I do vasts amount of newspaper research in relation to my Pembrokeshire Military Database and my talks around Pembrokeshire on headstones.
Pre Boer War, it is very hit and miss, I have some absolutely fasinating stories from the 1860's which form part of my talk and received much column inches, the gentleman concerned was not even from Pembrokeshire, but there are others just as interesting that do not get a mention.
Next problem is that newspapers at this time are editions to set area's many of which editions do not survive, people would not understand today just how much is in one district paper and gets no mention else where in the same newspaper in a different part of the county, but other stories of very limited interest appear in all edtitions.
Lastly most papers at this time contain mainly adverts, but you can find a list of visitors to a town how long they stay and where. Obits are rare and B/M/D are even rarer.
As you are are up the Smoke, then you have one up on me, since you have Collingdales, which believe it or not has more newpapers of Pembrokeshire than we have here.
Rgds
Orielbenfro
ORIEL a welsh window on a surname