London Gazette
The London Gazette
The London Gazette, along with its sister publications, the Edinburgh and Belfast Gazette are the official journals of record in the United Kingdom. The London Gazette was first published on 7th November 1665, making it the oldest surviving English newspaper and the oldest continuously published newspaper within the UK. Many legal notices, especially insolvency notices are published within the London Gazette; this means that it is the most important official newspaper in the UK.
The London Gazette is not strictly a newspaper in the modern sense of the word, as it does not offer general news coverage and is not printed for sale to the general public. It is more like a journal and does not have a large circulation, being sent in manuscript by post to subscribers.
The Birth of the London Gazette
The London Gazette was born out of the decision of King Charles II deciding to remove the Royal Court (which was at that time the government) from London to Oxford due to the Great Plague of London. As the courtiers were afraid to touch any London newspapers for fear of them being contaminated, it was published in Oxford as the Oxford Gazette.
When the Great Plague dissipated a few months later, the King and his court returned to London and the newspaper was renamed The London Gazette on its 24th issue on 5th February 1666.
Traditional Phrases Born out of the London Gazette
The role of the London Gazette was to publish authoritative news, and therefore in this way it served the Crown and the Executive. The London Gazette was unmatched for the sources of information it received. In times of war, it would receive news from British generals, and in times of peace it would receive news from the British Embassies abroad. As people are mentioned in this publication, it has coined some traditional phrases throughout its history.
- During times of war, the London Gazette would publish the dispatches received from various conflicts. The people who were referred to in the Gazette are said to be “mentioned in dispatches”.
- Whenever members of the armed forces are promoted and published in the Gazette, they are referred to as having been “gazetted”.
- As the London Gazette also published official notices of bankruptcy, being “gazetted” can also mean being officially bankrupt, as does the phrase “gazetted fortune hunter”.
In the past, engagements and marriages were also recorded in the London Gazette.
The Modern London Gazette
Although the London Gazette still bears the imposing legend of “Published by Authority” (which it had carried since its early days), this is no more than a relic of its ancient Licensing Acts, however today it refers to its uniquely authoritative information.
In 2006, the London Gazette is published every weekday, except on Bank holidays, and the following are among the other information published within this journal:
- Changes of names and Royal Coat of Arms
- The granting of military medals and awards and honours
- When a vacancy occurs in the House of Commons, it will publish the issuance of writs of election
- Certain public offices appointments
- Royal proclamations and declarations
- Personal and corporate insolvencies
- the Granting of Royal Assent to Bills and of Parliament and Scottish Parliament
The publication of the London Gazette was taken over by Her Majesty’s Stationery Office in 1889. It has now brought the London Gazette online and is also in the process of digitising all of the records.
The London Gazette and Credit Checking
Due to its authoritative role of publishing insolvency information and data on individuals and corporates, the London Gazette has a very important role to play in the credit scoring of individuals, businesses and companies.
The London Gazette is a source that provides insolvency data to the credit checking industry and therefore is one of the sources of checkSURE’s data. If an individual or a corporate entity has been through insolvency proceedings, it will directly impact their credit score and subsequently the amount of credit that can be awarded to them.
As the London Gazette is published every weekday, checkSURE company credit reports will receive this updated data every night, therefore providing an accurate insight as to the credit status of every company and business within the UK.
Obtain a checkSURE company credit report on any business or company that you are considering trading with so that you can establish suitable credit terms and conditions with them and therefore protect the long term viability of your company.
Source: www.gazettes-online.co.uk
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