Welsh Newspapers Online

Welsh Newspapers Online is a free online resource from the National Library of Wales where you can discover millions of articles from the Library’s rich collection of historical newspapers. It lets you search and access over 630,000 pages from nearly 100 newspaper publications generally up to 1910.

This resource also includes newspaper content that has been digitised by The Welsh Experience of World War One Project.

The collection includes the first newspaper to be published in Wales The Cambrian, in Swansea in 1804. North Wales followed soon afterwards with its first weekly, The North Wales Gazette, established in Bangor in 1808 by the Broster family of Chester.

Two years later The Carmarthen Journal was to appear, which sought its readership in west Wales. In addition there is The first Welsh language weekly to be published Seren Gomer, founded by Joseph Harris in 1814. Unlike the others already mentioned, Seren Gomer saw itself as a national newspaper, which sought to serve the emtirety of Wales and strengthen the Welsh language.

Also worth mentioning is the featured first daily newspaper to be published in Wales The Cambrian Daily Leader (1861) but it was the Western Mail (1869) that was to become Wales’ foremost daily newspaper and it continues as such today.