Abstract: In 1867, when an ambitious, industrial maverick threatened to reshape Darlington’s political landscape, the town’s founding fathers, the Peases were forced into taking radical action. Incorporation and a looming General Election placed the existing order in considerable doubt, and only by embracing the immense power of that newest political weapon, the newspaper, could the Peases ensure the continued survival of their political and municipal empire.
The battle for Darlington and the Rise of the Northern Echo is an account of a little-known political war that raged from 1867 to 1880. Based on press accounts of the time, this previously unpublished paper examines the political cauldron that gave birth to the Northern Echo and launched the career of W.T. Stead.. (PDF format, c. 6000 words)
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Stead by his Peers