Lichfield Mercury

It was founded in June 1815 (the back page carried news from the Battle of Waterloo). However, its original title was considerably longer: The Lichfield Mercury, Tamworth, Burton, and Walsall Gazette, and Staffordshire and Warwickshire General Advertiser!

It’s now published by Tamworth-based Central Independent Newspapers, which despite the name is not independent at all. Until 2012 it was part of Northcliffe Media, the regional newspaper division of the Daily Mail & General Trust; Northcliffe became part of the new Local World media group at the end of that year.

The editorial offices used to be in Lichfield, but these have now closed. The series is now published from CIN’s headquarters in Tamworth.

There were formerly two sub-editions. The Rugeley Mercury ceased publication in late 2010; the Burntwood Mercury merged with the main edition in March 2013.

Its website was originally at thisislichfield.co.uk, but was withdrawn in 2011 in line with Northcliffe’s strategy of building up a network of local portal sites. For a time it contributed news to Northcliffe’s lichfieldpeople.co.uk website (to which the old URL now redirects). However, Local World decided that all its newspapers should have their own “publisher-branded” websites; the Mercury‘s is at the URL below.

Although it’s mostly distributed free, a few copies are sold through newsagents.

It comes out on Thursdays.