About Us

About Town Crying

If you were around in medieval England and heard the ringing of a handbell and a person with a loud voice proclaiming “Oyez, Oyez, Oyez” you would recognize that the Town Crier was about to make an announcement. This announcement could be about a horse that was stolen, regulations limiting waste disposal in the local waterway, or a Royal Decree declaring certain persons to be outlaws. Since you were not literate, as most people of that time, if you wanted to know first hand was considered important enough to announce you made your way to where the Town Crier had called out “Oyez”. 

Throughout almost all of human history, the spreading of news, the informing of government decrees, or the announcement of marriages and funerals, was done by the human voice. The appointment of a person responsible for making such public pronouncements was common around the world. There are records of Town Criers throughout Europe, India, Nepal, Congo, Shri Lanka, and in the New World Mexico, Peru, and Panama. It is however the Town Criers of England and their identification with the Royal Crown, that most people are familiar with. The identification with the Royal Crown is common with Criers thought out the British Commonwealth. There are Town Crier Guilds in New Zealand, Australia, and Canada, in addition to a number of Town Crier Guilds throughout Britain. Most commonwealth town criers wear clothing that is modeled after the livery common during the Victorian era when Britain was at the height of its power. 

The United States has a different tradition than countries that are members of the British Commonwealth. There was no tradition of an association with royal decrees and most Town Criers just wore what the local people wore and gave mostly local notices. Their main badge of office would be the bell they would use to get attention. While it is uncertain what call they would have used to get attention, the British town crier tradition of calling out “Oyez” is still used today in courts throughout the United States when the Court Crier calls the court into session. “Oyez” translates from the French as “hear ye” and dates from the time Normans came over from France and defeated the Anglo-Saxons at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. It is reported that heralds were sent through England to inform the locals that there was a new ruler. 

The uniform that most American criers use is based on local history and if the colonial period is part of local history, is usually from that time period. 

With the advent of mass communication and universal literacy, the need for a Town Crier became less important, and in the early 1900s was about to die out. It was first revived in England with a series of competitions between criers of the time. Rules for competitions were created which awarded points for such things as volume, clarity, attire, and attention-getting. Town Crier Guilds were established and soon spread throughout the Commonwealth. In 1997 the American Guild of Town Criers was created under the guidance of the Ontario Guild of Town Criers, a connection which has continued with members from each guild attending each other's Town Crier competitions.