The ''Liverpool Mercury'' was an English newspaper that originated in

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

, England. As well as focusing on local news, the paper also reported on both national and international news allowing it to circulate in

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

, Wales,

Isle of Man The Isle of Man ( , also ), or Mann ( ), is a self-governing British Crown Dependency in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland. As head of state, Charles III holds the title Lord of Mann and is represented by a Lieutenant Govern ...

and London.

History

Founded by Egerton Smith in 1811 the newspaper cost 7d and was published weekly, covering news relating to the city's busy port. By 1858 the newspaper switched from being a weekly paper to a daily, with an extended edition published on Fridays. The paper's second edition was claimed to be 72 columns long, making it one of the largest newspapers in the world. During the early 1900s the ''Mercury'' merged with rival paper ''

Liverpool Daily Post The ''Liverpool Post'' was a newspaper published by Reach plc, Trinity Mirror in Liverpool, Merseyside, England. The newspaper and its website ceased publication on 19 December 2013. Until 13 January 2012 it was a daily morning newspaper, wi ...

'' to become the ''Liverpool Daily Post and the Liverpool Mercury'' whose first edition was published on 14 November 1904. The ''Liverpool Mercury'' supported the successful bid by Thomas Colley Porter to become

Lord Mayor of Liverpool The Lord Mayor of Liverpool is a largely ceremonial civic office of Liverpool City Council. The Lord Mayor is the ‘first citizen’ of Liverpool representing the city and acting as a focal point of community events and is also the Chair (off ...

in 1827. Parliamentary historian Margaret Escott says that the election, in which Porter beat Nicholas Robinson by 1,780 votes to 1,765, was "the most expensive, venal and violent mayoral contest" up to that time. Votes were bought at prices ranging between £6 and £50, with the candidates spending in total around £8,000–10,000 each. The two sides co-operated with a subsequent inquiry that resulted in three people being prosecuted and disenfranchised for bribery.

References

Publications established in 1811 Defunct newspapers published in the United Kingdom Mass media in Liverpool {{Defunct newspapers of the United Kingdom