We took in Montgomery's town crier contest - and loved it

There was no cause for alarm, but rather celebration – of the ancient craft of town crying.

The Ancient & Honourable Guild of Town Criers (AHGTC) Guild Championships was held on Saturday, September 14, with Montgomery awash with colour, as history was revisited.

Around 40 criers, complete with bells and eye-catching attire, paraded the streets of the ancient town – and we went along, minus bell, to see what all that ringing was about.

And the whole event was a riot - colourful, fun, and mind-boggling to anyone who wasn't prepared for the sight that greeted them!

So, what was it all about?

Coming to Wales for the first time, the Ancient & Honourable Guild of Town Criers (AHGTC) Guild Championships saw 40 of the UK’s best town criers arriving in Montgomery, to be judged on their skills and performance of the historic craft.

There were also three competitors from further afield – including Canada, New Zealand and Australia.

The competition saw criers making two proclamations during the day; the first being their home cry, followed by a cry of 125 words related to a specific topic chosen by Sue Blower – who has been the town crier of Montgomery for the last 22 years.

Her choice for this was a piece written by Montgomery-born poet George Herbert – one of the judges on the day is actually a descendant of Mr Herbert.

What on earth is a town crier?

It was the job of the crier or bellman in medieval times in Britain to inform the townspeople of the latest news, proclamations, bylaws and any other important information, as at this time most people were illiterate and could not read.

The town crier would begin his cry with the words “Oyez, oyez, oyez!” (‘Hear ye’), accompanied by the ringing of a large hand bell to attract attention.

The key requirements of the role were the ability to read, a loud voice and an air of authority. Bellmen would be paid for each proclamation they made; in the 18th century the rate was between 2d and 4d per cry (about £6-12 today).

Town criers were protected by law. Anything they did was done in the name of the monarch, therefore to harm one was an act of treason. This was a necessary safeguard as the town criers often had to announce unwelcome news such as tax increases.

The town crier can be traced back centuries; two bellmen appear in the Bayeaux Tapestry, which depicts the invasion of England by William of Normandy and the Battle of Hastings, in 1066.

Who won this year?

That distinction, and the George Carpenter Cup, went to Paul Gough, from Warwickshire – who has previously won the contest.

Asked about how it felt to win, he said: “It feels absolutely incredible. Really, really special.

“For us this is the FA Cup and European Cup all rolled into one.

“I won once before, in 1995, so nearly 30 years ago. It was a joy to perform in front of a wonderful crowd in the beautiful town of Trefaldwyn (Welsh for Montgomery).”

Paul revealed he has been a town crier for his borough of Nuneaton and Bedworth for just shy of 40 years.

“I like to tell people it’s the county of Shakespeare and also the Teletubbies,” added Paul.

“I’ve been an amateur actor for many years, and it all started when a member of my drama group said the borough was looking to appoint a town crier and that they’d never had one.

“She said ‘You’ve got a big mouth Goughie, why don’t you give it a go’ and that’s how I became a town crier. There were four of us and I won a cry-off.”

What others said

One couple we spoke to from Chester told us they couldn’t help but stick around for the event when they swung by during a Saturday excursion to visit the town’s famous castle.

The couple, cameras in hand, had been visiting Shrewsbury earlier in the day to take in a ploughing match.

While they might have expected a quiet stroll around the 11th century Norman castle, the couple instead were busy clicking away and capturing the chaos of the event, describing the experience as “absolutely fantastic”.