A chorus of bells, a kaleidoscope of colour and a cacophony of cries will ring out across Chester this month as town criers from around the world gather for a unique tournament.
Chester has had a town crier since 1554, when an unnamed gentleman was paid 13d for announcing the upcoming mystery plays. The role was used to help local authorities share news and information to the masses when the majority couldn’t read. While in many locations the position died out in the 19th century, there are still around 250 town criers across the UK – and a number of these ladies and gentlemen are heading to Chester this month to compete in the World Town Crier Tournament organised by Visit Chester & Cheshire, along with some of their international counterparts.
Chester is the only place in Britain to have maintained the tradition of a noon cry – part performance, part storytelling, and a way to connect heritage with modern audiences. David Mitchell is the crier who, at midday during the peak summer months, takes his place at the High Cross in Chester, the location of public announcements since 1387, to share the day’s news. This will be the fifth time he, and Chester, have hosted the World Town Crier Tournament.
‘The event takes place over six days,’ he says, ‘but the criers only compete on three of those – we like to give them a day between each challenge to prepare and rest their voices.’
This year, there are 27 town criers taking part, travelling from across the globe.
‘We have competitors joining us from England, of course, the Channel Islands, represented by Alderney, Australia, Canada, Belgium, Germany, Netherlands and the USA,’ David says.
‘The competition is divided into three parts, each scored by a panel of judges, who will announce the overall winner on the final day. Each segment has a winner, to be selected by a celebrity judge and announced on the day. On day one, for example, the MP for Chester North and Neston, Samantha Dixon, has been asked to judge.’
David will act as the compere on each day; as host he is forbidden from entering, although he has won his own awards, placing third in the 1999 World Championship on Vancouver Island, Canada and declared British Champion in 2008.
‘The competition opens with a Hometown Cry,’ he explains, where the criers cry about their hometowns. They have a word limit of 25 words, with a maximum of 20 per cent in their own language, should they not be native English speakers.
‘They are judged by four judges who are looking at four different categories: vocal proficiency; confidence and bearing; the content of the cry; and audience engagement.’
This first part all takes place in Town Hall Square, but the next round moves to Eastgate Square, where each competitor has been matched with a retailer and shoppers will be treated to a surprise slice of theatre in the middle of the day.
‘Prior to the criers arriving in Chester, they have been matched randomly with a retail outlet in Eastgate Square,’ David explains. ‘They must research that retailer and write an advertising cry for a product. The distinguishing aspect of this round is that when they get to Chester, they must visit their retailer and borrow an item of merchandise they can hold up while they’re making the cry.’
The final round is known as the accommodation proclamation.
‘All the competitors are provided with free accommodation during their time in Chester and in round three they are asked to do an advertising cry about the place where they are staying, which will hopefully be funny and certainly positive. The whole thing is a visual joy, as well as something very different to listen to, with 27 town criers in their full livery gathered on each day. It’s going to be loud and extravagant and extrovert in every way.’
If that unnamed gentleman of 1553 could stand at the High Cross today, he would recognise the bell and the bellow, even if the livery and messages have changed. The World Town Crier Tournament keeps his ancient craft alive, not in the dusty pages of an archive, but in full voice, ringing out over the ancient city of Chester – and the towns and cities from where the competitors have travelled – to inform, educate and entertain the masses (literate though we now are) once again..
September 22-26, visitcheshire.com/ world-town-crier-tournament
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