The Public Ledger, Newfoundland General Advertiser, Henry David Winton, 1820

The Public Ledger, dated November 25, 1828. The motto reads: ‘open to all parties – influenced by none’.

Born in England, Henry David Winton (1793 – 1855) trained as a printer and bookbinder in Dartmouth and later worked in London before immigrating to Newfoundland in 1818.

In 1820, he co-founded The Public Ledger, Newfoundland General Advertiser with Alexander Haire. Haire was no stranger to the press, he had earlier helped launch the Mercantile Journal in 1815 with Robert Lee, but his partnership with Winton proved short-lived. By 1823, Winton was sole proprietor, and the Ledger increasingly reflected his own forceful opinions.

Winton is remembered as one of the most outspoken and controversial Conservative voices in early Newfoundland. Yet his views were not always so sharply defined. In his early years, he supported reform and even favoured extending civil rights to Roman Catholics.

What changed was not his belief in rights, but his growing fear of how those rights might be used. Winton believed strongly in preserving what he called the ‘established order of society’ and protecting the interests of the ‘respectable portion of the inhabitants.’ As political tensions deepened, he became convinced that Catholic influence, particularly in elections, threatened that order.

From that point on, his tone hardened. He accused Catholics of intimidation and interference in public life, launching a sustained and often bitter campaign against what he saw as the dangerous mixing of religion and politics. His language could be harsh, even inflammatory, and it provoked an equally strong reaction. Catholic leaders urged their communities to boycott the Ledger and avoid any merchants who supported it.

The conflict escalated dramatically in May 1835, when Winton was attacked by a group
of men. In the assault, one ear was badly cut and the other severed entirely, a brutal indication of how deeply divided the colony had become.

Winton remained equally firm in his opposition to responsible government, fearing it would place power in the hands of what he called ‘the priests and the dregs of our society.’

Through it all, he never softened his views. For decades, the Public Ledger served as a platform for his beliefs, combative, unapologetic, and deeply influential. When Winton died in St. John’s in 1855, he left behind more than a newspaper. He left a record of a colony wrestling with questions of power, faith, and who should have a voice in public life.

‘Open to All Parties – Influenced by None’

The motto printed beneath the masthead of The Public Ledger suggests balance and independence, a paper willing to hear all sides.

In practice, Winton’s newspaper was anything but neutral. While he claimed openness, his editorials were often forceful, opinionated, and deeply partisan.

This contrast was not unusual. Early newspapers frequently presented themselves as impartial while serving as powerful platforms for political and personal views. In Winton’s case, the gap between motto and message only sharpened the controversy that surrounded him.