Criers in with shout of Euro glory in Yorkshire

And while news is now readily available at the touch of a button, this ancient tradition is still very much alive in towns all over the world.

This month cries of “Oyez oyez oyez” are set to ring out across Robin Hood’s Bay, in North Yorkshire, when the European Town Criers’ Guild Championships are held in the UK for the first time.

The picturesque fishing village has beaten Lille and Ostend to host the contest, which will see 14 town criers in traditional costume compete for the title of European champion on April 28 and 29.

Organised by Whitby and Robin Hood’s Bay town crier Andy Lowe, the event, which is being supported by Robin Hood’s Bay Tourism Association, promises to be a weekend of tradition and “entente cordiale”.

Mr Lowe, who has appointed the judges and therefore will not be competing, said: “I’m a member of the European Guild and I have a lot of town crying connections in places like Holland and Belgium.

“I have been going out there and advertising Whitby and Robin Hood’s Bay for the last 20 years and it was put to me, why not hold it here?

“We have got the reigning world champion and European champion attending this event and all the competitors are all really excited about coming. I have spent the last two decades telling them all about the area – the Whitby fishing industry, Dracula, smuggling, the best hotels and accommodation, the beauty of the North York Moors and the River Esk – and at last they will see it.”

There will be three cries around the village as part of the competition. The first one will see the criers advertise the town they come from in the Victoria Hotel Gardens on the Saturday at 4pm.

At 10.45am the following day the town criers and their entourage will parade down to the dock to the ringing of bells. The second cry will take place in the dock and be about a fair or festival in their area at 11.15am. The championship will conclude with a third cry about the role of the town crier today, also in the dock at 2pm.

The competitors will be judged on their confidence and bearing, diction and inflection, volume and clarity, the accuracy of their cry and their dress.

Mr Lowe, who is set to hang up his tricorn hat for the final time when he retires at the age of 51 this year, said: “They all have very different regalia that they wear, which represents the town they come from. You will be able to see red, green, blue, black – all sorts of different types.

“The ages of the criers vary. There are some that go up to 75 and then you get younger ones. When I first started at the age of 31 I was the youngest ever town crier.

“Because we have got town criers coming from abroad, we have had to get judges that can speak other languages. The winner of the overall competition will be receiving a hand-turned wooden bell and a chain of office.”

Historically town criers – or bellmen – were the original newsmen finding their origins in the early Greek Empire as Spartan Runners. As the Roman Conquest spread through Europe the position increased in importance until it became a position of the court.

As the literacy of Britain’s population remained low well into the late 19th century, people came to rely on criers as a useful way of hearing about proclamations, edicts, laws and news.

Oyez, oyez, oyez, which means listen, 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 plague, victories in far off lands, royal births and deaths by execution.

When the need for a town crier disappeared, the post was retained in many parts of the world for ceremonial purposes.

As one of the most successful ever competitive town criers, Mr Lowe has been a keen advocate of the centuries old tradition, which he insists is in no danger of dying out.

He said: “It’s a very esteemed tradition and there have been town criers dating back centuries. In Europe the tradition is still growing. In February I was invited to Geraardsbergen in Belgium where they have just appointed their first ever town crier.

“I hope that these championships will entice someone to take on the role and join the guild.

“You need a good voice, a desire to perform and the wish to keep this wonderful tradition going.

“We hope that people will join in what will be a celebration of town crying and have a go at ringing our bells.”

The weekend will conclude with an opportunity to meet the town criers at Fylingdales Village Hall, where the winners will be announced. A variety show will then take place, which will include further rousing performances from some of the competitors.

With guesthouses already filling up in the village, Mr Lowe, who lives in Whitby, is confident the event will be a major boost to the local tourist economy.

“This unique event is going to bring a lot of people to the area,” he said.