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.
Welsh Newspapers Online currently lets you search and access over 1,100,000 pages from nearly 120 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.
Welsh Newspapers Online is part-funded by the Strategic Capital Investment Fund and the European Regional Development Fund through the Welsh Government.
You may also be interested in Welsh Journals, which gives access to over 1,200,000 pages from over 475 journals published between 1735 and 2006.
Let us know what you think
We are always looking at ways of improving Welsh Newspapers Online resource and we would welcome your comments and suggestions.
Please let us know what you think about the site using the 'Contact Us' link located on the bottom of every page.
History of newspaper publishing in Wales
Newspaper publishing came late to Wales compared to the rest of the UK and the first printing press was established in 1718. Wales experienced radical social change during the first half of the 19th century and newspaper publishing was a response to the nation’s increasing political awareness, increasing population and the rich industrial economy.
The first newspaper to be published in Wales was The Cambrian, in Swansea in 1804. Swansea at that time was beginning to develop into a busy commercial and industrial town, with the communications infrastructure that was necessary for the distribution of the newspaper to the minority of English speakers and readers in the principal towns of South Wales. 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.
The first Welsh language weekly to be published was 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 whole of Wales and strengthen the Welsh language.
The first daily newspaper to be published in Wales was 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.
How did we digitise the original newspapers?
The scanning of the collection was undertaken at the National Library of Wales following investment in a new digitisation studio, specialist scanning units and workflow management tools to provide the capacity for a team of dedicated staff to prepare and scan each page.
The preparation team recorded the issue dates and page numbers (metadata) before they were passed on to the digitisation team for scanning. The condition and quality of the volumes vary greatly and in some cases conservation work was undertaken before fragile and damaged pages were scanned.
The digital scans, essentially ‘digital photographs’ of the pages, were subsequently processed with specialist Optical Character Recognition software to render the text searchable and a separate semi-automated process identified the different articles on the page.
All digital files will be safeguarded in perpetuity in the National Library of Wales's robust digital asset management system which has been significantly extended to provide the optimal storage capacity for this collection.
Newspaper publications
Welsh Newspapers Online will continue to grow in the future. Please note that the digital collection reflects the physical holdings of the National Library of Wales and not all newspaper issues for the years specified will be available.
| Newspaper | Indicative Years | Availability |
|---|---|---|
| Aberdare Leader | 1902-1910; 1913-1919 | Available |
| Aberdare Times | 1861-1902 | Available |
| Abergavenny Chronicle | 1909-1910; 1914-1919 | Available |
| Abergavenny Mail | 1914 | Available |
| Aberystwyth Observer | 1858-1861; 1864-1900; 1902-1910 | Available |
| Aberystwyth Times | 1868-1870 | Available |
| Aberystwyth Visitor's List and Guide | 1887 | Available |
| Adsain | 1906; 1914-1919 | Available |
| Amman Valley Chronicle | 1913-1919 | Available |
| Amserau | 1846-59 | Available |
| Baner ac Amserau Cymru | 1857-1910; 1914-1919 | Available |
| Barmouth and County Advertiser | 1914-1917 | Available |
| Barry Dock News | 1889-1910; 1914-1918 | Available |
| Barry Herald | 1896-1910 | Available |
| Brecon and Radnor Express | 1914-1918 | Available |
| Brecon County Times | 1866-1869; 1900; 1905-1910; 1913-1919 | Available |
| Brecon Reporter | 1865-1867 | Available |
| Brython (Lerpwl) | 1914-1919 | Available |
| Brython Cymreig | 1892-1901; 1906-1910 | Available |
| Caernarvon and Denbigh Herald | 1836-1910 | Available |
| Cambrian Daily Leader | 1913; 1914-1918; 1919 | Available |
| Cambrian | 1804-1860; 1870-1910 | Available |
| Cambrian News | 1860-1910; 1914-1919 | Available |
| Cardiff and Merthyr Guardian | 1845-1874 | Available |
| Cardiff Times | 1858-1910 | Available |
| Cardigan Bay Visitor | 1887-1905 | Available |
| Cardigan Observer | 1878-1897 | Available |
| Carmarthen Journal | 1810-1812; 1828-1831; 1889-1893; 1901-1910; 1913-1919 | Available |
| Carmarthen Weekly Reporter | 1860-1910; 1913-1919 | Available |
| Celt | 1878-1879; 1881-1906 | Available |
| Cheshire Observer | 1901-1908 | Available |
| Chester Courant | 1897-1908 | Available |
