As long as there has been news to share, there have been messengers to deliver it and Town Criers and Bellmen were the original 'newsmen' finding their origins in the early Greek Empire as Spartan Runners. From the year 776BC onwards the Olympic Games were opened by a contest for heralds and trumpeters. The ritual inauguration to choose which herald was to proclaim the judge’s verdict was the forerunner of the Town Crier’s competitions held today.
In fact Stentor an ancient Greek warrior in the Trojan War was said to have had the voice as powerful of 50 hence the word” Stentorian” used liberally by Victorian writers was used to describe some men with a loud voice and typically Bellmen and Town Criers.
These Heralds or Spartan runners went about from place-to-place proclaiming various things such as what great battles the King had won or lost as it may be. What was happening in the Arena-i.e., who was to fight who? What new laws were coming into being etc?
The King is dead- long live the King! The position increased in importance until it became a position of the court. One problem in Socrates discovered was that the bearers of bad tidings were put to death and the saying “Don’t shoot the messenger” came about to protectthem.
Town Criers in Britain are thought to have come to the fore in 1066 when news of William of Normandy's invasion was known about. Although they were about prior to that, and they even feature on the Bayeux Tapestry.
When Harold received news that William was about to attack and invade the South coast, he had only a small army. He decided to recruit a bigger army, but he sent his messengers to landowners as he thought as they were learned men, they would be able negotiate with them to get peasants and land workers for his army. The Landowners were having none of this, as they believed their work wouldn’t get done and so chased away the heralds and criers. Harold heard that this was happening and said he was the King and issued each crier with a proclamation, allowing them to enter freely any Town or Village to carry out the King’s command, and to speak freely without fear. (This is thought to be the start of freedom of the City and the right to free speech). Harold’s army grew to around 7000 men and William’s was around 5000. The difference being his were trained infantry and Harold’s were peasants and riff raff. Harold encamped on top on Sentac Hill and William soon gained the upper hand. As you probably all know Harold was shot in the eye and died from his injuries. Although William was in the end victorious, he had also lost quite a few men. Following his coronation on 25th December 1066 he decided being French he needed help from the English Lords and Criers to implement his laws. Being a wise old King, he called upon the Criers who he knew to be scholars to spread the news. He decreed all large Towns and Cities should have a Town Crier. He insisted
that they go around to spread the new laws and warn of any danger. He knew that they had sworn allegiance to the Crown not to the person who wore it. This is still so today, and we now end our criers with “God Save The King” The criers rose to prominence in high places during his reign and continued afterwards obtaining offices such as Town Clerk, Magistrates Judges etc. Criers commence their cries with Oyez, Oyez, Oyez (roughly translated from Old French, as "Hark" or "Listen" to what I’m about to say) again from this era and this became a familiar call in town squares, markets and public meeting places all over Britain, a summons for the townspeople to gather and listen to news of the plague, victories in far off lands, royal births and deaths by execution.
As the literacy of Britain's population remained low well into the late 19th century, people came to rely on criers and heralds as a useful way of hearing about proclamations, edicts, laws, and news, as books and newspapers were generally only accessible to a small
percentage of the English population.
Proclamations may well have been written on paper; however, they were usually passed on to the general public by the Town Crier - the first (talking) newspaper. They were also used to protect Towns as night watchmen when they had a strange habit of shouting out the time in the middle of the night and adding somewhat incongruously “All is well” and yet evidence suggests that his contemporises regarded him warmly. They would wander the streets at night, making sure fires in bakeries and other businesses were put out by
using a “Couvre feux” (Fire cover) at the end of the day.
After this time no-one was supposed to wander the streets apart from them and the term “curfew” came from this and so the Town Crier would apprehend pilferers and robbers who were found to break the curfew. They also reminded the people to snuff out their candles and then take to their beds. Even though sleep may have been disturbed by the night watchmen people lay in their beds feeling safe as it was felt prevention was better than cure.
The Town Crier would read a proclamation, usually at the door of the local inn, then nail it to the doorpost of the inn. The result of this tradition has been the naming of newspapers as "The Herald and Post", the expression "posting a notice", the "post office" and "posting a message" on the Internet. Criers were not very popular in the time of King John who ruled in place of his brother Richard as they were given the role of the dreaded Tax Man!!! And had to collect the King’s taxes. Being an easy target, they were subject to being robbed by the scoundrels of the land i.e., Robin Hood etc, so King John passed a law: Anyone who attacked a Town Crier or his partner whilst carrying out his duties as a Town Crier was and is guilty of treason and could be beheaded. This law as I said has never been repealed So beware!
Their position became so important that because harming a Town Crier was a treasonable offence even in the 21st Century, these ancient laws are supposed to also guard them against heckling. As literacy spread, the Town Crier's role was eventually superseded by newspapers and modern media, but there are lots of Towns that still retain the position of Town Crier for Civic ceremonies, leading parades and generally using their Town Crier to enhance the traditional character of their Town and promote tourism. Queen Ann also passed a law that if a Town Crier was to accompany a Lord of the Manor or anyone of importanceinto Church, the Town Crier having his staff in one hand, and his bell in the other, the staff to protect and the bell to proclaim. This meant that the Crier in having to remove his
hat would not be able to protect and so would be unable to fulfil his duty. She decided that a law would be made so they would not need to remove their hat in Church. This law has also never been repelled so we can leave our hat’s on in church. Some criers don’t carry a staff but use the bell as a handy cudgel to ward off troublemakers, hence the phrase “His face rings a bell”.
In the early days the Town Crier would receive payment, not by coin but in jewellery given by the King or Lord of the Manor as thanks and always from a private collection. As the centuries went on Criers were always in demand, it was the only way that the public would find out the news, however not all Town Criers were honest men. Many in Yorkshire, and Lancashire would recruit young boys off the street and send them up to the Dales in a horse and cart to rustle sheep, then they would pay a slaughter man to top the animals so they could sell the meat and make a tidy profit…. Thank you nicely!
The origin of the escort or consort as they are now known was that you could not be a single crier. The consort could hold the scroll and take the bell off the crier whilst they cried out the news… ornamental feathers or quills (Mainly the left wing flight feathers of geese were used as they curved outwards to suit right handed writers, sometimes swan feathers were used but the most expensive and for fine lines crows feathers were the best) They were placed in his Tri Corn hat as it was a convenient place to hold them, and he could write down his cry and roll it up and slotted into the fold of his hat. Women were often employed in spreading the news of items which had been lost, the arrival of fresh food such as fish from Fisherrow at the market or some piece of local intelligence, one such person was Beetty Dick of Dalkeith in Midlothian (1693-1773) Beety used a large wooden trencher which she hit with a spoon. The din was just loud enough to stir the graveyard. The sound would rattle out at different places in the town causing crowds to assemble to hear the latest
announcement for which Beety charged the princely sum of one penny. Every night she was employed to ball out “Tripe piping, hot, ready for supper. The nicht at 8.00 o’clock at Jeanie McMillan’s head of North Wynd. Gang hame, bairns and tell your folks about it.
Beety was succeeded by Peggy Haswell and the spoon and trencher gave way to the handbell as the means to rousing the towns’ people eager for news. After Peggy the bell went to Jesse Garvald who was nicknamed Garvald Gundy. This was on account of the delicious, sweet meats known as Gundy “To gust the gabs” which she manufactured and was very popular with the children.
Jesse was succeeded by Grizzie Brown better known as Bell Grizzie who was the last to use the hand bell in the capacity of Town Crier. The magistrates decide that a drum would be used as it was more dignified although more expensive at eighteen pence per announcement.

