The Dissenter was a weekly newspaper launched in January 1812, which printed lengthy article regarding religious dissent. An announcement, which appeared in the Globe (1804-1821) shortly before the first issue, stated: ‘The Dissenter, weekly newspaper… the first number of which appears on the first day of the new year [1812] is, we understand, to be conducted on liberal and general principles. To this end, various writers of different religious persuasions, have been engaged, whose labours will mostly be devoted to the interests of civil and religious liberty.’

Each issue had a Leader on page one, and an Editorial within. Examples of leaders expressing religious views included: ‘The English Dissenters and the Irish Catholics’; ‘The Catholic Question’; ‘The Dissenters and the Catholics’, and no less than three consecutive leaders were devoted to ‘The Staffordshire Auxiliary Bible Society’. Topical leaders covered key events including the commencement of the unrestricted Regency and the assassination of Spencer Perceval.

In June 1812 the paper announced that there would be an imminent change of title, with ‘The Christian Patriot’ or the ‘Christian Correspondent’ suggested as possibilities. From 1 July 1812 it appeared as the Correspondent, with numeration and pagination starting anew. In its new guise, the newspaper devoted a great deal of space to foreign intelligence, including the Peninsula Wars, Napoleon’s invasion of Russia, and the American declaration of war. It also included religious poetry, such as James Montgomery’s ‘The Peak Mountains’, which was published in two parts in September 1812.

In October 1812 the Correspondent merged with the Public Cause (1811-1816), which was subsequently published as the Correspondent and Public Cause.

Ed King, The British Library