Farmers Guardian

Type| Weekly newspaper
Owner(s)| Agriconnect
Founder(s)| Joseph Livesey
Editor| Ben Briggs[1]
News editor| Olivia Midgley[1]
Staff writers| Alex Black
(Head of business) Jenny Jefferies
(Writer)
Founded| 10 February 1844
Website| fginsight.com

Farmers Guardian is a weekly newspaper aimed at the British farming industry. It provides comprehensive and topical news with Livestock, Arable and Machinery sections; as well as business information and latest market prices. It is sold nationally and is published each Friday. Based in Preston, Lancashire, it was for many years owned by United Business Media but it, and sister title Pulse, were sold to UK business-to-business publisher AgriBriefing in February 2012 in a deal worth £10 million.[2]

Related products in include: Dairy Farmer, Arable Farming and the website www.fginsight.com. The website was launched in February 2015, and includes sections on news, arable, livestock, and machinery.[3]

## History

[edit]

The newspaper started life on 10 February 1844, priced 4½d, as the Preston Guardian,[4] and was founded by Joseph Livesey, the "father" of the total abstinence movement in Britain to support the campaign for the repeal of the Corn Laws. He was assisted by his sons: William, as sub-editor and manager of the business department (until forced to retire by ill health); John, who came in as editor at the age of 21; and younger sons Franklin and Howard. Livesey Snr was, however, the overall superintendent and wrote the leaders for local news items.[5]

The success of the newspaper can be attested by a remark of Richard Cobden:

> I never remember a case of a local newspaper succeeding as this has done in so short a time and subject to the same competition.

The paper lasted for 15 years under the Livesey's management, until 1859. By then it had become a valuable commodity and was sold to local businessman and fellow teetotaller, Councillor George Toulmin JP (father of the journalist, newspaper proprietor and Liberal Party politician George Toulmin (1857–1923)), who owned the paper until 1883. Thomas Wemyss Reid was an editor from 1864 to 1866.[6]

In 1872, a new office building was completed in Fishergate, Preston, and the paper moved into the ground floor. The building was later shared with the Lancashire Evening Post and was demolished in 1989. The paper lasted under its original name until May 1958 and then continued to the present day as the Farmers Guardian.[4][7]

John Boyle O'Reilly, a future Irish poet, journalist and activist in the United States, worked as an apprentice at the Preston Guardian in the early 1860s.[8]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "2017n Team Skin".
2. ^ "UBM plc disposes of UK titles for £10.0m" (Press release). UBM plc. 5 February 2012. Archived from the original on 19 January 2013. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
3. ^ Farmers Guardian
4. ^ a b Guide to the Local Collections Archived 25 May 2010 at the Wayback Machine (Preston Harris Library Collection - 16 Sep 2010).
5. ^ Weston, James. Joseph Livesey: the story of his life, 1794-1884 (London: Partridge, 1884) pp. 75-76.
6. ^ Lee, Sidney, ed. (1912). "Reid, Sir Thomas Wemyss". Dictionary of National Biography (2nd supplement). Vol. 3\. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
7. ^ "Descendants Of John Toulmin And Milcah Pooler". Archived from the original on 10 June 2011.
8. ^ Roche, James Jeffery (1891). Life of John Boyle O'Reilly. New York: Cassell Publishing Company. p. 6.

## External links

[edit]

* Farmers Guardian Official website
* Pulse

* v
* t
* e

Culture and infrastructure of the City of Preston

Transport|

* Bus station
* Bypass
* Dick, Kerr & Co.
* John Fishwick & Sons
* Guild Wheel
* Longridge Railway
* Preston Corporation Tramways
* Park & ride
* Preston Bus
* Ribble Bus
* Ribble Link
* Ribble Link Trust
* Ribble Steam
* Stagecoach
* Tramroad
* Transport in Preston
* United Electric Car Company
* Whittingham Hospital Railway

* Railway stations: Preston
* Disused stations: Barton and Broughton
* Broughton
* Deepdale
* Deepdale Street
* Fishergate Hill
* Grimsargh
* Lea Road
* Maudland Bridge
* Maudlands
* Maxwell House
* Oxheys
* Ribbleton

Education|

* University of Central Lancashire

* Schools: Archbishop Temple
* Ashton
* Broughton
* Cardinal Newman
* Christ the King
* Corpus Christi
* Fulwood Academy
* Moor Park
* Our Lady's
* Preston's College
* Preston Muslim Girls
* Closed: Catholic College
* Larkhill
* Winckley Square

Sport|

* Deepdale
* Dick, Kerr Ladies F.C.
* Preston (speedway)
* Preston Grasshoppers R.F.C.
* Preston Mountaineering Club
* Preston North End F.C.
* Preston North End W.F.C.
* Preston Zingari F.C.
* Pro Championship Wrestling
* West Cliff

History|

* Battles of Preston
* 1648
* 1715
* County Borough of Preston
* Fulwood Urban District
* Preston Castle
* Preston Pals
* Preston Passion
* Preston Rural District
* Preston Strike of 1842
* Preston strike of 1853–4
* Preston Tithebarn redevelopment

Media|

* The Bee
* 106.5 Central Radio
* Farmers Guardian
* Lancashire Evening Post
* Preston FM
* Preston is My Paris
* Red Rose Radio
* Rock FM
* Greatest Hits Radio Lancashire

Companies|

* BAE Systems Military Air & Information
* Booths
* Edugeek
* Horrockses, Crewdson & Co.
* Recycling Lives
* Skiddle

Politics|

* Council elections
* 1945
* 46
* 47
* 49
* 50
* 95
* 96
* 98
* 99
* 2000
* 02
* 03
* 04
* 06
* 07
* 08
* 10
* 11
* 12
* 14
* 15
* 16
* 18
* 19
* 21

* Wards: Ashton
* Brookfield
* Cadley
* College
* Deepdale
* Greyfriars
* Ingol
* Larches
* Lea
* Moor Park
* Preston Rural East
* Preston Rural North
* Ribbleton
* Riversway
* St George's
* St Matthew's
* Sharoe Green
* Town Centre
* Tulketh

* Constituencies: Preston
* By-elections: 1929
* 36
* 40
* 46
* 2000
* Preston North
* Preston South
* Wyre and Preston North

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template