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Extremely rare 1665 Oxford Gazette...
Extremely rare 1665 Oxford Gazette...
Item # 615072
February 01, 1666
THE OXFORD GAZETTE, England, February 1, 1665 (1666 by today's calendar) - issue #23 (the last issue before becoming the London Gazette)
* One of the earliest & rarest of newspapers to be had
This is an extremely famous--and rare--title, being the predecessor of the famous "London Gazette", the oldest continually published English language newspaper in the world. Because of the Plague at this time, the Royal Court had removed itself from London to Oxford when this newspaper began, so issues #1 thru #23 were published in Oxford (actually published simultaneously in London & Oxford), and when the contagion had subsided & the Court returned to London this newspaper went with it and renamed itself "The London Gazette" with issue #24, and the rest is history. Of significance is this issue--#23--is the last issue with this title as issue #24 was titled "The London Gazette".
The issue is filled with news reports from throughout Europe, mostly with a military theme. Certainly the most notable content is found at the bottom of the back page where the report mentions that the Royal Court is returning to London now that fears from the Great Plague have sufficiently subsided: "Hampton Court, Jan. 31. Upon the continued decrease of the Sickness, which (thanks be to God) has this week reduced the totall of the bill to 227, and the Plague to 56, decrease 45. His Majesty has resolved as well for the encouragement of his City of London, as for the better conveniency of his great and weighty Affaires of State, to remove to morrow, being the First of February, with the Court, to his Royal Palace of Whitehall." (see).
This issue measures 7 by 11 1/4 inches, and is in uncommonly very nice, clean condition. There is ample margin in the issue with a few very tiny worm holes near the bottom.
An exceedingly scarce newspaper and a cornerstone issue for any early newspaper collection, being among the first few issues of the world's oldest continually published newspaper--and from the very brief period when it published in Oxford.
Category: The 1600's and 1700's
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