![]() Usually people of standing in the community were chosen as criers, for they had to be able to write and read the official proclamations. Often they were a husband and wife team with the wife ringing the large hand bell and the husband doing the shouting. There are two organizations representing town criers including the Ancient and Honourable Guild of Town Criers and Loyal Company of Town Criers. The phrase "don't shoot the messenger" was a real command. Anything done by the town crier was done in the name of the ruling monarch and harming a town crier was considered to be treason. Town criers were protected by law, as they sometimes brought bad news such as tax increases. Some newspapers took the name "The Post" for this reason. The term "Posting A Notice" comes from the act of the town crier, who having read his message to the townspeople, would attach it to the door post of the local inn. Salmon fishing season was also closed by the bellman. "Belman at the Cross … Reads publicly a proclamation in the Mayor's name, commanding all persons in the City to be of peaceable and civil behaviour, not to walk around the Streets or Rows at unreasonable hours of night." In 1607, one public notice read by George Tunnall, the bellman, forbade tipping rubbish in the river. In 1620, there was a fight at the Chester cross between the butchers and the bakers where the "Cryer brake his Mace in peeces Amonge them". one fyshe, for every boute lode with fresh fyshe that he goeth for. for every bote lode with powder mellwylle. "Of every worshipful gentyllman that goyth onye gounes at ther buryall. During public hangings he read out why the person was being hanged, and helped to cut him or her down.Ĭhester records of 1540 show fees due to the bellman included: ![]() ![]() The crier also escorted the destitute to the workhouse, installed minor criminals in the stocks and administered floggings. Royal proclamations, local bylaws, market days, adverts, even selling loaves of sugar were all proclaimed by a bellman or crier throughout the centuries-at Christmas 1798, the Chester Canal Company sold some sugar damaged in their packet boat and this was to be advertised by the bellman. In medieval England, town criers were the chief means of news communication with the townspeople, since many were illiterate in a period before the moveable type was invented. In the observance of Allhallowtide, "it was customary for criers dressed in black to parade the streets, ringing a bell of mournful sound and calling on all good Christians to remember the poor souls." In order to gain the attention of the crowd, the crier would yell, "Hear ye" – "Oyez". In Goslar, Germany, a crier was employed to remind the local populace not to urinate or defecate in the river the day before water was drawn for brewing beer.Ĭriers were not always men, many town criers were women. Bells were not the only attention-getting device-in the Netherlands, a gong was the instrument of choice for many, and in France a drum was used, or a hunting horn. Proclamations, local bylaws, market days, adverts, were all proclaimed by a bellman or crier. Prior to widespread literacy, town criers were the means of communication with the people of the town since many people could not read or write. As the Roman conquest spread through Europe the position increased in importance until it became a position of the court. The first town criers were the Spartan Runners in the early Greek Empire and in ancient Rome they typically proclaimed public business during the market days that formed a kind of weekend every eight days. Town Criers - or Bellmen as they were sometimes called - were the original newsmen. David Scott RN (Retd) - Modbury Town Crier
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