Town Crier

We are extremely fortunate to have a Town Crier in Chesham as there are only around 170 official members of the Ancient and Honourable Guild of Town Criers and Loyal Company of Town Criers in the UK. Our current Town Crier, Jane Dodd, Chesham’s first female town crier, was appointed this honorary role in May 2014. This year marks her 10th anniversary in this position.

Key attributes for a Town Crier are the ability to read, a loud voice and an air of authority. Jane, an opera singer is thus perfect for the role and in addition she has a love of costume, pomp and ceremony which are required in equal measure.

A town crier, also called a bellman, is an officer of a royal court or public authority and makes public pronouncements as required. Traced back to medieval times (two bellmen appear in the Bayeaux Tapestry, which depicts the invasion of England by William of Normandy and the Battle of Hastings in 1066), they were the chief means of news communication with the townspeople, as many were illiterate.

Royal proclamations, local bylaws, market days, adverts, even selling loaves of sugar have all been proclaimed by a town crier throughout the centuries. The crier also escorted the destitute to the workhouse, installed minor criminals in the stocks and administered floggings. During public hangings they would read out why the person was being hanged and helped to cut him or her down.

Things have moved on rather since then! In England, town criers still announce the births of royal heirs and occasionally the arrival of the royal family as degreed by The Pageant Master of the Royal Household. These days you will find our Town Crier at events throughout the year, such as Christmas in Chesham, the Schools of Chesham Carnival and the DDay 80 Anniversary Proclamation. Nearly 400 Criers from the Commonwealth have signed up to take part in the DDay 80 commemoration Cry.

It is more than likely that you will hear our Town Crier before you see her, as she rings her handbell and shouts ‘Oyez, Oyez, Oyez’ to attract your attention prior to making an announcement. The word ‘Oyez’ (pronounced ‘oh yay’) comes from the French ouïr (‘to listen’) and means “Hear ye”, which is a call for silence and attention. The cry then ends with the words, ‘God save the King’ or ‘God save the Queen’.

Criers often dress elaborately, a tradition dating to the 18th century, and Jane’s costume is no less glamourous, donning a red and gold coat, breeches, black boots and a tricorn hat. This outfit was created by local seamstress Clem Short who created the ruff and dressed the traditional tricorn hat with an ostrich feather donated by Pathfinder Ostrich Farm. The ceremonial scroll, featuring the town crest, was created by talented volunteer Kirsten Aldridge.

If you would like our Town Crier to attend an event, please get in touch via [email protected]