NOTABLE CENTENARY

Gisborne Times, Volume LXVIII, Issue 10745, 16 November 1928, Page 2

NOTABLE CENTENARY

HOAV HANSARD GOT ITS NAME

One hundred years ago—to he precise. on October 29, IS2B—there died a man whose name lias since become a household word in all British communities. He was Luke Hansard, •whose activities as printer to the House of Commons for many years, together with those of the son, Thomas CurAm Hansard, gave the English language a new word as a generic term for all official reports of Parliamentary debates. Born on July 5, 1752, in St. Mary’s parish, Norwich (Norfolk), Luke Hansard served his apprenticeship with a printer of his native town. At the age of IS, a.s soon as he was “out of his time’,” he set out to try his fortune in London with only a guinea in his pocket. He became a compositor in tho office of John Hughes, printer to the ; House of Commons. It was not long before the youthful Hansard became a partner—in 1774 —and So great was the confidence reposed in him that the business was left almost entirely in his hands. About the end of the century the business became his solely and with tha subsequent admissions of his sons to the business the firm became “Luke Hansard and Sons.” The elder Hansard printed the “Journals of the House of Commons” from 1784- until his death; but it waa his son Thomas who in 1803 first begen to print the “Parliamentary Debates,” which, it is interesting to note, were not at first independent reports, but yere taken from the newspapers. The original business' was carried on by his younger brothers, James and Luke Graves Hansard. It was not for many years that the publication now known all over the' world as “Hansard” attained its present status as an absolutely privileged record of the. proceedings of Parliaments. As late as 1837 the younger Hansards had to face a libel action, brought by a bookseller named Stockdale, baaed on defamatory statements _ contained in an official report published by them ,in the course of their duty as Parliamentary printers. and the Courts decided against them., However, the misfortunes of the Hansard '.ainliy had one lasting good effect. Parliament was moved to make clear by legislation that the cloak of absolute privilege must cover all statements printed by its authority. Since then such records have teen unchallengablo in respect of civil action?; for libel, and with the march of progress the freedom to chronicle the sayings and doings of Parliament without fear , has been widened to include other printed publications also.