Death of William IV

The Manchester Guardian dated Wednesday 21st June 1837 and Saturday 24th June 1837

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The Manchester Guardian (which became The Guardian in 1959 and still is) was published twice a week on Wednesdays and Saturdays and measured about 18 inches (45.7 cm) by 27 inches (68.5 cm). The front pages showed just classified adverts - even when there was an important story like the death of the Monarch to report.

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This from page 2 of 4. Although William IV. King of Great Britain and Ireland and Elector of Hanover, had died in the early hours of Tuesday, in the 1st edition on Wednesday the latest news was as at 4pm on Monday. 

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The 2nd edition augmented the out-of-date page 2 information with this announcement plonked in amongst other stories on page 3.

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By the next edition on Saturday there is a bit more detail. ‘Queen’ in this article refers to William’s widow Adelaide who out lived him by 12 years. 

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And this Proclamation of the new Queen Victoria.

William and Adelaide had 2 daughters but the first died within 1 day and the second within 3 months. There were (allegedly) 10 illegitimate children but the only legitimate heir was his niece, Victoria. who went on to reign until her death in 1901.

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William had disliked Victoria’s mother so much that he swore he would live until Victoria was 18 to prevent the mother becoming Regent. Victoria was 18 years and 27 days old when William died.

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A nice cheap way to have a stag-do in Hamburg – leaving on the Paddle Steamer ‘Rob Roy’ on Saturday and only £2 to pay. 

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The slave trade had been abolished in Britain and its dependencies in 1807 although the owning of slaves wasn’t made illegal under British law until 1833. This Portuguese trader was taken off the coast of Dominica.

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I can’t find any specific statistics to show that murder was a lot more common in 1837 than it is now, but looking through the 100 odd editions of The Manchester Guardian that make up the bound set that this issue is from, it certainly appears so. And, in this horribly casual murder at least, it looks like alcohol played its part as now.

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If the fire damp doesn't get you then a roof collapse will. Coal mining was notoriously dangerous as these 2 items show.

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Classified ads for white-collar jobs. I love the language in these adverts – ‘none need apply but persons acquainted with the business’ – has more of a ring to it than ‘experience required’. Why does the grocer specifically want a ‘stout, active Youth’?

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And for servants. Again the language. ‘character must be unexceptional’ ‘wages not so much an object as a comfortable situation’ ‘a good plain cook’ Does this last example refer to the food or the cook?

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An interesting curriculum at Mrs Nutter’s Establishment for Young Ladies that includes ‘Washing’. What no Geography, History, Science, IT or Media Studies?