In 1837 The Northern Star was founded by Feargus O'Connor, a chartist politician. He  seeked to educate working class men and women about the ways in which the government should treat their people. This was a radical newspaper printed every week that provided credible information about the state of the working class and how Parliament was handling their affairs. The newspaper began in Leeds and remained until 1844 when it moved to London. At the time, the paper covered revolutionary ideals of the people who refused to settle with feeling unappreciated. The newspaper gained significant credibility of professionalism and remained successful during much of the Chartist movement. The Northern Star not only evaluated domestic politics and city life, but included British international affairs in order to keep their readers informed of the world around them. Because of O’Connor the newspaper was known for advocating for political reform, men's suffrage, and better working conditions. This newspaper is often read by John Barton in Elizabeth Gaskell's novel Mary Barton. He reads it as a way to learn about the Chartist movements within the country. Gaskell most likley wanted to add a resource in to give an explaination for John Barton's passion for the Chartism.

Vargo, Gregory. "'Outworks of the citadel of corruption': the Chartist press reports the empire." Victorian Studies, vol. 54, no. 2, Winter 2012, pp. 227+. Gale Literature Resource Center, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A293949956/LitRC?u=sand82993&sid=bookmark-LitRC&xid=4e1bbb6b. Accessed 3 Oct. 2021.