| Clorianydd | 1897-1907; 1909-1910; 1914-1919 | Available |
| Colwyn Bay & North Wales Weekly News | 1892; 1894-1907 | Available |
| County Echo [Pembrokeshire] | 1893-1896; 1901-1910 | Available |
| County Observer and Monmouthshire Central Advertiser | 1867-1878; 1881-1884; 1899-1908 | Available |
| Cymro a'r Celt Llundain | 1907-1910 | Available |
| Cymro [Lerpwl a'r Wyddgrug] | 1890-1907; 1914-1919 | Available |
| Darian | 1914-1919 | Available |
| Demetian Mirror | 1840 | Available |
| Denbighshire Free Press | 1882-1910; 1914-1919 | Available |
| Dinesydd Cymreig | 1914-1919 | Available |
| Drafod | 1913-1919 | Available |
| Drych | 1875-1878; 1881-1900; 1914-1919 | Available |
| Dydd | 1868-1870; 1872-1890; 1892-1910; 1914-1919 | Available |
| Evening Express | 1891-1899; 1900-1910 | Available |
| Flintshire Observer | 1864-1900; 1907-1910; 1913-1915 | Available |
| Genedl | 1914-1917 | Available |
| Genedl Gymreig | 1877-1900 | Available |
| Glamorgan Free Press | 1897-1899 | Available |
| Glamorgan Gazette | 1894-1895; 1906-1910; 1914-1919 | Available |
| Glamorgan, Monmouth and Brecon Gazette | 1832-1843 | Available |
| Goleuad | 1869-1910; 1914-1919 | Available |
| Gwalia | 1883; 1897-1910 | Available |
| Gwladgarwr | 1858-1882 | Available |
| Gwyliedydd | 1877-1908 | Available |
| Gwyliedydd Newydd | 1910; 1914-1919 | Available |
| Haverfordwest and Milford Haven Telegraph | 1857-1910; 1914-1919 | Available |
| Herald Cymraeg | 1901-1910; 1914-1919 | Available |
| Herald of Wales and Monmouthshire Recorder | 1897; 1914-1919 | Available |
| Illustrated Usk Observer | 1855-1866 | Available |
| Llais y Wlad | 1874-1884 | Available |
| Llais Llafur | 1914-1919 | Available |
| Llan | 1881-1910; 1913-1919 | Available |
| Llandudno Advertiser and List of Visitors | 1896-1910 | Available |
| Llanelly Mercury | 1897; 1909-1910 | Available |
| Llanelly Star | 1910; 1914-1919 | Available |
| Llangollen Advertiser | 1868-1873; 1875-1903; 1905-1908; 1909-1910; 1914-1919 | Available |
| London Kelt - Celt Llundain | 1895-1904 | Available |
| London Welshman - Cymro Llundain | 1904-1906 | Available |
| Merthyr Express | 1864-1869; 1909-1910 | Available |
| Merthyr Pioneer | 1914-1919 | Available |
| Merthyr Telegraph | 1855-1881 | Available |
| Merthyr Times | 1895-1897 | Available |
| Monmouth Guardian | 1914-1919 | Available |
| Monmouthshire Merlin | 1829-1884 | Available |
| Montgomery County Times | 1893-1900 | Available |
| Montgomeryshire Express and Radnor Times | 1892-1908 | Available |
| Negesydd | 1895-1909 | Available |
| North Wales Chronicle | 1827-1900; 1914-1919 | Available |
| North Wales Express | 1878-1910 | Available |
| North Wales Gazette | 1808-1816; 1823-1825 | Available |
| North Wales Times | 1897-1900 | Available |
| North Wales Weekly News | 1909-1910 | Available |
| Papur Pawb | 1893-1904; 1909-1910 | Available |
| Pembroke County Guardian | 1898-1910 | Available |
| Pembrokeshire Herald | 1844-1891; 1901-1910 | Available |
| Penarth Chronicle | 1895 | Available |
| Pontypool Free Press | 1859-1869; 1872-1893 | Available |
| Pontypridd Chronicle | 1881-1883; 1886-1905 | Available |
| Potter's Electric News | 1859-1868 | Available |
| Prestatyn Weekly | 1905-1910 | Available |
| Principality | 1848-1850 | Available |
| Rhedegydd | 1878-1879; 1886; 1889; 1893-1910 | Available |
| Rhondda Leader | 1899-1910 | Available |
| Rhos Herald | 1909-1910 | Available |
| Rhyl Advertiser | 1878-1887; 1893 | Available |
| Rhyl Journal | 1889-1910 | Available |
| Rhyl Record and Advertiser | 1888-1910 | Available |
| Seren Cymru | 1851-1852; 1856-1857; 1860-1910; 1913; 1914-1919 | Available |
| Seren Gomer | 1814-1815 | Available |
| South Wales Daily News | 1872-1900 | Available |
| South Wales Daily Post | 1893-1900; 1910 | Available |
| South Wales Echo | 1880-1882; 1885-1900 | Available |
| South Wales Star | 1891-1894 | Available |
| South Wales Weekly Post | 1914-1919 | Available |
| Swansea Gazette and Daily Shipping Register | 1909-1910 | Available |
| Tarian y Gweithiwr | 1875-1910 | Available |
| Tenby Observer | 1854-1860; 1867-1889; 1909-1910 | Available |
| Towyn on Sea and Merioneth County Times | 1897-1905 | Available |
| Tyst a'r Dydd | 1871-1891 | Available |
| Tyst Cymreig | 1867-1870 | Available |
| Tyst | 1892-1910; 1914-1917 | Available |
| Udgorn | 1913-1918 | Available |
| Weekly Mail | 1879-1910 | Available |
| Welsh Coast Pioneer | 1900-1910 | Available |
| Welsh Gazette | 1899-1910 | Available |
| Welshman | 1835-1910 | Available |
| Werin | 1885-1900 | Available |
| Western Mail | 1869-1900 | Available |
| Wrexham Guardian | 1875-1879 | Available |
| Wrexham Weekly Advertiser | 1854-1900 | Available |
| Wythnos a'r Eryr | 1899-1903; 1909-1910 | Available |
Open Data
The Library is committed to sharing the data behind the Welsh Newspapers Online website. Access to the APIs that the website is built on will be available soon.