyard.
Career
In 1867 he entered commerce in the "fancy goods" trade, working in London and ManchesterManchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
.
He began his career in publishing in 1881 when he founded Tit-Bits
Tit-Bits
Tit-Bits was a British weekly magazine founded by George Newnes on 22 October 1881 until 18 July 1984, when it was taken over by Associated Newspapers' Weekend, which itself closed in 1989. The last editors were David Hill and Brian Lee...
. The magazine was initially published in Manchester, containing extracts from books and other publications. He funded the magazine by opening a vegetarian restaurant in Manchester. The addition of competitions increased the readership of the periodical, and in 1884 Newnes moved publication to London. He began to work with W T Stead
William Thomas Stead
William Thomas Stead was an English journalist and editor who, as one of the early pioneers of investigative journalism, became one of the most controversial figures of the Victorian era. His 'New Journalism' paved the way for today's tabloid press...
, with whom he founded the Review of Reviews
Review of Reviews
The Review of Reviews was a noted family of monthly journals founded in 1890-93 by British reform journalist William Thomas Stead...
in 1890. Tit-Bits reached a circulation of 700,000 by the end of the 19th century. It paved the way for popular journalism — the Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
was founded by Alfred Harmsworth, a contributor to Tit-Bits, and the Daily Express
Daily Express
The Daily Express switched from broadsheet to tabloid in 1977 and was bought by the construction company Trafalgar House in the same year. Its publishing company, Beaverbrook Newspapers, was renamed Express Newspapers...
was launched by Arthur Pearson, who worked at Tit'Bits for five years after winning a competition to get a job on the magazine.
Arguably his best known publication was The Strand Magazine, begun in 1891, in which Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Arthur Conan Doyle
Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle DL was a Scottish physician and writer, most noted for his stories about the detective Sherlock Holmes, generally considered a milestone in the field of crime fiction, and for the adventures of Professor Challenger...
was first able to publish his Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The fantastic London-based "consulting detective", Holmes is famous for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to take almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science skills to solve...
mystery
Mystery fiction
Mystery fiction is a loosely-defined term.1.It is often used as a synonym for detective fiction or crime fiction— in other words a novel or short story in which a detective investigates and solves a crime mystery. Sometimes mystery books are nonfiction...
series. He also founded other magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
titles, including The Westminster Gazette (1873), The Wide World Magazine
The Wide World Magazine
The Wide World Magazine was a British monthly illustrated publication which ran from April 1898 to December 1965. It was resurrected in 2009 as WideWorld, an online publication headquartered in England and devoted to outdoor sport, adventure and offbeat travel.The magazine was founded by...
(1888), and Country Life
Country Life (magazine)
Country Life is a British weekly magazine, based in London at 110 Southwark Street, and owned by IPC Media, a Time Warner subsidiary.- Topics :The magazine covers the pleasures and joys of rural life, as well as the concerns of rural people...
(1897). In 1891 his publishing business was formed into a company that bore his name, George Newnes Ltd. The company was reconstructed in 1897 with a capital of 1,000,000 pounds, and began the publication of books.
Politically, Newnes was Liberal
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
, and he refounded the Westminster Gazette
Westminster Gazette
The Westminster Gazette was an influential Liberal newspaper based in London. It was known for publishing sketches and short stories, including early works by Raymond Chandler, Anthony Hope and Saki, and travel writing by Rupert Brooke. One of its editors was caricaturist and political cartoonist...
to support the party when the Pall Mall Gazette
Pall Mall Gazette
The Pall Mall Gazette was an evening newspaper founded in London on 7 February 1865 by George Murray Smith; its first editor was Frederick Greenwood...
became a Unionist
Liberal Unionist Party
The Liberal Unionist Party was a British political party that was formed in 1886 by a faction that broke away from the Liberal Party. Led by Lord Hartington and Joseph Chamberlain, the party formed a political alliance with the Conservative Party in opposition to Irish Home Rule...
paper. In 1885
United Kingdom general election, 1885
-Seats summary:-See also:*List of MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1885*Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885–1918*Representation of the People Act 1884*Redistribution of Seats Act 1885-References:...
he was elected as Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) for the newly-created constituency of Eastern Cambridgeshire or Newmarket
Newmarket (UK Parliament constituency)
Newmarket is a former United Kingdom Parliamentary constituency. It was created upon the splitting up of the three member Cambridgeshire constituency into three single member divisions in 1885. The seat was abolished in 1918.-Boundaries:...
