The Daily Chronicle was a London newspaper company founded in 1872 that merged its publication with the Daily News to become the News-Chronicle and the company then absorbed The Star which it retained as an evening publication. The News-Chronicle was finally absorbed by the Daily Mail.

Brief history of the Daily Chronicle

In 1876 the Daily Chronicle was purchased by Edward Lloyd. Under a succession of editors the paper gained respect and by 1914 its circulation exceeded the combined sales of the The Times, Daily Telegraph, Morning Post, Evening Standard and the Daily Graphic under the ownership of United Newspapers Limited.

Most London papers were published in support of political parties and the Daily Chronicle was no exception, it supported the left-wing of the Liberal Party and David Lloyd George and the British participation in World War I. One of its reporters was Sir Arthur Conan Doyle who became famous for his Sherlock Holmes detective stories.

On 9th April, 1918 Prime Minister David Lloyd George mislead the House of Commons about the strengh of the British Army. Sir Frederick Maurice wrote a letter to the leading newspapers and accused David Lloyd George of misleading Parliament, but instead of making an enquiry into the allegations, Maurice was force to retire from the British Army. He was then hired as a military correspondent by the Daily Chronicle.

This action angered Lloyd George who then formed a group to purchase then newspaper to get rid of Maurice. The editor then resigned in protest over what amounted to censorship. Following a succession of owners the newspaper was subsequently bought in 1926 by Sir David Yule of Bricket Wood, Hertfordshire, England.

In 1930 the Daily Chronicle incorporated The Daily News in a merger and the two publications became known the News Chronicle.

Brief history of The Daily News

The Daily News had been financed in 1834 by Charles Dickens from the sale of his novels. After a slow start the newspaper began to attract a growing circulation and contributors such as George Bernard Shaw and H. G. Wells. In 1901 the chocolate manufacturer George Cadbury bought the newspaper and it began to reflect his Quaker and pacifist values with respect to sweated labour and his oppostition to the Boer War.

Brief history of The Star

The Star newspaper was founded in 1887 by T. P. O'Connor, an Irish Nationalist Member of Parliament and it maintained a radical point of view. Among its contributors was George Bernard Shaw, but part of its early success came from coverage of the Jack the Ripper murders in London. The Star merged with the morning News Chronicle to become the evening publication.

Closure

Both the morning and evening publications ceased operation in 1960 when they were absorbed by the Daily Mail.