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February 28th 2019
The History of the Town Crier
Mike Wabe
Over 60 members were entertained at the Fairland Hall by Mike Wabe, the Town Crier of Watton, who gave a talk on the history and role of town criers.
Suitably attired in his official rig-out he interspersed the talk with stories of amusing incidents experienced in the course of his duties. A young boy once asked him if he was a pirate. The occasional “oyez oyez”, which means “hear ye hear ye”, and sounding of his bell kept the audience focussed!
The position is an honorary one, though the uniform is provided, and there are two organizations to which a town crier can belong – The Ancient and Honourable Guild of Town Criers and The Loyal Company of Town Criers. Some cities may have more than one town crier and there are about 200 in the country. However, the idea of proclaiming public announcements can be traced back to ancient times, a stentorian being a herald in the Trojan War referred to in Homer’s Iliad, and today a stentor is a person with a powerful voice.
In England the concept dates back to the Norman Conquest (1066) when William I decided that all towns and cities should have a crier to proclaim laws and give information. In those days few people could read. At one time town criers would read their messages then nail them to a post at a local inn, hence the term “posting a notice”. Newspapers like the Yorkshire Post and the Washington Post derived their names from this practice. In earlier times the town crier had power to arrest wrongdoers and at public hangings he read out details of the crime for which the person was to be hanged. With most of the populace illiterate, even long after the first newspaper arrived in 1621, the town crier’s announcements and news broadcasts were crucial. Royal Proclamations and the like would be carried by horse riders to the provinces to be read out in cities throughout the land.
There was a distinction between the town crier and the bellman, the former operating in day time and the latter patrolling at night. The bellman enforced the curfew, as well as looking out for any crimes being committed in the darkness and fires breaking out in those combustible dwellings in which people then lived. The classic example was the Great Fire of London in 1666 and in his diary about that time Samuel Pepys mentions the bellman.
The speaker referred to a number of towns and cities, including Newmarket which did not have a crier until one was commissioned by the market traders. In Norwich the role dates from 1272 and at one time notices were fixed to the corner post of the Bell Hotel.
Today the town crier does what the local council bids, but may be asked to assist on various occasions ranging from shop openings to weddings. Competitions for town criers have been staged in a number of places, among them Cromer and Ely. Competitors have had to write an announcement of 140 words and submit it to the organizers beforehand, among judging criteria being delivering the exact wording, volume, clarity and dress.
The speaker was introduced and thanked by Kevin Hurn, who was in the chair.
