Town Crier
As the Official Town Crier for
Waltham Abbey since 1994, Peter has served at many functions and events. Not only in Waltham Abbey, but in many other areas and cities throughout the country.
The first use of criers in the British Isles was said to date back to Norman times, when the cry “oyez, oyez, oyez”, (old French for “Shut up and listen!”) was used to draw the attention of the mostly illiterate public to matters of importance.
As town criers enjoyed royal protection, the command “don’t shoot the messenger” had very real significance.
Criers or bellmen were usually people of some standing in the community, as they had to be able to read and write the proclamations. The crier would read a proclamation, usually at the door of the local inn, then nail it to a post in the local market square – which is where the expression “posting a notice” comes from, as well as naming newspapers as The Post.
Criers were used to issue warnings and acted as conveyors of local news.
Although we have access to many different, almost instant, types of communication these days there is still a place for “communication with a human face”. Town criers are used to lead parades, open supermarkets, launch ships, attend official functions and act as ambassadors of good will on any occasion when a flamboyantly dressed character can be deployed to draw attention to what is happening.
