James Thomas Clephan was born on 17 March 1804 in
Monkwearmouth,
Sunderland, the second son of
Stockton baker Robert Clephan. He was educated in Stockton, and he and his family were members of the
Unitarian Church in
Stockton. He later was a Trustee of the (Unitarian) Church of the Divine Unity in Newcastle upon Tyne. He became
indentured to
Stockton printer, Mr. M. Eales. On completion of his Indentureship in 1825, he moved to
Edinburgh (termed "The Modern Athens") and worked in the offices of the publishing company of Ballantine where he remained for almost three years, gaining valuable experience. At the end of this time in 1828, he accepted a sub-editorship at the
Leicester Chronicle, and moved to
Leicester. In 1838, the
Whig-sympathetic
Gateshead Observer required an editor and Clephan applied successfully for the post. He remained in this position for 22 years until he retired in 1860. The
Gateshead Observer was a relatively new newspaper, the first in
Gateshead, that became popular as a consequence of Clephan's directorship. He left the
Gateshead Observer to become a freelance journalist, as which he worked primarily for the
Newcastle Daily (and Weekly) Chronicles, for which he wrote regular articles on the historical past of the area, a column on the work of the
Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle upon Tyne, and tributes to the departed local notables. He continued working until his eightieth birthday, after which he appears to have become bed-ridden. He died on 25 February 1888
Newcastle. A picture of James is here https://searcharchives.vancouver.ca/studio-portrait-of-james-clephan-and-his-niece-mary-c-elgood == Works ==