London Gazette - Definition and Overview

The London Gazette is the oldest surviving English newspaper; it was first published on November 7, 1665. The Gazette is the official newspaper of the United Kingdom, wherein certain statutory notices are required to be published. It is not a conventional newspaper offering general news coverage, and does not have a large circulation.

The London Gazette is published each day, except for Saturdays, Sundays, and Bank Holidays. Notices for the following, among others, are published:

• Granting of Royal Assent to bills of the Parliament of the United Kingdom or of the Scottish Parliament
• The issuance of writs of election when a vacancy occurs in the House of Commons
• Appointments to certain public offices
• Insolvency or bankruptcy
• Granting of awards of honours and military medals
• Changes of names or of coats of arms

Also, Royal Proclamations and other Declarations are published in the Gazette. Her Majesty's Stationery Office are currently digitising the entire 20th Century. Currently the first 80 years are on line (1900–1979) [1] (http://www.gazettes-online.co.uk)

In time of war, dispatches from the various conflicts are published in the London Gazette. People referred to are said to have been mentioned in dispatches. When members of the armed forces are promoted, and these promotions are published here, the person is said to have been “gazetted”.

The address of the London Gazette is:

• London Gazette, PO Box 7923, London SE1 5ZH.
• Telephone +44 (0)20 7394 4517.

See also

• Belfast Gazette in Northern Ireland
• Dublin Gazette in Ireland
• Edinburgh Gazette in Scotland

Colonial Gazettes

There are equivalent Government Gazettes for the following former colonies. They are available at the National Archives.

Bahamas Barbados British Bechuanaland British Columbia British Guiana British Honduras British New Guinea British North Borneo and Sabah Canada Cape of Good Hope Ceylon Cyprus Dominica East Africa and Uganda Falkland Islands Fiji Gambia Gibraltar Gold Coast Grenada Griqualand West Hong Kong Jamaica Kenya Labuan Lagos Leeward Islands Malta Mauritius Natal Negri Sembilan New Brunswick New South Wales New Zealand Newfoundland North-West Territories Northern Nigeria Nyasaland Orange River Colony Pahang Perak Prince Edward Island Queensland Selangor Seychelles Sierra Leone South Africa Company South Australia Southern Nigeria St Christopher, Nevis and Anguilla St Helena St Lucia St Vincent Straits Settlements Sungei Ujong Tasmania Tobago Transvaal Trinidad and Tobago Western Australia Vancouver Island Victoria

External link

• London, Edinburgh and Belfast Gazettes (http://www.gazettes-online.co.uk)