It contained both home and foreign news as well as parliamentary reports and aimed to discuss the political affairs of the day without any particular bias. Its first issue told its readers that the paper would ‘attack nothing – except oppression, deception and disorder.’ Despite its aim to be neutral the paper was anti Tory, anti coal owner and anti the Church of England.
By 1855 the Rev Thomas Price, a leading Baptist and local politician had joined the editorial team, and by the end of 1856 the paper had become a weekly. Price would spend five years as co-editor of first ‘Y Gwron’ and then its successor ‘Y Gweithiwr’.
‘Y Gwron’ and its successor ‘Y Gweithiwr’ always contained a mixture of articles, from heavy philosophy through to light entertainment. Central to both however was ‘the importance of the Welsh language in the working man’s struggle for justice’.
The press at ‘Y Gwron’ and ‘Y Gweithiwr’ was not limited to just the production of the newspaper. It also produced political pamphlets and work for the friendly societies as well as collections of poetry and religious works. The press continued working under subsequent owners until 1908.