English Churchman

{{Short description|Protestant family newspaper published in England}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}

{{Infobox newspaper | name = ''English Churchman and St James's Chronicle'' | type = Fortnightly newspaper | format = Tabloid | founded = {{start date and age|1761|2|7|df=yes}} | owners = English Churchman Trust | editor = Rev Christopher Pierce | language = English | political_position = Church of England /<br />Anglican Communion | circulation = | headquarters = 8 Cradlehall Gardens, Cradlehall Inverness, Scotland | oclc = | ISSN = | website = {{URL|http://www.englishchurchman.com/}} }}

The '''''English Churchman''''' was a Protestant family newspaper published in England with a global readership. The newspaper was not an official organ of the Church of England, but was one of only three officially recognised church papers, alongside the Church Times and the Church of England Newspaper.<ref>Church of England Yearbook 2010, p.229</ref> The formal title of the newspaper is '''''English Churchman and St James's Chronicle'''''.

The ''St James's Chronicle'' dates from 1761. The first edition of a newspaper under the name ''English Churchman'' was published on 5 January 1843.

thumb|left|English Churchman 8072, 29 January 2021

Contrary to general ecclesiastical trends, the ''English Churchman'' began life as an Anglo-Catholic newspaper. It was 'set up for the express purpose of advocating Tractarian views'<ref>London Evening Standard 1 Sept 1843, p. 4</ref> and ranked alongside the ''British Critic'' as one of the 'two great Tractarian organs'.<ref>St James's Chronicle, 14 October 1843, p. 4</ref>

In 1884, the paper was acquired by those in sympathy with the Church Association, thus coming into evangelical hands, where it has remained ever since.<ref>G. R. Balleine, A History of the Evangelical Party in the Church of England, Longmans, 1909, p. 293</ref><ref>Josef Atholz, The Religious Press in Britain, 1760-1900 (New York, 1989), p. 27</ref> It has gained a reputation for being 'robustly Reformed and Protestant, Evangelical, as the Formularies of the Church of England teach' (i.e. the Thirty-Nine Articles, the Book of Common Prayer, and the ordinal).<ref>English Churchman, Edition EC8073, p. 6</ref>

Rev. Harold Gordon Haynes Hill (1970 to 1995) – obituary in EC.

Dr Napier Malcolm (Some years until August 2002)

In August 2002 the Editor, Dr Napier Malcolm, resigned and started The British Church Newspaper with the help of his existing team of helpers. The English Churchman was then virtually restarted from scratch under the editorship of Andrew Price. From 2005 until January 2021, Rev Peter Ratcliff of the Church of England Continuing was editor. The newspaper continued along the lines of Dr Malcolm during this period, distinctly opposed to remaining in the Anglican Communion. The newspaper took a clear Reformed line and ceased advocating Christian Zionism.

As of 1 February 2021, the editor was Rev Christopher Pierce, a clergyman of the Church of Ireland.<ref>English Churchman Edition EC8073</ref>

The cover cost of English Churchman rose from one penny per copy in the late nineteenth century to one pound at closure.<ref>Westminster Gazette, 1 Dec 1898, p. 4.</ref> The newspaper was originally weekly, but since the 1970s began publishing fortnightly. Most readers were subscribers who receive the newspaper by post, although the paper was historically available through newsagents.

After 262 years the newspaper ceased publication and closed on the 27th of June 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |last=EnglishChurchman |date=2023-06-27 |title=Final Editorial after 262 Years: The Curtain Closes |url=https://www.englishchurchman.com/60009-2/ |access-date=2023-07-13 |website=English Churchman |language=en-US}}</ref>

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== *{{Official website|1=http://www.englishchurchman.com}} *[https://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/evolutionofparliament/houseofcommons/reformacts/from-the-parliamentary-collections/wilkes1/wilkes3/ John Wilkes & The St James Chronicle - UK Parliament Living Heritage]

Category:Defunct Christian newspapers Category:Newspapers established in 1843 Category:1843 establishments in England Category:Religious newspapers published in the United Kingdom Category:Anglican newspapers and magazines Category:Defunct newspapers published in the United Kingdom