William Jackson and Headington
William Jackson (1724–1795) may have originated from Leeds in Yorkshire: his brother Joshua and sister Mrs Sarah Grimshaw were both living there in 1775, at Park Lane and Well Close House respectively. But William spent most of his life in Oxford and Headington.
In 1746, when he was only 22, Jackson started the Oxford Flying Weekly Journal and Cirencester Gazette, together with William Walker of London. This was published first in St Clements and then in the High Street, and only survived for two years. But in 1753 he started to publish another weekly newspaper, originally to promote the Tory cause in the county election that year. It was called News, Boys, News, or the Electioneering Journal, and later became Jackson’s Oxford Journal.*
As well as being a newspaper proprietor and printer, Jackson was lessee of the Oxford Bible Press (an administrative division of the Clarendon Press), and in 1768 he was also put in charge of commissioning and printing the University Almanacks. He was also an Oxford city banker (probably with the University and City Bank)
There are a number of references to Jackson in Parson Woodforde’s diaries. Woodforde purchased Jackson’s Oxford Journal regularly from its office in the High Street, and also religious works. On 21 February 1761 Woodforde wrote: "For a Bottle of Doctor Hill’s Water-Dock at Jackson’s the Printer 0.3.0". The city of Oxford records of 1746–7 confirm that Jackson had this additional string to his bow, stating that "William Jackson of All Saints" was licensed to sign the words "Office and Medicinal Warehouse". From 1777 he advertises a long list of medicines that he sold in his own newspaper.
A staunch Conservative, he became a leading member of the Paving Commission established in 1771 and received an honorary bailiff’s place and the freedom of the city in 1786, although he took no part in council affairs.
In 1771 Jackson took over the former King’s Head pub at 12 High Street (now PIzza Hut) for his printing office. On 16 October 1786 he was given his freedom and a bailiff’s place on the council.
The building of the new turnpike London Road through the fields of Headington facilitated the creation of country estates on land that had previously only been accessible via the fieldpaths from Marston. As soon as the road was started in 1775 Jackson bought land beside it and built his country mansion, Headington House, which was finished by 1783. He became even more entrenched in Headington when in 1786 he bought the Lordship of the Manor of Heddington [sic – not to be confused with the Manor of Headington] from George Foot and Mary Coxhead, the current absentee Lord and Lady. Headington House was thereafter deemed to be the mansion house of Heddington Manor, and the rolls show Jackson presiding over many Courts.
William Jackson died in 1795 and was buried on 28 April at All Saints Church. His short obituary appeared in a box with black borders on page 3 of Jackson’s Oxford Journal for Saturday 25 April 1795:
"Died on Wednesday Morning last, aged upwards of Seventy, William Jackson, Esq. Proprietor & Publisher of this Journal ever since its first Establishment – In his publick Characterisation his Loss will be long felt – In private Life he was warm in his Attachments, and sincere in his Friendships."
His will was proved on 5 June 1795, and he left all his estate in Headington, including Headington House, to "Mary Jones of the parish of All Saints in the City of Oxford daughter of the late Thomas Jones of the same place fishmonger", and the person who had served him in his business since she was a young girl became Lady of the Manor of Heddington.
The very last issue of Jackson’s Oxford Journal on 2 October 1909 had this to say about its founder:
Mr W. Jackson was a man of considerable business aptitude and of good position in the City of Oxford. We have still in our possession the silver-gilt box with the City arms upon it which was presented to him with the Freedom of the City of Oxford. He was a banker as well as a printer, and was lessee of the Oxford Bible Press. He died on 22 April 1795 aged 70 so that when he started the "Oxford Journal" in 1753 he was a young man of 28.
* Until 1806 this was Oxford’s only newspaper, and even after that date it had a high circulation, reaching 57,000 in the period from April to September 1839. In 1899 it was bought by the Oxford Times Company and its last issue was in 1909, when it was renamed the Oxford Journal Illustrated (which itself disappeared in 1928, when the Oxford Evening Times, also owned by the Oxford Times Company, started to produce a weekly supplement instead).