Genealogical Abstracts from The London Gazette, 1725-1727

The Gazette was not the first newspaper published in England but it has been one of the longest lasting. It arrived on the scene in February 1666 when issue number 24 of the Oxford Gazette changed its name to that of the London Gazette. From 1725 through 1727, the majority of advertisements were for cases involving the Commission of Bankrupt. These notices regularly included the names and addresses of the debtors and the attorneys involved, and sometimes gave the names of claimants as well as the names and addresses associated with meeting places used when dealing with the cases. Of the remaining advertisements, land and property sales made up a sizable proportion. These ads included names, addresses, and property descriptions. Additionally, a wide variety of other notices also appeared and included such items as announcements of military deserters and servant runaways (complete with physical descriptions of the individuals), rosters of freed prisoners, lost personal items or animals, thefts and murders, horse races, retirements from business and business location changes, and deaths as well as the occasional cockfight, Stamp Duty violation, and forgery.

 

The items selected for abstraction in this volume always included at least one person's name. People are generally additionally identified in some way, usually by occupation or title (both of which provide clues to social rank), or by some action that they performed. The majority of people appearing in the Gazette represented the ranks of tradesmen, gentry, and royal personages but soldiers, servants, and other commoners also appear.