CP Scott (1846–1932): Editor, MP and archetypal ‘Manchester Man’
CP Scott was only 25 years old when he became Editor of the Manchester Guardian in 1872 —it is said that he hid his youth under a beard and a stern manner! He remained in post for 57 years. During his stewardship, the Guardian went from a provincial publication to a newspaper with a global reputation. Scott’s political influence was significant. Not only did he edit the Manchester Guardian, he served as Liberal MP for Leigh (1895–1906). He was also prominent globally for championing a wide range of humanitarian causes. During his long public career, Scott built an extensive personal and political network: from prime ministers and political leaders to humanitarians, writers and artists.
Charles Prestwich Scott was born in Bath in 1846. He was educated at Clapham Grammar School before studying at Corpus Christi College in Oxford in 1865. While still a student he was approached by John Taylor, his cousin, to join the Guardian. He was working there in 1871 as the paper commemorated its first 50 years and the following year he became editor.
Scott was soon embedded in Manchester’s civic culture. He took a keen interest in education and was a trustee of Owens College, the forerunner of Manchester’s Victoria University. At the 1895 General Election, Scott successfully stood as the Liberal Party candidate for North-East Manchester. He obtained a majority of 667 and, once in the House of Commons, identified himself with the left-wing of the party. C. P. Scott advocated women’s suffrage and reform of the House of Lords. Back in Manchester he was the President of the Manchester Liberal Federation and an active member of the Manchester Reform Club. In 1908, it was CP Scott who unveiled a relief of Henry Hunt, the orator whose appearance in Manchester precipitated the Peterloo Massacre, in the vestibule of the Manchester Reform Club.
The Second Boer War (1899–1902)
During the Second Boer War, CP Scott attracted both praise and censure for his principled stand in condemning British imperial ambitions. His views were deeply unpopular and at odds with the jingoistic fever sweeping Britain and both Scott’s house and the Manchester Guardian building on Cross Street were given police protection. His views also impacted on circulation and sales. Yet despite his anti-war stance, he did hold onto his seat during the ‘khaki’ election of 1900.
Scott initially opposed Britain’s involvement in the First World War. Yet, when it became clear that war was inevitable, he got behind the war effort, to the great disappointment of many friends from the Boer War period.
CP Scott’s Journalistic Legacy
In 1921, during his 50th year of editorship, Scott wrote his famous essay on journalism, ‘A Hundred Years’, setting out his thoughts on what a newspaper should be. The essay was written to mark the centenary of the Manchester Guardian and has since been recognised around the world as a model for independent journalism. It argues powerfully that a newspaper is not just a business but a democratic pillar that wields significant social influence.
“Comment is free, but facts are sacred…The voice of opponents no less than that of friends has a right to be heard.”
A Manchester man and an ardent cyclist
Scott was an avid fan of the bicycle. Whatever the weather he rode the 3 miles from his villa, The Firs, to the newspaper offices on Cross Street. Kingsley Martin, the editor of the New Statesmen, described meeting Scott in 1927. He was nearing 80, almost blind in one eye and yet he:
‘still rode his bicycle through the muddy and dangerous streets of Manchester, swaying between the tramlines, with white hair and whiskers floating in the breeze, and quite oblivious alike to rain or traffic’ (Punch, 24 Feb 1965)
The historian Gary Messinger describes Scott as “an almost perfect example of the ‘Manchester Man’”. Although born elsewhere he fits the criteria of a citizen whose fame and prominence was acquired through hard graft and whose reputation and integrity reflected well on his adoptive city. Scott’s contribution was honoured in 1930 when he was awarded the Freedom of the City.
During the ceremony he was presented with both a scroll and a silver casket decorated with scenes of Manchester.
The Funeral of CP Scott
CP Scott died aged 85 on New Year’s Day 1932 . Four days later, as his funeral cortege passed by the offices of the Guardian, the streets were lined with people who came to pay their respects and to honour the legendary editor. His funeral service took place at Manchester Cathedral.
Archives held at the Rylands
The majority CP Scott letters are found in the extensive Editorial Correspondence of C.P. Scott series. Topics covered range from local news on the cotton prices in Manchester, through events of national concern, and discussion of world politics. The series contains 12,933 items of correspondence exchanged between 1879–1969. Thanks to the inclusion of copy letters, both correspondence from and to Scott is included in the collection.
As editor Scott’s influence was heard and felt, particularly in the campaigns for women’s suffrage, for home rule for Ireland, and for the cause of Zionism. He developed close relationships with many leading political figures.
Examples of correspondents include politicians such as Herbert Asquith, David Lloyd George, Ramsay MacDonald and Winston Churchill, and also Marion Phillips, first woman organiser of the Labour party, and Mary Agnes Hamilton, politician and broadcaster. Campaigners for women’s suffrage are represented in the correspondence by Christabel and Emmeline Pankhurst, and Charlotte Despard.
In addition to the detailed catalogue for CP Scott’s Editorial Correspondence, two catalogues providing a list of the Guardian Archive as a whole are available in PDF format from the Guardian page in the Library’s Guide to Special Collections.
You can find out more about the Manchester Guardian archive here. To get a flavour of the types of material held in the Guardian Archive take a look at our online exhibition: Manchester’s Guardian: 200 years of the Guardian newspaper
To find out more about using the Manchester Guardian archive in your assessments see the blog below.
Please note — Post 1970s materials created by the Guardian newspaper are held in London at The Guardian News and Media Archive. They have a reading room and an Education Centre and welcome enquiries.
Additional Resources
Copies of these books can be found in the University of Manchester Library.
- Peter McNiven, ‘The Guardian Archives in the John Rylands University Library of Manchester’, Bulletin of the John Rylands University Library of Manchester, Vol. 74 (1992), pp. 65–84.
- Geoffrey Taylor, Changing Faces: A History of the Guardian, 1956–88 (London: Fourth Estate, 1993)
- J.L. Hammond, C.P. Scott (London: G. Bell and Sons Ltd) 1934.
- Trevor Wilson (ed.), The Political Diaries of CP Scott, 1911–1928,(Collins, London) 1970.
- The blogs listed below offer additional information on CP Scott and the Manchester Guardian
Discussion Points
How has the role of editor changed since the days of CP Scott?
Are the values expressed by CP in his famous essay on journalism, ‘A Hundred Years’ still valid today?
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