Newspaper -The rag

[Fashionz]

I've been reading 'Personal Recollections of Birmingham and Birmingham Men' on Project Gutenberg, and just read a passage that reminded me of something, the last but one sentence raised a question in my mind. "It was edited by Mr. Thomas Ragg". Now, when I was younger, family members used to ask for the 'rag'. Meaning the newspaper - I never really thought why. Perhaps. I've found my answer?

"Of the newspapers of that time, only two survive, at least in name—Aris's Gazette and The Midland Counties Herald. The latter had just been started. For a short time it was called The Birmingham Herald, but this was soon altered to its present title. It was published on the premises now occupied as Nock's refreshment bar, in Union Passage. It had four pages then, as now, but the paper altogether was not much larger than the coloured cover of The Graphic. The Journal, although its name is lost, still lives and thrives as The Weekly Post. The two others are defunct long ago. One, The Philanthropist, was published in Bull Street by Mr. Hudson; the other was The Birmingham Advertiser, which, on the purchase of The Journal by the Liberals, had been started in 1833 by Mr. Hodgetts, in the Tory interest. It was edited by Mr. Thomas Ragg. It ceased to be published in 1846."



Fashionz

 

[sistersue61]

Fashionz, I remember my nan and grandad looking at the local "rag",but never really thought where the saying came from before.
Will ask mom and dad tomorrow.
Sue

 

[oldbrit]

In the 50s a pink colour paper the Sports Argus or something like that? John Crump OldBrit

 

[Astonian]

Hi yes the sports argus was printed in a pink paper and it was out every saturday night at your local paper shop but you could not get it
with your birmingham post as it was called in those days which came around to about 5 oclock being delivered to your local news agent shop ;
if you wanted the sports argus you had to be quick and make sure you was first in the que at your news agents
as people would hang around out side the shop or inside the shop to get a copy it was like hot cakes i had to run down the lichfield road to diggers the news agents next to old robbos fruit and veg for the old man to get his copy each shop only had so many delivered to ther shops
in those days it was a must have ;for the men folk check there works pontoon at work and look to see how the villa went on or the blues
it was a large pink editions in those days does any body remember bing in the pontoon at there works
it was a form of the tote it would be the first to reach 21 on the teams you had chosen i know that afew places and people never took part but a great deal of companies and people did have this form of tote operating at work it was abit like the pub raffle or tote where you only chose two numbers on that friday morning and after lunch when you went back to work to find out if you won your tote and you got the prize money of what ever amount it payed out
have a nice day every body best wishes astonian

 

[BernardR]

I always thought the term 'Rag' was derived from the waste rag that was used in the manufactrure of newsprint (paper)?

 

[Fashionz]

I always thought the term 'Rag' was derived from the waste rag that was used in the manufactrure of newsprint (paper)?

This sounds more likely. Probably just a coincidence that a guy named Ragg was an editor.

Fashionz

 

[mikejee]

I think that is the most liekly explanation, but it must have originated a long time ago, as i think paper made from rags has only been used for high quality paper since at least the mid 1850s, and ordinary and newsprint paper is made from woodpulp