. He held the seat for ten years, before his defeat by the Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
millionaire horse-breeder, Harry McCalmont
Harry McCalmont
Colonel Harry Leslie Blundell McCalmont was a British army officer, race-horse owner, yachtsman and Conservative party politician....
in 1895
United Kingdom general election, 1895
The United Kingdom general election of 1895 was held from 13 July - 7 August 1895. It was won by the Conservatives led by Lord Salisbury who formed an alliance with the Liberal Unionist Party and had a large majority over the Liberals, led by Lord Rosebery...
. In 1895 he was created a baronet
Baronet
A baronet or the rare female equivalent, a baronetess , is the holder of a hereditary baronetcy awarded by the British Crown...
"of Wildcroft, in the parish of Putney
Putney
Putney is a district in south-west London, England, located in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It is situated south-west of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London....
, in the county of London
County of London
The County of London was a county of England from 1889 to 1965, corresponding to the area known today as Inner London. It was created as part of the general introduction of elected county government in England, by way of the Local Government Act 1888. The Act created an administrative County of...
; of Hollerday Hill, in the parish of Lynton, and Hesketh House, in the borough of Torquay
Torquay
Torquay is a town in the unitary authority area of Torbay and ceremonial county of Devon, England. It lies south of Exeter along the A380 on the north of Torbay, north-east of Plymouth and adjoins the neighbouring town of Paignton on the west of the bay. Torquay’s population of 63,998 during the...
, both in the county of Devon." He re-entered the Commons in 1900
United Kingdom general election, 1900
-Seats summary:-See also:*MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1900*The Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885-1918-External links:***-References:*F. W. S. Craig, British Electoral Facts: 1832-1987**...
as MP for Swansea
Swansea (UK Parliament constituency)
Swansea was a borough constituency. It was represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom...
, and held the seat until he retired at the January 1910 general election.
Newnes built a large home in Lynton, north Devon. He played a major part in the development of the twin towns of Lynton and Lynmouth
Lynmouth
Lynmouth is a village in Devon, England, on the north edge of Exmoor.The village straddles the confluence of the West Lyn and East Lyn rivers, in a gorge below Lynton, to which it is connected by the Lynton and Lynmouth Cliff Railway....
. He built an innovative cliff railway to join the two towns, and also provided the town hall and other amenities. Largely as a result of Sir George's efforts, the 19-mile Lynton and Barnstaple Railway
Lynton and Barnstaple Railway
The Lynton & Barnstaple Railway opened as an independent railway in May 1898. It was a single track narrow gauge railway slightly over long running through the rugged and picturesque area bordering Exmoor in North Devon, England. Although opened after the 1896 Light Railways Act came into force,...
opened in 1898 ostensibly to bring visitors from the mainline railways at Barnstaple.
Sir George Newnes died at his Lynton home in June 1910, having suffered ill health from diabetes for some time. He was succeeded in the baronetcy by his son, Frank Newnes, who had served as MP for Bassetlaw
Bassetlaw (UK Parliament constituency)
Bassetlaw is a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.-Boundaries:...
, Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire is a county in the East Midlands of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west...
from 1906–1910.
George Newnes Ltd continued publishing long after his death, with magazines such as Practical Mechanics
Practical Mechanics
Practical Mechanics was a monthly British magazine devoted mostly to home mechanics and technology. It was first published by George Newnes, Ltd., in October 1933, and ran for 352 issues until the magazine's termination in August 1963. Practical Mechanics was edited by Frederick J...
and Practical Television
Practical Television
Practical Television, later known as Television and subsequently Television & Consumer Electronics, was a UK magazine for the electronics/TV servicing trade, enthusiasts, and the general public....
. In 1963, the company became part of IPC Media
IPC Media
IPC Media , a wholly owned subsidiary of Time Inc., is a consumer magazine and digital publisher in the United Kingdom, with a large portfolio selling over 350 million copies each year.- Origins :...
, now a branch of Time Warner
Time Warner
Time Warner is one of the world's largest media companies, headquartered in the Time Warner Center in New York City. Formerly two separate companies, Warner Communications, Inc...
's publishing arm, Time Incorporated. Today Newnes books continue to be published by Elsevier
Elsevier
Elsevier is a publishing company which publishes medical and scientific literature. It is a part of the Reed Elsevier group. Based in Amsterdam, the company has operations in the United Kingdom, USA and elsewhere....
.