Thomas Frost (U.K. journalist)

Thomas Frost was a journalist, printer and Chartist, born in Croydon in 1821. Apprenticed to a printer (his cousin Cornelius Chapman) in Norwood he started his own printing firm in the same town after Chapman's business became bankrupt. In 1846 he took over the publication of John Goodwyn Barmby's "Communist Chronicle", a monthly paper which had been discontinued for financial reasons. Frost revived the Chronicle as a weekly publication and reduced the price from 3d. to 1d. with Barmby retaining editorial control. Differences between Barmby and Frost on their aims caused publication to cease. Frost then started a short-lived "Communist Journal". From 1847 to 1848 he was associated with the Fraternal Democrats.

From 1859 Frost was a leader writer for the Liverpool "Albion" weekly newspaper, on foreign politics and social questions. The newspaper maintained a political viewpoint independent of the main political parties until 1872, when a new proprietor, a member of the Conservative Party, recast the paper as a morning daily. Frost's terms of employment were now changed so that he was only paid for articles that were published; he was contracted to provide two articles per week, but many were not published, being politically incompatible. His income falling by one-third he left the "Albion" .

Frost subsequently settled in Barnsley and worked as a reporter for the "Barnsley Times" and the "Barnsley Chronicle". He wrote a number of books, mostly by his own admission "potboilers". He estimated his annual income from journalism and other literary undertakings to have been less than £200 per year. He died in 1908. [Frost, Thomas. "Reminiscences of a Country Journalist". Covent Garden: Ward and Downey, 1888 ]

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