|
 The
job of Town Crier can be traced back as
far as 1066, when news of Britain's first
(and last) invasion by King William of
Normandy was passed from town to town by
individuals specifically employed to can
out the King's
proclamation.
Literacy amongst the
majority of the populace was low well into
the late 19th century as books and
newspapers were generally only accessible
to a small percentage of the English
population. Proclamations, edicts, laws
and news may well have been written on
paper, but they were usually passed on to
the general public by the Town Crier - the
first (talking) newspaper.
Oyez, Oyez (roughly
translated as "hark" or "listen") became a
familiar call in town squares, markets and
public meeting places allover Britain, a
summons for the townspeople to gather and
listen to news of |
plague, victories in
far off lands, Royal births and deaths by
execution.
Certainly news of the
Great fIre of London in 1666 and of Guy
Fawkes' Gunpowder Plot against the English
Parliament would have been spread by
members of the Honorable and Ancient Guild
of Town Criers.
Town Criers are
royalists and until this century
assaulting a Town Crier was a treasonable
offence. Before television and radio it
was the Town Crier who provided the news
to the mass populace, today the role is
more as special interest and tourist
attraction.
That face rings a bell
was true, as it was the Town Crier who
upheld the law prior to Sir Robert Peel.
When breaking up a fIght that face did
ring a bell Was this the reason that some
public houses became known as The Bell'?
After a proclamation was read it was
nailed onto a post in the town for the
literate individuals to read, hence the
term to 'post a notice'.
With the coming of the
Millennium the Loyal Company of Town
Criers decided it was the time to reaffirm
their Loyalty to the Crown. At noon on 5
June 1999 approximately 50 Town Criers
across the country cried a proclamation of
loyalty
 |
finishing with the
traditional ending of 'God Save the
Queen'.
Today the tradition of
Town Crier is kept alive and well in
London by Peter Moore, London's Official
Town Crier, who was featured in the Autumn
2005 edition of this newsletter. Peter is
an imposing site on the streets of London
in his red and gold robes, white breeches,
black boots and tricorn hat, replete with
ostrich
Peter Moore, Town Crier to The Mayor
of London and the Greater London
Authority
feather plumes. The
ceremonial robes worn by Peter are hand
made by the Queen's robe maker Ede and
Ravenscroft and cost in excess of
£2,000. Even the handbells rung out
by Peter all over London have a
distinguished lineage;
they are cast by the Whitechapel Bell
Foundry, the company that made America's
famous Liberty Bell.
For more information
visit Peter Moore's website:
Londonstowncrier.com
or email him at
peter@londontowncrier.com |
