Plant Here The Standard

At 2 p.m. on Monday, 21 May 1827, the hopes of Arbuthnott, Wellington and Peel were realised, when the first edition of the new daily,

The Standard

, appeared. Charles Baldwin, however, had no intention of exposing his successful thrice-weekly,

The St. James’s Chronicle

, as he revealed in his own words:

I was not willing to risk the continuance of my old and valued journal; I preferred the heavier risk of establishing at my own expense and hazard, a Daily Evening Paper to be conducted on the same principles and by the same editor. I also engaged the assistance of Dr Maggin and other celebrated writers.

The choice of a name then claimed our attention. The object was to make a stand against the inroad of principle; contrary to our Constitution in Church and State; a very appropriate motto was chosen by Dr Giffard, ‘Signifer, statue signum. Hic optime manebimus’ (Plant here the

Standard

. Here we shall best remain) and on the 21st May, 1827,

The Standard

was hauled as a rallying point, and was speedily followed by the raising of

Standards

in the Provincial and Colonial Conservative Press. Even Foreign newspapers have adopted the name.

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