“OYEZ”

Evening Star, Issue 19412, 22 November 1926, Page 12

“OYEZ”

RIVAL TOWN CRIERS The national town criers’ contest was held recently at the little Wiltshire town ot Pewsey, which rang with stentorian cries. It was claimed for some of the competitors that their voices could be Heard for miles. The programme of the event stated that one competitor was reputed to have “a seven-mile voice.” liut the competition demanded more than an effort to lift the voice over Salisbury Main, below the northeast ridge of which the contest was held. _ Tiie efficient town crier must proclaim his message clearly and with expression. And so the criers gave a demonstration of their artistic methods in voice production, as well as in the use of their bells.

There were twenty-four competitors from nearly a dozen counties. M The dialects of the north were missing. Wales was represented, but the majority of the criers came from towns in the south and west of England.

A prize was offered for the bestdressed crier, and the. company of competitors in their full regalia, some in velvets and silks, with an abundance of gold lace, made a display that might have earned the commendation of the Merchant Tailors’ Federation. There were dresses in accordance with modern styles, but the majority were suggestive of the picturesque designs of past centuries. One crier, for example, wore an ancient gown adorned with a monster silver badge, and there were several competitors in bright-colored suits, with. knickerbockers and silk stockings. Their parade in the Market place, where they assembled fully equipped with their bells, showed that in some towns tho_ crier must be an ornament in any civic procession. They marched from the Market place to the sports field, where the contest was held. THE TEST PIECE,

The criers’ competition was only one item in a long programme of events in the annual carnival at Pewsey, which is organised for the benefit of the Saternako Hospital and the sick and needy. There were bicycle races and a military display by noncommissioned officers and men of the Ist Regiment Wiltshire Regiment. But the outstanding feature of the afternoon was the contest of the criers. They, proclaimed their message from a small platform erected in the centre of the enclosure, which was surrounded by spectators. The judges were Mr J. Stobart, director of education of the British Broadcasting C onlpany, and the Rev. E. S. Daubeney, rector- of Pewsey. They retired into a small tent situated about 80yds from the criers’ platform, and there they recorded their marks in accordance with the merits of the competitors. The following was the test piece for each crier; — “ Oyez! Oyez!! Oyez!!! “ Found at Pewsey and District Carnival, the biggest and brightest spectacle in the South and West of England, where a week of revelry and pageantry reigns supreme, and a procession of stupendous proportions passes through scenes of fairyland, midst a blaze of brilliant illuminations; a revival of the time-honored town crying, the means of announcing Royal Proclamations, the earliest advertising medium, and the original form of broadcasting. “ God save the King.” TONGUE TWISTERS.

Points of importance in the contest ■were, of course, audibility, clearness of speech, accuracy in reading, and expression. The competition, as may be imagined, produced a variety of methods, not only of reading, but of ringing the crier’s bell. The full test was not always given accurately.. The words, “A procession of stupendous proportions ” occasionally marred the flow of the message from _ the lips of a crier, But the intelligence with which the test piece was given, in many cases in clear, penetrating tones, showed that the efficiency of the town crier and the strength or his voice are being well maintained. The first prize and the championship were won by Mr Ernest Austin, of Highworth, Wilts. The other prize winners were: Mr Walter Abbott, Lyme Regis, 2; Mr Gomer Thomas, Abertridwr, Glamorgan, 3; Mr J. Lake, Honiton, 4; Mr E. Baker, Great Torrington, 5. ' , . ■ The carnival was continued at night, when every street in Pewsey was illuminated and every house seemed to display a brilliant design. There were thousands of visitors to the town from surrounding districts to witness a procession of decorated cars, which was followed by a fancy dress ball. • '