What makes a good town crier?
Knaresborough’s Roger Hewitt says surprisingly, it’s not all about how loud you shout:
“You have to shout but a big voice is not enough. You have to be able to write your own stuff, it has to be engaging. It’s all about intonation, accuracy, engaging your audience and doing your best. It’s a good thing that volume isn’t the main thing!
The town crier is gearing up for a busy four-day weekend in early June, with the town’s Platinum Jubilee committee organising a huge list of events to celebrate the Queen’s 70 years on the throne.
Mr Hewitt says he’ll available whenever his town needs him.
One of his most important jobs will be leading a flag procession from the Market Place to the grounds of Knaresborough House for the Jubilee Garden Party.
He’s also written a special message to deliver on market day that pays tribute to Her Majesty.
Service to the town
Mr Hewitt has lived in Knaresborough for 45 years and has been the town crier for 8.
He dons his 18th-century-inspired robe, laces up his boots and rings his bell every Wednesday at the market, with one week off a year in between Christmas and new year.
The role is organised by the Knaresborough Chamber of Trade & Commerce and Mr Hewitt joked the unusual role came about through a promotion.
“I was the Chamber’s Santa Claus at the market, they said ‘you’re used to wearing silly costumes’, and I was asked if I’d become the town crier.”
Long lineage
Knaresborough’s town crier lineage goes back to 1680.
In the old days, they would inform the townspeople of the latest news, proclamations, bylaws and any other important information, as at the time most people were illiterate and could not read.
“The town crier was the local literate, then it went to hell when it came to me!”
Mr Hewitt’s role today is not too dissimilar to how it was hundreds of years ago, although he quipped that today, most locals tend to get their news from the Stray Ferret.
He called Sid Bradley, who was the town crier in the 1980s and 1990s, “absolutely brilliant and the town crier that everybody would have liked to be.”
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Photo credit: Charlotte Gale
Former teacher
Mr Hewitt is well known to pupils of Harrogate Grammar School where he was a legendary chemistry teacher from 1991 until he retired in 2014.
He said his experience managing teenagers in the classroom has made him an even better town crier.
“Being a teacher helped tremendously.
“Somebody said to me recently, you don’t shout, you talk loud.
“That comes from teaching, particularly being a science teacher. When there are practical experiments going on in the classroom you can’t shout.”
Mr Hewitt has had a few unusual run-ins during his time as a town crier, including an encounter with a hen party that he called “the most harrowing day of my life”.
Good for the town
Hopefully, Mr Hewitt will be entertaining and informing visitors to Knaresborough for years to come.
He added:
“People come up to me and say ‘can I take your photo?’ I say yes, it’s complusory.
“Everytime they take a photo they take a bit of Knaresborough away.”
