In October 2025 our Society had a talk by Dr Andrew Hobbs about the Hewitsons and the Wakefield Herald 1894 to 1932. Dr Hobbs has been researching the diaries written by Anthony Hewitson who bought the Wakefield Herald about 1894. Hewitson moved over to Wakefield, renting a house in Garden Street. Sadly, he didn’t enjoy a good reputation during his time in Wakefield. This was reciprocated by him – his diaries show him to be argumentative and litigious with a poor view of Wakefield and its inhabitants.
Dr Hobbs has now made the diaries available online, and they are downloadable as PDFs, providing an interesting perspective into Wakefield at the turn of the century. This is the link to Book 2 that covers the period he was in Wakefield, Volume 1 is also available.: The Diaries of Anthony Hewitson, provincial journalist, 1891 – 1912