EACH week in the Free Press we look back at what made the news 150, 100, 50 and 25 years ago. Here is a sample of the items featuring in the This Was The News column this week.

150 years ago – October 9th 1869

A new postmaster was appointed in Watchet – Mr Albert Williams, whose china warehouse business in Swain Street was close to where the post office had been established for many years.

100 years ago – October 11th 1919

The death occurred of Sir Charles Chadwyck-Healey, who had a house, New Place, in Porlock. He was the author of ‘A History of Part of West Somerset’, a valuable work of reference.

50 years ago – October 11th 1969

A computer had “taken over” the handling of accounts of all the customers at the Minehead branch of the National Provincial Bank: “This does not mean that it is the computer the customers will have to ask for a loan … a great many of the laborious tasks carried out by the staff have been transferred to the automation side.”

25 years ago – October 14th 1994

The county council was to buy nearly 2000 acres of moorland, becoming owners of about half of the Emmetts Grange Estate, north-west of Simonsbath. Exmoor Society chairman Mr S H Burton said this was “the best news of Exmoor we have had for many a long day”.