The Latter-day Saints’ Millennial Star (usually shortened to Millennial Star) was the longest continuously published periodical of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), and was printed in England from 1840 until 1970, when it was replaced by the church-wide Ensign. It was primarily aimed at British Latter-day Saints.
History
The first issue of the Millennial Star was published in Manchester, England, in May 1840, with Latter Day Saint Apostle Parley P. Pratt as editor and W. R. Thomas as printer. First mention of the newspaper being sold in Liverpool appeared in March 1842, and printing was officially moved to Liverpool with the April 1842 issue. Pratt was eventually replaced as editor by Thomas Ward. When Ward left England, Orson Hyde, who was then serving as Mission president in the area, became the editor. After that point, editing and supervision of the Star fell to the subsequent mission presidents of the church's European Mission, which was based in England.
When Orson Pratt was called as mission president in 1848, he also became the editor and publisher of the Millennial Star. In his first issue as editor, he also printed an address to the members and missionaries of the church.
Although the Star began as a monthly periodical, over the course of its 130-year history, it became a semi-monthly and then weekly paper.
Due to the Priesthood Correlation Program of the LDS Church, which sought to encourage uniformity and extend control over printed materials, the Millennial Star was replaced by Ensign at the end of 1970.