“The Daily Courant”, considered Britain’s first daily newspaper, was launched in London in 1702. Its first issue appeared on March 11, 1702, published by Elizabeth Mallet, a printer and publisher based near Fleet Bridge. The newspaper appeared every day except Sunday.
A Single-Page Newspaper
The earliest issues had a simple format: news was printed on one side of a sheet, with advertisements on the reverse. Most of the content consisted of reports from abroad, presented without editorial commentary.
Elizabeth Mallet stated her intention to publish the news without adding her own interpretations, believing that readers could form their own opinions about the information presented. The approach distinguished her newspaper from other publications of the period, where news reporting and commentary often overlapped.
The first issue of “The Daily Courant” appeared on March 11, 1702. Bibliographic catalogs document the newspaper’s publication through June 28, 1735, when it reached issue No. 6,002.
After approximately 40 days, Elizabeth Mallet handed over the newspaper to Samuel Buckley. He moved its offices to the Little Britain area of London and continued publishing it. Buckley later became known as an editor of “The Spectator”.
After Buckley took over, “The Daily Courant” continued publication for more than three decades. In 1735, it ceased publication as a separate newspaper and merged with “Daily Gazetteer”.
The newspaper primarily served urban readers who could afford to purchase it regularly. Its daily publication schedule provided a steadier flow of news than weekly newspapers or publications issued at irregular intervals.