WHY USE A TOWN CRIER?

THEY CAN GENERATE ATTENTION AND INTEREST, FIRSTLY FROM RINGING OUR BELL AND THEN CRYING OYEZ, OYEZ, OYEZ. TAKEN FROM OLD FRENCH WHICH MEANS PLEASE LISTEN.
PEOPLE REALISE THAT THERE IS SOMETHING GOING ON AND USUALLY STOP AND LISTEN AS TO WHAT THEY ARE ABOUT TO SAY. THEY PROVIDE AN EXPERIENCE DIFFERENT TO OTHER WAYS OF ADVERTISING AND BY INTERACTING WITH THE PUBLIC ON A ONE TO ONE BASIS.
THEY GENERATE INTEREST WITH THEIR LIVERY AND BRING AN ELEMENT OF HISTORY AND TRADITION TO MAKE AN EVENT MORE SPECIAL. HISTORICALLY TOWNCRIERS WERE A ROVING NEWSCASTER AND NOWADAYS THEY CAPTURE ATTENTION AND GET PEOPLE INTERESTED IN WHAT’S GOING ON THROUGH CRYING AND CHATTING TO PEOPLE.

THEY CAN BE USED FOR CIVIC EVENTS, CARNIVALS, OPENING AND CLOSING AN EVENT. INTRODUCING CELEBRITIES OR VIPS AND QUITE OFTEN LEAD A PARADE.
YOU NEED TO LOOK FOR SOMEONE WITH A GOOD PERSONALITY, PERFORMANCE AND OF COURSE LOUD VOICE WHICH IS CLEAR AND ARTICULATE. GOOD COMMUNICATION SKILLS,ABLE TO TALK TO THE PUBLIC AND THE ABILITY TO WRITE CRIES FOR DIFFERENT EVENTS.
THESE DAYS TOWN CRIERS ARE TYPICALLY PAID BY APPEARANCE. THESE FEES CAN BE OF A SLIDING SCALE DEPENDING ON THE EVENT BUT ARE USUALLY TO COVER TRAVEL EXPENSES AND MAINTAINING THEIR LIVERY AND OTHER OUT OF POCKET COSTS. THE CRIER SHOULDTAILOR THEIR CHARGES ACCORDINGLY AS TO WHETHER A CHARITABLE, COMMERCIAL, CIVIC AND THE LENGTH OF TIME THEY ARE NEEDED.