Abstract This paper aims to identify and trace the development of four-word lexical bundles characterising news discourse, using a corpus of news articles published in The Times of London between 1784 and 1983. In terms of frequency, there has been an increase until the end of the nineteenth century, followed then by a continual decrease. The explanations take into account the sociohistorical background of early newspapers, including improved technology, increased literacy and journalist movements, which in turn may have resulted in changes in news discourse. At the same time, we can see recurrent structural patterns and functions of such bundles over the two centuries, suggesting a high degree of stability underlying the use of lexical bundles, and by extension, news discourse itself.